Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-11


no sooner got or the track than shower of
missiles was directed against it, and the
squad of police and the men endeavoring to
take the cars downtown had a narrow es-
cape with their lives The missiles hurl ed
broke every window in the car The polic4
dismountsd and made charge upon the
crowd, and used their clubs quite freely. A
retsliatory movement was made by the as
sembled strikers and their sympathizers after
this, and brickbats, stones, and clubs flew
through the air
By this time over 5000 people were on the
scene and the scnnty force OF police were un-
able to control them. Roars of rage swept
through the tightly packed mass of human
ity, and although the police were fighting
hard, the odds were against them Capt.
Aldrich, of the police force, was hit with q
brick and blood streamed down bis face.
The police behaved admirably, however,
throughout the strife, and notwithstanding
the great provocatiOn they received they
stood to their posts manfully and bravely
CAPT. Aldrich, who was seated in his buggy
when he was struck, ordered the police TO
disperse the mob They started in and be-
gan clubbing right and left. Several men
were carried bleeding into neighboring drug
stores Missiles still few, but the car pro-
ceeded east on Madison street under guard.
The air was filed with screams and shouts
from the enraged populace. 1t was plainly
evident that il an attempt to get out an
other car was made there would be further
| terrible scenes Blood flowed freely and
| the crowd was infuriated to the highest de
| gree.
| The driver, who would not give his name,
held the lines brayely, though his face was
| as white as a sheet. At the second shower of
| stones a half-brick struck the driver on the
| temple and be fell behind the dashboard
| He Immediately arose and once more took
the lines At toe Intersection of Madison
street, the police caught one striker
in the act of throwing stone The man
was arrested, but in less than minute 100
/ strikers had piled on the policeman and
rescued the prisoner.
| At Leavitt street mob rushed out to the
and boarded the car, attempting to drag
the driver from his position. A patrol
wagon load of police rode both in front and
behind the car They dismounted and, IN,
der Lieut. John Shea, charged on the crowd.
This time the maddened strikers held their
own, and threw stones at the blue coats.
| One man SLFurk LIEUT.. ECDHd, anu the CII1rpT
followed his man through the crowd, pulling
his revolver as he ran. He took deliberate
aim and fired. but his bullet missed and the
strikers scattered in every direction. From
that time on there was not another missile
thrown, although number OF the mob fol
lowed on foot as far rs Halsted street
Upon the return journey the track was
lined on both sides with bowling, frantic
mob, but there was no attack on the car nor
anything done in the way OF obstructing the
track until the end of the journey had al
most been reached, In front of 500 West
Madison a lot of planks used in building
sidewalks were piled up. These were re-
moved by the police, and after short de-
lay the car moved forward, only to meet
similar. instructions in front of 9O7, 91s,
and 925 West Madison. A little
farther, along near Oakley avenue, pile of
dirt covered the track, and mingled with the
loan were a lot of big rocks. The police did
not attempt to remove this the drive swing
ing his horses to one side, pulling the car
from the track. and hauling 1t around the
obstruction. Once on the track again it was
only block to the stables, but that par OF
the trip was lively one, the stones fell in
showers, but nobody was hurt There were
at least 10000 people in the crowd at this
point, and things looked so lurid that the
railroad men decided not to send out another
car, word to this effect being given at 81;
| o'clock
Mayor Roche sent for committee of thu
strikers yesterday afternoon. This commit
tee remained in consultation with the mayo
until late hour, but no practical solution
, had been reached. Mayor Roche is in nj
pleasant hunor. He said last night that no
one step in the way of settlement between
the men and Mr.. Yerkes had been reached
About twenty arrests have been made Owe
, 800 additional policemen were sworn in las
night, and the city hall is In state Of siege
Chief of Police Hubbard is somewhat blamei
!, for the occurrences of yesterday. Superin
tsndent Maggie said that the cause of tn
trouble at Western avenue and Madison
: street was owing to the inadequate protec
tion afforded by the police. There are near
ly 1900 men on strike on the west side, an
about 100 on the north side system.