The Portland daily press., 1886-04-10

The crowd, after the firing began, ran III
broadway shouting ITO arms! To arms
We will get guns and return that fire. ,
women ana children ran out of their house:
their hands, After the crowd returned t(
the scene and the excitement had abate6
several OF the leading strikers drew their re-
yolyers and swore they would drive all the
deputies out of the city, even at the loss Of
their own lives.
1915 p. m.l-The deputies who did the
shooting-eight in number-went to the third
district police station in this city and sur
rendered themselves, and were taken in q
postal wagon to Four Courts, where they
their arms. They say the crowd began fir.
ing into them first, and they simply returned
the fire.
After the first firing was over, and the
strikers had become bent on revenge, a num-
Der of them armed themselves with revolv-
ers and advanced on the Ohio & Mississippi
railroad yards, where they surprised the
deputies on guard, and fired into them, kill
ing one. The greatest excitement now pre-
walls In East st. Louis, and the strikers are
fast arming themselves, and seem determin-
ed to avenge the death of those of their
number so wantonly slain, as they say. The
local executive committee of the Knights of
Labor are on the scene, attempting to re-
strain the men, and trying to persuade them
to meet in Flannagan's Hall, where they de-
The men refuse, however, to meet them,
claiming they will be surrounded by depu-
ties and fired upon again. A mass meeting
OF the strikers, however, is being held in
front of the City Hall, and they are with
difficulty restrained by their leaders from
advancing in body upon the different rail
road yards, and attacking the deputies on
guard.
1885 p. m.)-Guards of police are now sta
toned at each end of the approach of the
bridge connecting with East st. Louis, and
no one is allowed to pass over.
In the stampede which followed the first
volley from the rifles of the deputies one
man whose name is unknown was forced
from Cohakia Creek bridge and was killed
His body was not recovered.
ST. LOUIS, April $3.50 p m.-Goyernor
Oglesby of Illinois has ordered out eight
companies of militia and placed them under
orders to move at once. Some of the troops
are now ON their way to the scene of the
trouble, and will be at East st. Louis to-
night Adjutant General Vance will arrive
there tonight. and every means possible to
allay the excitement and restore order will
be used.
Several prominent Knights spoke at the
meeting held in front of City Hall this after
noon, and made an impassioned appeal to
the Knights to obey the laws, of the country,
and to rigidly observe all the principles Of
their order.
The meeting in front of City Hall was ad-
dressed by Messrs. Burns, O'Neil, Brown
and Hayes, Knights of Labor, who all in
earnest words eeloquently stroye to, calm the
excited mob. It seemed as though reign
Of terror had begun, but the crowd finally
dispersed with threats of vengeance.
11.15 p. M.-Three cars of the Short line
and four of the Louisville and Nashvill
freight cars were burned in the railroad
yards in East st. Louis tonight. 1t is thought
they were set on fire by strikers in revenge.
1t is now stated the Louisville & Nashville
depot is burning. Fire engines have been
sent from here to subdue the fire.
Another Account.
Ever since the railroad employees in East
st. Louis ceased work in support of the
striking Knights on the Gould system, ru-
mors of riots and bloodshed have daily
gained circulation, but until today no serious
conflict has occurred between them and the
deputy sheriffs and United States marshals
stationed in the various yards to protect the
company, employees and property. The
county sheriff has sworn in numerous depu-
ties and upon several occasions has brought
to that city bodies of armed men to suppress
an attack ON the railroad yards and their pro
tectors. Upon one occasion only, however,
has the presence of these men been
really needed and the railroads have
with few exceptions, but generally with
Today opened with but little. prospect of
serious trouble, though some of the strikers
intimated that 1.-THE railroad hands will find
it less easy to run their trains than they an
ticipated," and early in the morning the
yards presented an animated scene Switch
engines were running backward and forward
making up trains. The platform men were
busy loading and unloading freight and
trains were arriving and departing without
any interference.
noon and it was thought the day would pass
without any demonstrations by the strikers
and that it would be recorded as one OF the
quietest since the strike began. AT that
hour, hewever, the trouble which afterward
grew to such alarming proportions began. A
number of the strikers without apparently
having formed any preconcerted plan congre-
oatefGa+ ~. ilufaa -dannt and began dis
increased to fully 200, the discussinsa L.----n
animated and the crowd more demonstratlye
until some one proposed that they go to the
Louisville and Nashville yard and drive out
the men employed there. The cry of ''On to
the Nashville yards was caught up and the
crowd advanced and as they proceeded their
number increased again, some Joining as
spectators and others were in full sympathy
with the movement, until from 300 to 400
were advancing toward the yard Arriving
there they swarmed in the yard and pur-
suaded the men at work to desert their posts.
The crowd remained in the yard for some
prevailed, no violence was resorted to-.
Just at this time, however, a Louisville
and Nashville freight train was slowly pass
ing guarded by eight deputy sheriffs armed
with Winchester rifles. In the, mentlme
crowds of men, women and children had
congregated on Broadway where the Louis
vile and Nashville tracks cross the. street
and also upon Broadway bridge which spans
Cahokia Creek and in the open space to the
east.
just as this train reached the Broadway ray
crossing, trouble began. The crowd on the
bridge began to yell and jeer at the officers,
and it is asserted stones were thrown which
struck two or three of them, and it is also
said pistol was discharged. The deputies
leveled their rifles and fired two yolless 5 INTO
four men being killed and one mortally
wounded. The dead are Pat Driscoll, a Wa
bash second hand, not striker; Oscar
Washington, a painter, not striker; John
Bonner, coal miner, not a striker; MAJOR
Richman, a mill employe, not striker. Mrs.
PETER. said to be the wife of striker, was
shot in the back and mortally wounded. The
greatest eXcitemnt prevailed, and pandemo-
MUM reigned. The crowd fled in every di-
rection, and when the deputies realized how
fearful was the result of their fire, they
sought means of escape. by rushing for the
bridge with view Of fleeing to this city.
At the approach, and just at the bridge tower
on the east side, they were met by Mayor
Joyce, City Clerk Condy and man, who
seized the deputies guns and endeayored to
turn them back, when one of the deputies
in his terror, fired upon the trio, killing
man named G. E. Thompson, who stood be-
tween Joyce and Condy. Some shots were
fired by the rest of the deputies at the ap-
preaching strikers, and all started over the
bridge.
The scene on the bridge was one of confu--
sion and excitement. One of the frightened
guards threw his gun in the river and an
other hid his weapon in q wagon that was In
full retreat. On arriving in this city the
deputies went to the Chestnut street police
station, where, after stating the facts, they
surrendered to the sergeant in charge and
were taken to the Four Courts, where they
were placed in custody after giving the fol-
lowing names: P. G. Hewitt, John Hague,
Sam Jones, John F. Williams, G. Luster,
Stewart Martin, George Morrill, and W. f.
Lacid.
About half an hour after the shooting an
excited mob gathered in the square between
City Hall and the police station, and man
named Dwyer Gambler, in no way connected
with the strike, became the centre of the
crowd who cheered the incendiary state
ments which he uttered. He urged the men
to chang and KILL" and was in the midst OF
an appeal to the mob to follow him to the
Ohio A Mississippi depot to ''hunt for dep
uty Sheriffs," when John w. Hayes, mem.
Der of the general executive committee OF