, 1888-03-30
THE FIRST OUTBREAK.
The Striking Switchmen Cause
Trouble in Chicago.
Superintendent Bessler Rough
ly Handled By the Men.
Pinkerton Detectives Disarmed
and Driven Off.
Badly Bruised,

CHICAGO, March 29.-The first serious
trouble since the inauguration of the Bur
llngton ~switchmen's strike occurred this
afternoon about 5 O'Clock at Kenzle
stree and Western avenue A Bur
lington switch engineer and crew
attempted to transfer some freight cars to
the Northwestern tracks. A crowd of
switchmen of other roads, together with
a miscellaneous mob of roughs, were
standing about and jeering the new men.
When the train reached Western avenue
the switch was thrown by someone and a
number OF cars were ditched. The mob
hen drove the fireman, engineer
n the new switchman away, using them
roughly. Six or eight Pinkerton men
were on the train and attempted to repel
the attack, but were quickly disarmed and
took to their heels to escape the mob.
General Superintendent Bessler of the
Burlington, who was on the train, was
soou recogniz d by the mob, and set
upon. He was badly used up, having
both eyes b~lackened, but finally made his
escape into a switch house. Thirty city
policemen were then brought to the scene
and the mob quickly dispersed.
VIM. Dunk, a Milwaukee & St. Paul
switchman, was arrested. The crowd fol
lowed him to the West Madison street
station and offered any amount of bail
for his release. The police refused, how.
ever, and locked him up.
The Milwaukee & st. Paul s~witchmen
then in a rage decided to quit work, and
Immediately deserted their trains. The
whole yard force OF switchmen. engineers
and firemen, 227 in all, stopped, leaving
twenty-eight engines standing on the
tracks IL is rumored that the brakemen
of the same road will go out tonight.
An evening paper says hat at a meet
ing of the engineers, firemen and switch
men this afternoon, representatives from
all the roads resolved that a general boy
colt should be declared against Burlington
freight on oil lines. The sentiment ex-
pressed was that the Burlington road had
gone too far. There was no reason why
the demand of engineers should not have
been complied with
The Burlington road put forty five new
switchmen at work to day, and are gradu.
ally raising the blockade in the yards. No
freight has yet been offered other roads,
except to the Stockyards Transit compa-
ny, the manager of which this afternoon
notified the Burlington that he was unable
to do anything with %" cars because the
company 5 switchmen would not touch
them.
The truth of the rumored boycott on
other roads remains to be seen. The yari-
Gus roads in the city have an enormous
number OF cars consigned to the Burliug.
ton road on their tracks, and must get rid
of them soon to avoid a blockade.
LATER. The strike of the St. Pau
men came to an end as quickly as it begun
to day. AT $50 p. H.. two officials o.
the st. Paul company succeeded in hav,
ing Quirk released on bail. He went al
once to where the strikers we're in session
and was greeted with enthusiasm. His
presence put the men in good humor,
and it was speedily resolved that a re.
sumption of work was the proper course
to pursue. BY 9 p. m. the men were
again at their posts, and everything OIL
the st, Paul was moving along a.
smoothly as though nothing untoward
had happened.