The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-04-08
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EoF0FFIGERSAMBUSH
TO-. ED BY STRIKERS AT
FORT WORTH.
AN OFFICER KILLED AND TWO
OTHERS MORTALLY WOUND
ASSASSINATION.
special Telegram to the Statesman,

knights of Labor and OmcerS OF the III"
have met in deadly conflict. Two oihcers
fatally wounded, and third shot through
both hips, are the casualties on the side
OF the law. On that of the strikers, so
far as can be ascertained, only one Is
wounded.
1t had been announced, yesterday, by
the officers of the Missouri-Pacihc That
trains would move to-day, or there would
be bloodshed. The strikers, on the other
hand, had put it down as settled TACT
that no train would be allowed to pass
over the Missouri-Pacifc line until the
demand of the strikers for arbitration
was acceded to. 1t will be remembered
that there are only six men
among the strikers here who
were formerly employed by the Mis-
eouri Pacific, that road and the Texas
Pacific having pooled their Fort Worth
business 80 that freight was handled and
trains moved almost exclusively by Texas
Pacific employees. The places of these
men have long been filed, but they dare
not make fight on the Texas Pacific, be-
cause that rond ID in the hands o! re-
ceiver.
Last night the sheriff and his deputies
were busily engaged in serving writs OF
Injunction against the strikers and their
confederates. and by the time this morn
ing dawned most of them had received
official notice to keep away from the yards
of the Missouri Pacific road, and
warned against interfering with the
servants of the company.
The effect Of the writ was to keep the
yards clear, and at O'Clock this morning
not man. save employees, could be seen
in them. On the streets, however, near
the yards could be seen knots of men who
had collected to see what would be done
to-day.
At 10 o'clock the
OFFICERS BEGAN TO COLLECT
at the union Depot, while a number were
stationed in the yards. At 1915 dozen
or more went to the round house, and in a
few minutes engine No. 81, loaded down
with armed officers, pulled out and steamed
up to the Missouri Pacific yards. AS it
ratified past, crowd collected on either
side of the road. A derisive cheer went
up from a hundred throats, but not man
attempted to interfere with tho move
ments of the engine or to prevent her
from coupling on to caboose, which was
standing on the side track Hay-
run again on to the main
track and then backed up the road TO
Hodge, from which point it was to pull a
freight train into the city. For nearly
two hours the crowd awaited the return of
the engine with the train from Hodge,
and as the minutes rolled by amused
themselves in various ways. Raw weather
could not scatter them, and men wrapped
a. l.,
STAN ping their feet to keep them warm.
At half past ii o'clock the engine left
Hodge and at L go steamed into the yards.
The train consisted OF ten cars loaded
with coal and the caboose. AS it APP
preached Sixteenth street the crowd
rolled out but halted ON the line of the
right of way and remained there. Not
man made move toward the train, but
at the lower end of the yard three ladies,
wives of strikers appeared on the track
one with
RED FLAG,
which she waved across the track
as the signal for the engineer to stop. OF
course no attention was paid to the sig
nal and the train passed on by the union
depot, and continued on its journey
south.
The suggestive quiet that marked the
passage of the freight train through the
city, was not without it's significance, and
its sequel.
When the train left the depot it was
under the protection of posse Of twelve
officers, commanded by Jim COPYRIGHT
special deputy United States marshal.
Some of the officers we're deputy mar
shals, and others members of the regular
police force. The train proceeded slowly |
to the crossing of the Fort Worth & New
Orleans railroad, about mile and half
south Of town. The train stopped, rs is
customary, before crossing The switch
was found open, and two men stood near
the crossing. The officers approached
the switch, and rs they did so,
they discovered five men with
Winchesters partly concealed in the weeds
few yards distant.
The entire posse advanced towards the
men in ambush until they had reached a
ditch alongside the track, when they com
manded the throwing up of hands. The
command was obeyed, but as the hands
came up they brought Winchester rifles.
The officers were armed only with revol-
vers, They demanded the surrender OF
the strikers. Both sides opened fire al
most simultaneously there being no more
than an elapse Of two seconds between
the time the first and second shots were
fired. = As 20 which side fired first, eye
witnesses differ, After the first fire
the posse advanced and con
tinued firing. The ambushers
retreated behind some piles of ties, which
proved most excellent breast works and $
from the security of which they poured S
fire into the posse. E't'.
The casualties among the posse are {
found to be three: Police Officer Fullford I
was shot through both thighs; Special Of
ficer DickTownsend was shot twice through Il
the left breast, near the nipple, he died at v
$3.50 this afternoon; Special Officer Chas. q
Sneed is shot through the throat and Jaw.
fatally. Doctors Voelker and Farrar, of v
the Missouri Pacific hospital, say Snesd t
and Fulford cannot possibly live. o
But one of the strikers, Tom Mace.
was wounded. He is said to t
be shot through the groins. About fifty v
shots were fired in all, when the posse, Il
seeing it was useless to fight Winchesters b
with reyolvers, placed the wounded officers "
aboard the train and returned TO the o
union depot. The strikers remained at the a
scena NJ the conflict for soma f;,,,a n f.or q