Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-10-16
MAILING LIES.
WHAT MEMBERS OF H&RRIS0N'a
COMPANY SAY.
The Whole Story About the Strike
and the dollar a Day"
Campaign Fabrication.

All the officers OF the Harrison militia cont
pany in the strike of 1877 at Indianapolis pub
lish statements in the papers of the ely giving
the lie fatty to the mendacious story Of E. T.
Gould, who signed and issued the infamous cir
eular charging General Harrison with desire
to fire upon ana kill the strikers and with at
tempting to do so, and which circular has been
distributed in Sacramento.
These officers say, in substance: General Har-
Iision in fact did not command the company
it was commanded by Eli F. Ritter, First Lieu
tenant. General Harrison was not with the
company until the last day, when it was
marched TO town and disbanded. It only
served three or four days. When organized it
was marched within the Eour to the United
States Arsenal outside the city, and there 1e-
mained. On the las. day General Harrison
came out and brought it into the city and dis
banded II, the strike being over. Before NOV
ing 1t he ordered all the guns unlOaded. The
company never went near the strikers or the
depot. NO order was ever issued TO fire on
them. General Harrison never expressed & de
sire to fire on them or 90 any violence on the
contrary, he was ON the Admiration Committee
with Democratic Governor Williams and SEN
ator Mcdonald Dem. }, and he stood the friend
of the strikers in their demand for better wages
and urged the railroad companies to pay them
the wages they asked and TO AVOID further con-
tention.
The troops were not called out against the
strikers, but to project life and property against
the criminal element that came hooking into
the CITY. The Governor who called ont the
troops, the General who commanded them and
the Mayor who asked for the order and many
of the officers and men were Democrats There
was no politics in the matter no partisanship
no not blood agalnstthe strikers and 10 Violence
no gun was fired no man struck or harmed: no
threats made. The peace was not broken and
no riot occurred
II 40
declare that he is not Secretary of District AS
semby l06, is laughed at by Knights of Labor.
is despised by them and that he is not even a
member of the Order having been forced to re-
sign for bad practices The statements add
that there is no more truth in GOuld's stories
than in the fabrication that General Harrison
| said :. a dollar day is enough for a working
man which allegation al Indianapolis laughs
| at and no one believes.
| 1t is fact worthy of notice that Lieutenant
| Ritter, who leads off in the statements against
Gould, Is not Republican, but member of
third party, and supporting its Presidential can
| dldate The Chief of Police and President of
| the Common Council i'll 1877, all Democrats,
| join the officers referred to in denouncing
| Gould's statements as q infamous fabricalions :"
and the Chief gees so far to say that so little
| did General Harrison have 10 do with the troops
| that not until the affair was over did he the
| Chief, know that Harrison was nominally or
| otherwise related to one of the companies
One Of the officers Says General harIison's
| pay as Captain amounted to 500. and that he de
ciined to receive ii, but ordered il turned over
to the Indianapolis Light Infantry Company's
| fund.
| We append Lieutenant Ritters statement:
| was fltSt Lieutenant i'll that Citizens Com
pany, and practically had command OF it.
| think know everything that transpired from
| the time we were organized until we disbsnded
| and the statements that are being circulated
! against General Harrison are wholly false
| There isn't even the least foundation for them
| and the dollara-day story we all know is a
| lie. General Harrison did not 20 into camp
| wit !, III.
| we were organized until the day when he came
| out to march back to the city. The strike was
then over General Harrison was member of
the items Committee appointed to arbitrate
with the strikers, and while we were in camp
he was with the committee attempting to adjust
| the differences between the railroad companies
and the men. | was in command of the COM
| pany all the time we were in camp, and no one
| ever suggested that there should be any yio-
ence used and l think no one even thought
there would be any. There had been trouble in
Plttsburg there were q great many tramps not
| railroad men. around indianapolis, who were
| attempting TO make trouble and the company
was a movement OF the best citizens of Indiali-
apolis, representing men of all political parties
| TO protect life and property. The statement
thai General Harrison started to the depot with
| the company, determined to start trains bv
force, is untrue. The company was never inside
the city limits after it was mustered IN until
| the strike was over. We then marched down
| to the Circle, where we were disbanded Gen.
eral Harrison at no time ever suggested that
any violence be used.
Lieutenant Horace Mckay: w. A. Bell, editor
of the indiana School Journal: NJ. w. Boyle
lumber dealer John NJ. Todd, Dr. Allison Max
well, Judge d. W. Howe. Council President; l.
q: Walker, Chief OF Police W. D. Mills, Coun-
Gilman n. S. Byrum, Police Commissioner; NJ
| l.. Brown, state substantially the same facts
| while OF the Knights of Labor and True Friends
Assembly Order, John 10th, Michael Toomey
and others, denounce Gould as unworthy of be
lief, and expose his disreputable acts that com.
PEELED him TO withdraw from the two Orders.