The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-05
YESTERDAYS SECOND EDITION.
1.-THE following items OF news appeared in our
Second Edition of Sunday:


TThe following items OF news appeared in our
Second Edition of Sunday;l
Deadly Conflict at Fort Worth.
Fort WORTH, April 3.-What has been pre-
dicted has come to pass. The striking
knights of Labor and the officers of the law have
met in deadly conflict Two officers fatally
wounded and third shot through both thighs
are the casualties on the side of the law. OF
the strikers, SO far as can be ascertained, only
one has been wounded. 1t was announced yes
terday by the officers of the Missouri Pacific
that trains would move to-day or that there would
be bloodshed The strikers, on the other hand, had
put it down as settled that no trains would
be allowed to pass over the Missouri PACING
line until tho demand of the strikers for arbitra-
ton was conceded There are only six men
among the strikers here who were formerly en-
ployed by the Missouri Pacific. the Missouri Pa
cifc and Texas 81 Pacific having pooled their
Fort Worth business so that freight was handled
Texas & Pacific employees. The places of these
men have long been filled, but they dared not
make a fight on the Texas e. Pacific because
that road is in the hands of receivers. Last
night the sheriff and his deputies were
and injunctons against the strikers
and their confederates and by the time the
morning dawned, most of them had received an
official notice to keep away from the yards OF
the Missouri Pacific railway, and warning them
pany in their efforts to take out trains. The eff
feet OF the writs to keep the yards clear, and
at o'clock this morning not man, save the
employees. could be seen in them. In the streets
near the yards, however, could be seen knots or
men, who had collected to see what would be
done
To-day, at IL o'clock, the officers began to col
lect at the Union Depot, and numbers OF them
were stationed in the yards. At 1915 o'clock
dozen or more of them went to the round house.
and in few minutes engine 81, loaded down
with armed officers, pulled out and steamed up
to the Missouri Pacific yards. AS it ratified past
the crowd collected either side of the road
derislve cheers went up from hundred throats
but not man attempted to interfere with the
movements of the engine to prevent IL from
coupling on to a caboose which was standing on
side track. Having done this, the engine was
run on to the main track and then backed up
the road to Hodge, from which place it
was to pull a freight train into the city.
For nearly two hours the crowd awaited the re-
turn OF the engine with the train from Hodge,
and as the minutes rolled by they amused them
selves IN various ways The raw weather could
not scatter them, and the men, wrapped in heavy
overcoats, were continuously stamping their
feet to keep warm. At 11:30 o'clock the engine
left Hodge, and at 1875 o'clock steamed into the
| yards. The train consisted of the caboose and
ten cars loaded with coal AS the train APP
preached Sixteenth street, crowd rolled out
halted on the line of rght-of-way, and remained
there. Not man made a move toward the
women, wives of 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 pas
sage of the train through the city was not with
out its sequel When the train left the depot it
was under the protection of posse of twelve
officers, commanded by Jim COPYRIGHT special
deputy marshal Some of the officers were
deputy marshals, while others were members of
| the regular police force. The train proceeded
slowly to the crossing of the Fort Worth and
New Orleans railways, about a mile and half
south of town, where it stopped as is custom
| airy. before crossing The switch was found
| open. and two men stood near the crossing. The
officers approached the switch, and as they did
| so, they discovered five men with Winchester
| few yards distant. The entire posse advanced
| toward the men in ambush They had reached
| the switch alongside she track. when they
| ordered the throwing up Of hands The COM
mand was obeyed, but as the hands came up
| they brought Winchester rifles. The officers
| were armed only with revolvers They de-
manded the surrender of the strikers. Both
| sides opened fire almost simultaneously, 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 behind some piles
| of ties, which formed most excellent breast
works, from the security of which they poured
| a murderous fire into the posse The
| casualties among the posse were found to be
| three Police officer Fulford was shot through
| both thighs Special Officer Dick Townsend
was shot twice through the left breast near the
nipple. He died at $50 this afternoon. Special
| officer Charles Snead was shot throw the 1hroat
and jaw; his wounds are fatal. Doctors Voeker
and Farrar, of the Missouri Pacific hospital, say
that Snead and Fulford cannot possibly survive.
| Only one of the strikers, Tom Mace switch
/ dad Ho;o <oh ,o L A.
| the groin. About fifty shots were fired in all,
| when the POSSE seeing it useless to fight
| Winchesters with revolvers, placed the wounded
| officers aboard the train and returned to the
Union Depot. The strikers remained at the
scene of conflict some time after the train re-
/ turned to the city, when they secured the Win
chester OF their wounded companion and started
| for the sycamore bottom. Mace was left on the
prairie.
As soon as the train reached the city the posse
was reformed and armed with Winchesters, and
started in pursuit of the murderers. It is esti-
mated that there were twenty men among the
strikers, but of these only five six carried
WlncheSterS. Tom Mace, the wounded striker
was brought to this city in wagon this after
| noon, and as soon as the officers learned of his
whe,Aabouts he was carried to Jail. where he
| will bestrongly guarded. No other arrests have
| as yet been made.
The knights of Labor claim that the first shot
was fired by the officers but the weight of tes-
| t1mony is against this. Tom Wilson who was
on the engine and within three feet of Dick
| Townsend who shot in the back, states
positively that the first fire came from the
| strikers D. L. Stewart. who was an eyewitness
to the shooting, gives it as his opinion that the
/ strikers fired first. Sheriff Maddox this after
noon organized two companies of citizens. who
were armed with Winchester carbines and
marched to the depot, the avowed determination
being to suppress all opposition to law. No
| further attempt will probably be- made to move
| trains before Monday. The posse will probably
be kept under arms night and day. The people
are In terrible state of excitement and appear
completely dumSounded The breach between
| the law and the strikers has been widened and
| the bitterest expressions can be heard on every
| side There hundreds of Knights of Labor
in the city who do not appear to regret the oc-