The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1886-04-08
BLOODY WORK IN TEXAS.
BATTLE BETWEEN THE STRIKERS
AND THE SHERlFF'S POSSE.

AND THE SHERlFF's POSSE.
Seven MEN Slain near Fort Worth-The
Merchants and Citizens Arming Against
the Mob-A Sheriff who would Start
Train or Die in tho Attempt.
PORT WORTH, TEXAS, April s.
What had been predicted has come to
pass. The striking Knights OF Labor
fanj officers of the law have met in dead
Two officers fatally wound
ed and third shot through both hips
are the casualties ON the side Of the law.
0EEthe strikers, as far as can be ascer-
ttsained,. only one has been wounded. 1t
EWss announced yesterday by the officers
E0s. the Missouri Pacific Railroad Com
Epanyathat trains would move to-day or
that there would be bloodshed. The
strikers ON the other hand had put it
Ed1Yn as settled that no trains would be
allowed to pass over the Missouri Pacific
line until the demand OF the strikers for
arbitration was conceded. It will be
Remembered that there a:e only Six men
among the strikers here who were for
EinerlY employed by the Missouri Pacific,
3th8 Missouri Pacific and the Texas Paci-
He having pooled their Fort Worth
business, so that freight was handled
and trains moved almost exclusively by
the Texas Pacific employees. The
places OF these men have long been
Filed but they dared not make a fight OH
the Texas Pacific because that road is
III the hands of q receiver. Last night
the sheriff and his deputies were busily
engaged in serving writs OF injunction
against the strikers and their confeder-
ates, and by the time this morning
Edawned most Of them had received an
official notice to keep away from the
yards of the Missouri Pacific Railway,
and were warned against interfering
with the servants of the company in
their efforts to take out trains. The
EFFECT of the writs was to keep the yards
clear, and at 9 O'Clock this morning not q
man save the employees could be seen in
item. In the streets, however, near
the yards. could be seen knots of men
who had collected to see what would be
done to-day.
E-At 10 O'Clock the officers began TO
collect at the Union depot and numbers:
|ofthem were stationed in the yards. At
I0.l5 O'Clock a dozen or more of them
vent to the round.house, and in few
minutes Engine 81, loaded down with
armed officers, pulled out and steamed
Eup5 TO the Missouri Pacific yards. AS it
ratified past the crowd, collected on
either side of; the road, derisive cheers,
went up from q hundred throats, but
mot a man attempted to interfere with
stsi, i,ssseyements Of the engine or to pre-.
sTsas it from coupling On to The; ;csti1oose,
which was standing ON side track.
Having done this, the engine wqs run
on to the main track and then backed up
the road to. Hodge, from which point it
was 10 pull a freight train into the city.
For nearly two hours the crowd await
ed the return of the engine with the
tram from 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 ovcrcoats, were continuously
stamping their feet to keep warm. At
l1.30 O'Clock the engine left Hodge and
at l.35 O'Clock steamed into the yards.
The train consisted of caboose and ten
cars loaded with coal. AS it approach
cd Sixteenth street the crowd rceled out
but halted on the line Of the right Of
way and remained there, and not 4 man
made a move toward the train, but at
the lower end ofthe yard three woman.
wives of the strikers, appeared on the
track, one Of them armed with red
flag. which she waved as 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 its
journey south.
The suggestive silence that marked
the passage of the freight train through
the city was not without its sequel.
When a train left the depot it was under
the protection of a posse OF twelve
officers, commanded by Jim Court
wright, a special deputy United States
marshal. Some of the officers were de-
putty, marshals and others members of
the regular police force. The train pro-
ceeded slowly to the crossing Of the
Fort Worth and New Orleans Railway,
about a mile and q half south of the
town, where it. stopped as is customary
before crossing. The switch was found
open, and two men stood near the cross
ing. The officers approached the switch,
and as they dldso they discovered five
men with Winchester rifles partly con-
cealed in the woods few yards distant.
The entire posse advanced toward the
men in ambush. They had reached the
ditch alongside the track. when they
ordered throwing up of hands. The
command was obcycd, but as the hands
came up they brought Winchester rifles.
The officers were armed with only re.
volvers. They demanded the surrender
of the strikers. Both sides then opened
fire almost simultaneously, there being
not more than 4 lapse Of two seconds
| hofwoon tho time the first and second