The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-04-17
IN THE LABOR FIELD.
The Great Strike in the west-Riot and Blood
shed-Other Notes.

A crowd of strikers in East st. Louis on
Friday afternoon of last week went to the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad yards and
persuaded the men at work there to leave
their posts. Soon after freight train passed
along, guarded by eight deputy sheriffs, and
at the Broadway crossing it was saluted with
yells and jeers. 1t is also said that two or
three of the deputies were hit by stones, and
that a pistol was fired. The deputies inme-
diately fired into the crowd, killing four men
and MORALLY wounding another man and a
woman. The crowd fled in all directions, and
the deputies also fled across the bridge to St
Louis, where they gave themselves up to the
police, and were placed in custody. Great
excitement prevailed in East st. Louis, and a
meeting was held in front of the City Hall
late in the afternoon, at which desire for
vengeance was exhibited, but Messrs. Bailey
and Hayes, of the Executive Board of the
Knights of Labor, and P. P. Brown, prom
inent member of the order, prevented trouble
by appealing to the Knights to obey the laws
of the country and the principles of their
order. The Governor of Illinois later in the
day ordered eight companies of militia to
East St. Louis, and some of the troops arrived
there Friday night.
Shortly before one o. clock Saturday morn
ing Deputy Sheriff Williams, guarding the st.
Louis and Iron Mountain round house and
machine shops at Argenta, opposite Little
Rock, was approached by F. H. Darby, a
leading Knight of Labor, and notified TO take
his force away or they would be put out.
Williams thereupon arrested Darby and lock-
ed him up in one of the rooms. Just then
twenty or thirty men were seen short dis
lance away, and Williams ordered them out,
saying he would guard the property if he fell
in his tracks, One of the crowd replied
"Well, then, de-" and firing between the
deputies and the mob began. Williams was
shot in three places, and dangerously, if mot
MORALLY, wounded. The rioters soon after
fed. 1t is reported that several of them were
wounded; if so, they were taken away by the
others. The Sheriff at Little Rock was tele-
graphed to and went to Argenta with posse.
Three men were arrested, one of whom had
double barreled gun. These prisoners and
Darby were sent to Little Rock, and strong
guard was placed about the round house and
shops.
Matters remained quiet on Sunday and
Monday at East ST. Louis. Troops guarded
all the yards and squads patrolled the open
spaces around the Relay Depot and prevented
people from gathering even in small groups.
Very little has been done yet in the moving
of trains, though much freight has been re-
ceived. The yardmen and switchmen of the
Ohio and Mississippi and Chicago, Burlington
and Quincy Roads returned to work on Mon
day afternoon. Mr.. Hoxie on Monday tele-
graphed from St. Louis to New York as fol-
lows: "Two hundred and eighty-six freight
trains run Saturday, containing 1870 loaded
cars, an increase of q trains and GIG cars as
compared with the same day last year. On
Sunday there were III trains and 3,001 loaded
cars Quiet every place on the line
A committee of the knights of Labor on
Monday called on c. H. Mccormick in
Chicago and demanded the reinstatement of
800 men discharged in the recent strike, and
whose places were filled by non union men.
Mr.. Mccormick positively refused to re-em-
ploy the men. The committee say they will
have the General Executive Board declare a
boycott against the firm.