The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-04-15
The Great Railroad Strike.

for the past two weeks along the line Of
the Missouri Pacific Railroad, had anoth-
er serious collision with the officers of
the law last week. This time the con-
Aict came in East ST. Louis, where the
organized strikers were prohibiting men
from moving any trains along the inter.
dicted road. A dispatch from st. Louis
of the 9th inst, tells of the conflict as
follows:
The guards stationed at the Louisville
and Nashville yards, near Broadway,
fred into a crowd of three hundred
strikers at about 2:30 o'clock this after
noon. Six men and one woman were
shot. Four of the men were killed, and
the woman is supposed to be mortally
wounded. The killed are Pat Driscoll,
an employee of the water works and not
striker; Oscar Washington, painter !;
John Bohman, water-works laborer,
not striker, and T. E. Phompton.
Major Richman is shot in the head and
shoulder and will probably die; Mrs.
John Pfeifer is shot in the back and
probably MORALLY wounded; all unknown
man was shot at the bridge approach.
The crowd had made no attack
upon the yards, as was at first reported,
but were standing at the Cahokia bridge,
near the Louisville and Nashville yards,
ieering at the guards, when, Without the
slightest apparent provocation, the de-
puties levelled their rifles and fred two
volleys. The crowd Immediately sepa.
rated, running in all directions, and the
deputies ran over the Cahokia bridge
toward the Mississippi River bridge, still
holding their rifles and firing to cover
their retreat. When it was known by
the strikers that the guards had fled, the
former returned to recover their dead.
The crowd, after firing, began to run up
Broadway, shouting "ro arms to arms |!
We will get guns and return that fire"
Women and children ran out OF their
houses and met them in the. streets,
weeping and wringing their hands.
After the crowd returned to the scene
and the excitement had abated, several
of the leading strikers drew their revol.
vers and swore that they would drive all
the deputies out of the city even at the
loss of their own lives.
In the stampede which followed the
first yolley from the rifles of the deputies
one man, name unknown, was forced
from the Cahokia Creek bridge and
killed. His body has not yet been re.
covered.
The deputies who did the shooting,
eight in number, went to the third dis
trict police station in this city and sur
rendered themselves, and were taken to
the Four Courts, where they were taken
into custody and we're relieved of their
arms. They say that the crowd began
firing into them first, and that they sim.
ply returned fire. After the first firing
was over, and the strikers had become
bent on revenge, number of them armed
themselves with revolvers and advanced
on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad
yards, where they surprised the deputies
on guard and fired on them, killing one.
The greatest excitement now prevails
in East st. Louis, and the strikers are
fast arming themselves and seem deter.
mined to avenge the death of those of
their number so wantonly slain, as they
say. The local executive committee of
the Knights of Labor are on the scene
attempting to restrain the men and try
ing to persuade them to meet in Flannl-
gan's Hall, where they desire to advise
them against all further violence. The
men refuse, however, 10 meet them,
claiming that they will be surrounded by
deputies and fred upon again. A mass
meeting of strikers, however, is being
held in front of the City Hall, and the
men are with difficulty restrained by
their leaders from advancing in a body
upon the different railroad yards and
attacking the deputies on guard. Guards
of police are now stationed at each ap.
proach of the bridge connecting with
East St. Louis, and no one is allowed to
pass over.
Governor Oglesby, of Illinois, has
ordered out eight companies of militia.
Some of the troops arrived in East St.
Louis tonight. Bailey and Hayes, of
the executive board, and P. B. Brown, a
prominent Knight, spoke at Che meeting
held in front of the City Hall this after.
noon and appealed to the knights to
obey the laws of the country aud to rig
idly observe all the principles of the
Order.