The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-05-19
KILLED BY BOMBS.
Slaughter Following an Anarch-
ist Meeting in Chicago.
Many Officers and Civilians Killed
or Badly Wounded.

The contest between the police and strikers
in Chicago on the Sd was followed by far
more bloody encounter on the night of the
4th. A Chicago dispatch gives the following
details:
In response to a handbill invitation
large crowd gathered this evening on
the plaza at Des PLANES and Randolph
streets. After several speakers had
addressed the meeting Sam Fielden, an
Anarchist leader, mounted the wagon from
Essn Ssssn the vosn Ssat0Fs and spoke cendsPd spd
harangue. Police Inspector Bonfield had
heard the early part of the speech, and, walk
ing down the street to the Des PLANES street
police statisn, not 800 feet south Of where
Fielden stood, called out reserve Of
sixty policemen and started them
up the street toward the crowd.
The men were formed in two
lines stretching from curb to
curb. The Inspector hurried on ahead, and
forcing his way through the crowd, reached
Just uttered an incendiary sentence, when
Bon6eld cried:
II command you in the name Of the law to
desist, and you," turning to the crowd, Ito
disperse."
Just as he began to speak the stars on the
broad breasts of the blue coats, as they came
marching down the street so quietly that they
had not been heard, reflected the rays Of
light from the neighboring street lamp. From
little group Of men standing at the entrance
to an alley opening on Des PLANES street,
thing rose up into the air, Carrying
with it slender tail Of fire, squarely
in front of the advancing line Of
mildly for moment. Then, as they were so
close to it that the nearest man could have
stepped upon the thing, it exploded with ter
rife effect.
The men in the centre of the line went
down with shrieks and groans, dying to-
gether. Then from the Anarchists on every
side, deadly fire was poured in on the
stricken lines Of police, and more men fell to
the ground. At the discharge of the bomb
the bystanders on the sidewalk fed for their
lives, and numbers were trampled upon in the
mad haste Of the crowd to get away. The
groans Of those hit could be heard above the
rattle of the revolvers, as the police answered
the fire of the rioters with deadly effect. In
two minutes the ground was strewn with
wounded men. Then the shots struggled, and
soon after all was quiet and the police were
masters of the situation.
The situation was appalling in the extreme.
The ground was covered with the bodies Of
men writhing in agony and apparently dying
The men who were uninjured were mipister-
ing to their comrades as best they could, and
assoon as possible the wounded were removed
to the station house. The first death was
that Of Officer Joseph Deegan who rose
from the ground where he was thrown
by the explosion, walked a hundred feet
toward the station house, and dropping
down, expired. All around within radius
Of block of the field of battle men were
seen limping into drug stores and saloons or
disabled. Others tottered along the street
like drunken men, holding their hands to
their heads and calling for help to take them
home. The open doorways and the saloons
in the Immediate vicinity were crowded
with r1en. Some jumped over tables and
chairs, barricading themselves bedind them;
others crouched behind the walls, counters,
doorways and empty barrels For few
minutes after the shooting nobody ventured
out on the street.
A hospital was hastily improvised In the
squad room at the station house, and thither
the wounded were carried by tender hands.
The room presented narrowing sight Half
dozen men, from whom the blood literally
flowed in streams, were stretched upon the
floor. Others were laid out on tables
and benches, and others not SO badly
wounded were placed in chairs to await, with
what patience they could, the assistance Of
the surgeon. Mattresses and other bedding
were dragged down stairs, and dozens Of
willing hands did their utmost to assuage the
pain Of the sufferers.
Besides Officer Deegan, a civilian IA Bo-
hemian) was picked up dead in the streets.
Twelve of the policemen were badly injured,
and it was expected that several of them
would die, while a score or more
Of the blue coats were wounded
less severely than their unfortunate COM
rades. Among the civilians at least fifty
were hit by bullets from the officers revol-
vers, but as most of the wounded men were
Immediately carried away by their friends
the fatalities could not at the time be ascer-
tanned.
Later in the evening 200 Bohemian saul
sagemakers from Armour's pork-packing es-
tablishment marched down to Ashland ave.
nue., carrying red flags, beating drums, and
shouting ''Down with the police" They pa
raded around all night and about II O'Clock
reached the corner of Forty-eighth and LAT
lin streets. Officers Doran McManus and j.
W. Murphy were met. and the mob COM
menced to beat them, when Officer McManus
drew his revolver and fired. Matthew Blank,
one of the strikers, ran few yards and then
dropped dead The mob then fed.