Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-04
THE INEVITABLE OCCURS.
BLOODY RIOT IN THE COAL STRIKE
REGION AT LAST.

Attempt of the Reading to Operate a Mine
with Nom Union Men Results in u Sea-
son of LawIessness - Several Persons
Wounded and Two Magistrates onices
wreeked-A lockout Compromised.
| SHENANDOAH, Pa, Feb 4-The scenes
enacted here during the long strike of 1873,
| when Mollie Maguirelsm was running ram
pant and a reign of terror prevailed through
out the region, were ecipsed Friday evening
by "a riot between the striking miners and
the coal aud iron police, in which five men
were shot aud two OF the officers severely
beaten. When the present strike began no.
body thought the miners could be exasper-
ated to the extent OF transgressing the law,
and it was to their credit that up to Friday
there had been no violence of any kind.
The Philadelphia IL Reading Coal aud Iron
company made an effort Thursday to start
four of their colieres here, and succeeded in
getting them in operation with a small force
of hands at each. Thursday evening when
the men and boys re 'umed were on their way
homo they had to run the gau inlet of groups
OF strikers, who hurled the offensive epithet
Of "scab" and occasionally threw a more
deadly missile at their heads. The mon were
guarded by small force OF coal and iron
violence.
Friday evening the performance was re-
peated, but with more serious consequences.
Shortly before o'clock crowd of strikers,
chiefly Poanders and Hungarians, were seen
going in the direction of the Shenandoah
Valley coliery. They distributed themieves
along the main road a few small detach-
ments taking up positions on the by-roads.
When the men quit work and left the break
er Officers p C. Kreiger. Jacob II. Shane,
c. Ii. Mercer and George Deibert started
into town with them. They had proceeded
but a short distance when they encountered
the crowds, and the hOoting again began
The officers paid no attention to them until a
volley of snowballs, pieces of ice and chunks
of coal went flying into their ranks. Then
Officer kreiger made rush for one of the
strikers who had thrown missile. He cap
tured his man and proceeded perhaps
100 yards with the prisoner when the mob of
maddened Poles made a lush upon him and
attempted rescue. The other officers went
quickly TO his assistance and desperate fight |
followed The officers were armed with pis- |
tolls, which they used freely on the heads of |
the mob, who welded clubs pulled from a |
picket fence close by. When the officers saw |
they were about to be overpowered by the |
mob they called upon the citizens present for |
assistance and two young men, John Gather |
and Michael Hewton went to them. Each |
the mob appeared to become more |
frenZied, and at last, closing in upon the Of
ficers knocked Mercer and Deibert down and
them with the clubs
The officers fought desperately, however,
aud regaining their feet, fired. Three or
four shots were fired in as many seconds,
and tho mob and the crowd of 400 or 800
spectators present fled in all directions Only
q, D,I ,.t.fl Loo,
but the police disclam having fired more
than two shots. Officer kreiger chung to
his prisoner throughout the battle, and when
the crowd dispersed marched to the Office of
Squire Shoemaker without waiting to see
who was shot.
Tho wounded are: Michael Newton, aged
!S shot in the face; the ball entered just
above the mouth tearing away three
Of his teeth and becoming i'm
Dedded in the back part of his head;
John Gather, aged "a, shot in
.he arm; Felix Seymansky, Pole, shot
Ia the head, the ball entering back of right
gar; Seymansky walked away from the scene
IF the riot, but has not since been seen, The
other wounded men are also Poles, but their
names can not be obtained nor can the extent
If their injuries be learned
Immediately after the shooting James
Shields, Pottsrille police officer, who was
among the spectators, and who did not even
'espond to the call of the officers for assist
lnce, went up to Officers Mercer and Deibert
md arrested them. They offered no resist
,nce, but went with him to the office of
Squire Monahan, where he preferred charges
against them. ,
The two magistrate offices are on East ,
Centre street, square and half apart. !
That whole space was densely packed with
,eople, a large portion Polish, who we're :
Wild with passion They surI ounded both !
hices, yelling for the officers and saying: :
Lynch them," "kill them," etc. Suddenly ,
stone was thrown at Squire Shoemaker's
window. In minute the fronts of both Of
ices were riddled with stones and their i'll :
lates had a tough scramble flor safety. a
ome bruised bodies resulted but no serious
amage was done except to the offices, which =
re wrecked. !
The town was in a perfect uproar. Men
7ere mad with passion and drink, and no
ne appeared to have the power to quell
hem. The borough authorities were power r
,ss, and no one can say how the mob's fury .
nay yet vent itself. Capt. Christian will I,
lass his whole force of coal and iron men Il
ere together with Capt Linden's Pinkerton i,
ZEN. Sheriff Luffy swore in the three fire r
ompanies of the town as posse commtatus 4,
preparatory for trouble, The borough coun- l.
i also held special session and has in "
ructed Chief Burgess Beehm to swear in O
,ecial officers for an emergency. n
John Durgip assistant foreman at Kohl h
Dor colieries was shot at Friday evening a
Y a Polander, but escaped injury. His as
liant was arrested Thomas Ryan, of
lillian Penn, Is also under arrest for par
cipation in the riot there. He was sent to N
ottsville jail. Ct
At midnight the mob had dispersed, and "