Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-04-17

Hodge and as the minutes rolled by they
amused themselves in various ways. The
raw weather could not scatter them and the
men wrapped in heavy Overcoats were con-
| tinuOusly stamping their feet TO keep warm.
At ll:30 o'clock tine engine left Hodge and
at IL :S5 O'Clock steamed into the yards. The
train consisted of the cabo0se and ten ears
loaded with coal As the train approached
Sixteenth street a crowd rolled out hut
halted on the line of right of way and re-
mained there
Not man made move toward the train,
but at the lower end of the yard three wO-
men, wives of strikers, appeared on the
track. one of them armed with red flag,
which she waved as a signal for the engineer
To stop. No attention was paid to this and
the train passed on and by the union depot
and continued on lis journey south.
The train nrOceeded slowly to the crossing
of the Fort Worth and New Orleans rail-
way about mile and a half south Of town
where it stopped as Is customary before
crossing.
The switch was found open and two men
stood near the crossing. The officers ap-
preached the switch and as they did so, they
discovered five men with Winchester rifles
distant. The entire posse advanced toward
the men in ambush. They had reached the
switch along side the track when they Or
dered the throwing up of hands.
The command was Obeyet. but as the
hands came up they brought Winchester
rifles. The officers were armed only with
revOlvers. They demanded the surrender
of the strikers.
Both sides opened fire almost simultane-
OuSly, there being no more than two seconds
between the time the first and second shots
were fired.
After the first fire the posse advanced and
continued firing. The strikers retreated be-
hind some piles of ties which formed most
excellent breaStwOrks and from the security
of which they poured murderous fire into
the posse.
The casualties among the posse were
found to be three Police Officer TulfOrd
was shot through both thighs. Special Off
Ger Dick Townsend was shot twice through
the left breast near the nipple. and died at
$50 this afternoon. Special Officer Charles
SDead was shot through the throat and Jaw.
His wounds are fatal.
Drs. VOeker and Farrar of the Missouri
Pacific hospital say that Snead and Fulford
cannot possibly survive.
Only one of the strikers, Tom Mace, a
switchman, was wounded. He is said TO be
shot through the groin.
hoOut MY ouOlS Wtit Ill dll. W0tn
the posse seeing it was useless to fight Win
chesters with revOlvers, placed the wounded
officers aboard the train returned to the I'M
ion depot.
The strikers remained at the scene of con.
flict for some time after the train returned to
the city, when they secured the Winchester
of their wounded companion and started for
the Sycamore bottom.
As soon as the train reached the city the
posse was reformed and armed with Win
chesters and started in pursuit of the mur
dtrers.
1t is estimated that there were twenty
men among the strikers, but of these only
five or six carried Winchesters.
Tom Mace the wounded striker, was
brought TO this city in wagon this after
noon and, as soon as the officers heard of
his whereabouts, he was carried to Jail
where he will be strongly guarded. No
other arrests have as yet been made.
The Knights of Labor claim that the Tirst
shot was fired by the officers,
Tim Wilson, who was on the engine and
within three feet OF Dick Townsend, who
was shot in the back, states positively that
the first fire came from the strikers.
ID. l.. Stewart was an eyewitness TO the
shooting and gives it as his opinion that the
strikers fired first.
Sheriff Maddox this afternoon organized
two companies of citizens, which were
armed with WincheStf rs aud carbineS, and
marched them to the depot, the avowed de-
termination being to suppress all opposition
to the law