Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-05
FIGHTING STRIKERS.
SERIOUS TROUBLE At THE SOLAR
IRON WORKS.
NOn-Union Negroes Fire into a
Crowd of Ho0ting and Jeer-
inc White Strikers.
Several Persons Are Hurt and Sixteen
lear-0ld Boy Dangerously Shot in
the Face.
The Striking Poles at Shenandoah Con-
tiGue Their 0utbreah-They Arm
Themselves and Attack
the Police.

PITTsBURG, Feb. As was feared, a
the non-union men at the Solar Iron works
and the strikers in which three persons
We're injured, one, 16-year-old lad named
Joseph Kenna, it is thought being fatally
shot The works, which have been idle for
the past two months, on account of strike
resumed operation yesterday with eighty
colored men, members Of the Garfield
lodge of the amalmagated association,
which surrendered its charter last Thurs
day. \ force of twenty police was placed
on guard at the mill and last night the
non. unionistS were escorted to their homes
under police protection. y large crowd of
strikers and friends followed, but offered
no violence, and contented themselves
with hooting and calling the negroes
''scabs.' The mill was in operation again
today and everything was running
smoothly The strikers to. a considerable
number stood in the drilling rain along
the railroad track, beside and in front of
the mill, and mingling with the crowd,
standing inside the gates and around the
building at the main entrance were q num-
Der of policemen and curious onlookers
Everyone seemed to be in good humor. and
the striking men talked pleasantly with
the officers and laughed and TESTED with
the bystanders and each other.
Shortly after :, O'Clock the non-union
men came ont of the mill. They were sur
rounded by officers and the procession
started down the track TO Thirty-thiTd
street. the strikers following and shouting
"scab'' and black sheep" while occasion
ally a viler epithet was hurled at the col
ored workmen. BY the time sandman
street was reached, the mob had swelled TO
several hundred men ana boys The colored
men bore the storm Of epithets quietly. oc-
casonally casting vicious and half fright
ened side-iong Chances at their pursuerS:
but along sandman street the jeeriug of
the striking workmen became louder and
more violent in its character and
occasionally u rock would be
seen shooting into the air, describing
n graceful curve and falling INTO the ranks
o. the beleagured Africans. After this
Juncture, without any warning whatever
several o. the colorcd men reached for
their pockets, and drawing revolvers open-
ed fire upon the dense mob around them
Then there was scene OF wild confusion
and excitement, terror ranged, and pain
rang out on the air from the throats OF
hundreds of angry and excited men. The
officers now drew their reviewers also and
rushed among the excited coiored men and
endeavored TO stop the murderous firing.
The crowd brake and ran in all direc-
tionS across the common into
the mills any place TO get
out of range of the destructive bullets.
The firing TASTED six or eight minutes and
between thirty and forty shots had been
fired before the officers succeeded in stop
ping it, and hustling the negroes up
Twenty eighth street, where they crossed
the bridge and scattered TO their homes
on the hill. A number of the strikers
pursued them and threatened summary
vengeance, until they were stopped at
Penn avenue by the police, but the colored
men made no further demonstrations
How many We're wounded is not known.
Three were certainly shot, but their names
or how seriously they had been injured
could not be ascertained. They were
taken away by their friends.
Joseph kcnna, standing on the top of a
car, was shot in the face. He is in a
serious condition and may die. The de-
plorable affair may lead to serious trouble.
The strikers We're completely taken by
surprise, not knowing that the negroes
were armed. The excitement among the
men is still intense, and frequent threats
of vengeance upon the negroes are heard.