Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-05-04
LABOR TROUBLES.
A Serious Riot at Chi
cage.
POLICE FIRE INTO A CROWD
The Great Southwest Strike
Brought to a Peaceful and
Satisfactory End.

The Great Southwest Strike
Brought to a Peaceful and
Satisfactory End.
Especial to the Herald blythe Associated Perss. J
CHICAGO, May 3.-sbortly after 3
o'clock a crowd OF socialists and others
had worked themselves into frenzy OF
excitement and started yelling towards
the Mccormick reaper works half mile
distant. The police were Immediately
telephoned for and soon arrived, and
drawing their revolvers fired indiscrimi-
nately into the crowd. The crowd scat
tered in all directions. Five Of the men
were wounded and were carried from
the scene. No one is reported killed.
The entire reserve OF the city's police
force has been ordered out to preserve
order ia the vicinity Of the trouble. The
scene at McCormick's works was riotous
in the extreme. By 4.25 o'clock, one
hundred and fifty policemen had arrived
on the ground and were coming In pa
troll wagons within sight. BY this
time the windows had been rid
died with stones and bullets.
Two Of the wagons while on
the way to the scene stopped to dispense
a noisy crowd at the corner OF Blue Is
land avenue and Lincoln street. The
mob attacked them with stones, but the
officers jumped from the wagons and by
a vigorous use.of their clubs soon sent
the rioters flying in all directions. They
then turned and began driving the noisy
crowds out of the saloons in the neigh
borhood, using their clubs indiscrimin-
ately. Inside the fence OF McCormick's
works Officer Rafferty, had very mar
row escape. A rioter who had got in
came mp behind him and was pointing a
pistol at his head not two feet away,
when Lient. Shepherd struck him to the
earth with his club, shiyering it to
pieces with the vigor of the blow.
At O'Clock the police were forming
a hollow square, inside OF which they
intend TO escort McCormiok's men be-
yond the mob's reach. Soon afterward
the police escorted McCormick's men
up beyond Twenty-Second street with
out trouble except from an occasional
stone hurled from safe hiding places.
-Four men were found wounded with
bullets. Two of them were taken away
in the patrol wagon, one was shot
through the hip and one through the
leg. There were many badly damaged
h eads.
The men at the stock yards struck this
morning for a working day Of eight
hours and ten hours pay. The Fair
bank Canning Company conceded the
demand the other houses holding off.
Officer Casey nearly suffered an igho-
death at the hands OF the infu.
rated Socialists. After the great mob
had been virtually dispersed Casey, with
three other policemen, carried Joe Wed.
dick, one Of the wounded strikers, I o his
home at 422 West Seventeenth street.
The patrol wagon was followed by an
angry crowd OF hoodlums, who yelled
loudly for revenge for the wounds Of
their fallen comrades. but when the
wagon turned down Center avenue to
Seventeenth street the crowd did not
follow. In silence they watched their
eountryman borne from the wagon into
his house, and the officers after laying
Weddick upon the bed left, with the ex-
ception OF Casey, who remain.
ed behind to get a report OF
the mans condition. While Casey
was talking to the wounded mans wife.
many Of Weddick'e sympathizers had
pressed their way into the house. The
injured man was asked who shot him.
Evidently Misunderstanding the qnes.
ton. Waddick raised his hand and
pointed at Casey. The crowd inside Of
the house went into frenzy. Selling
Officer Casey, they dragged him out upon
the sidewalk. Lynch him" lynch
him." they cried, and several gof their
number ran for ropes. Casey. man of
powerful frame, was like an infant,
hemmed In as he was by the mob. 10
the ensuing struggle he received fearful
bruises and his clothing was nearly torn
from his body. A rope was brought and
one end was made fast to a lamp post di-
rectly in front of Weddick's door. At
sight Of the improvised scaffold the mob
shrieked with delight. Casey fought
with the fury of desperation. As the
crowd pressed around the gsllows he
gathered all his remaining strength and,
dashing head foremost from his assail.
ants, jumped into the street followed by
hundreds who at once began firing at
him as he ran. He was met by patrol
wagon full Of police who, having
heard the tumult, were hurrying
to his assistance. Casey clambered
into the wagon and fell upon the seat
exhausted; the wagon was surroun ded
in moment by his pursuers, but at
sight of the policemen's revolvers they
quickly scattered. While this was g.
ing on Casey revived sufficiently to
point out among those who attacked
him one of the crowd who had
been particularly offcious in bringing
ths rope. The man was arrested and
Immediately driven to the station,
where he gave his name az Joseph
Hess.
Eyewitness of the struggle between
the police and the Socialists place the
number Of the latter who were wounded
as high as twelve. 1t is not thought
that any were killed outright, bat the
rapidly with which the wounded were
carried away by their friends and the
secresy maintained in regard to any con.
nection with the affair, make the facts
difficult to obtain. During the evening
the following circular. printed in Ger
man and with an English TRANSLATION APP
was distributed broadcast in
mauy sections of the city:
.Revengel Workingmen, to armsl
Your masters have sent out
their blood hounds, tho police,
They killed six OF your brot hers at Nc
Cormick's this afternoon. They killed
the poor wretohes because they, like
you, had the courage to disobey the SUI
prsme will of your bosses. They killed
them because they dared ask for shorter
hours. They killed them to show you,
free American citizens, that you must
be satisfied and contented with whatever
your bosses condescend to allow you
or you will get killed. You have for
years endured the most abject
humiliations; you have for years
Suffered unmeasurable iniqnities; you
have worked yourself to death; YOU
have endured the pangs Of hunger;
your children you have sacrificed TO
the factory lords; in short, you have
been miserable and obedient slaves ALI
these years. Why To satisfy the In.
satiable greed. to fill the Golfers Of your
lazy, thieving masters. When you ask
them now to lessen your burden he
sends his bloodhounds out to shoot YOU.
kill you. To armsi we call you, to
arms
At las A. NJ. an armed aud uniformed
sentry is pacing up and down in sront of
the First Regiment Armofy. Inside the
building special detail OF militia is on
guard to prevent any attempts at sack
ing the armories, stores Of ammunition
aud II firearms.
AT ST. LOUIS.
ST.. LOUIS, No., May 3.-Chair-
man Curtin Of the Congressional
Labor Investigation Committee busted
himself during the greater part Of yester-
day in an attempt to end the Gould
Southwest System strike. He held
conference which held from noon till a