Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-11-21


the former, and being refused strike This
was on the ''north SIDE" as Chicagoans call
that division of the city north of the Chicago
river. The drivers and conductors on the
west side declared the usual rule, '.An injury
TO one is the concern of all !" and struck In
sympathy with the others.
1t is needless to detail the successive steps;
they were such as the public is now familiar
with. The evolution Of riot is monotonously
regular First strike, then the search for
s'scabs," rats" or "blacklegs" to take the
places Of the strikers; then an obstruction by
the latter, an appeal to the police, a swarm OF
private detectives, mob, clubs on one side
and stones or softer and nastier missiles on
the other; then the revolver, and, as it now
appears, the bomb, and finally massacre.
Americans have got SO used to this line Of de-
velopment that, as they read their papers
from day to day, they know with tolerable
certainty what to look for in them next day.
A street car strike, however, has its COM
ical features, and Chicago had a great deal Of
fun the first day. In pouring rain the
wearied clerks, shop girls and other employees
issued from the stores on the main streets
south Of the river and sought the corners, to
All who lived on the north side had from one
to five miles walking before them. There
was ''panic in conveyances" Onnibuses,
hacks, cabs, market carts and all clean and
common vehicles were filed in few min
stes; then the unlueky late ones turned to
butcher carts, coal carts. furniture vans,
lumber wagons. anything, everything that
would do transporting, and Ia few instances
"a h,.$ toll coli 1,,nva
wheeled home in hand carts or hauled in little
boys wagons. All these had money; but the
weary and impecunious thousands had to
walk. 1t was like the days of epizooty in
1872, when street conveyances were drawn
by oxen Curses on Yerkes and the COM
panies were both loud and deep, for at the
start public sympathy was with the strikers.
During the first Saturday and Sunday no
attempts were made to run the north side
cars President Yerkes was consolidating
his forces. Some experienced drivers were
obtained from Philadelphia, and many new
men employed The barns were put in
charge of detectives hired by the company,
and 400 extra policemen were put on the
north side force And with this dread array
the Mondays excitement began. But after
examining the law Mayor Roche informed
the car company's officials that the
private detectives could not be allowed
to engage; the protection business must be
done by the regular police Early in the
morning a few cars loaded with policemen
were run; the general public was too timid
20 take passage The strikers and their sup
porters gathered fast, and soon the streets
were blocked SO that the cars had to be lit
orally forced through them. But there was
no fighting yet The women in the crowd,
and we'll dressed ana apparently respectable
ladies on the sidewalk, jeered at the drivers
and yelled 'Scabsi ratsl Philadelphia pau
pers!" etc. The strikers pressed close on the
cars and urged the new men not to ''act as
tools to Cypress their brethren" Occasion
ally one abandoned his car and joined the
strikers, being received with loud cheers
and occasionally borne away on the mems
shoulders. And so passed Monday.
On Tuesday began the second stage-mild
fighting. There were paving stones, tin
cans. mud, dead cats and garbage on one
side, clubs on the other; but no shooting yet
Only one pistol drawn. The blood was not
yet up to fighting heat. Through the CEN
trial section the few cars moving were forced
a few rods at time-pale drivers gripping
the reins and police in front and rear fight
ing their way. At one place several paving
stones had been set up in the middle Of the
track on which were written in chalk such
threats as: "Scabs, look out for bombs"
''Down with the scabs," 80, you dirty scab
dogs" and "Well fix all scabs" Garbage
boxes filed with stones were placed across
the track, and on them were also written
threats to "do" the non-union men.
The west side drivers and conductors had
now joined the strike, and the rioting grew
serious. Superintendent Nagle Of that divi