Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-30
PINKERToN MEN PUT no FLIGHT.

PIN AENTON MEN PUT TO FLIGHT.
SO" strikers on the Warpath-They
Make Things Lively for Some eff the
New Men and Their Guards-Both
Sides Firm and Confident.
CHICAGO, March 29.-The war on the Bur-
lington company continues without indica-
ton of weakening on either side. Both en-
gineers and officers of the company profess
to be confident of success. Fifteen switc b
engines were at work in the freight yards to-
day, but at the stock yards they were unable
to accomplish great deal as it was found
necessary to put an engine on each end of
every train to get over the difficulty caused
by the strikers or their sympathizers pulling
the coupling pins. The company has now
hired all the switchmen it has need of to
take the strikers places. All are not at
work, but will be by tomorrow afternoon.
One hundred of them are in the city and
ninety-three will arrive from the Reading
district in the morning. Rumors that the
so" will be boycotted by the engineers and
switchmen of other roads are heard, but as
yet no freight has been offered any of the
other roads except the Stock Yards Transit
company, the manager of which notified the
freight agent of the Burlington that he was
unable to do anything with 80" cars be-
cause the company's switchmen would not
touch them The probability of the brake
men going out continues to grow, though
that action is not looked for until
the 30" shall have obtained its full compile
ment of switchmen. The Chicago, st. Paul
and Kansas City road has seven hundred cars
consigned to the Burlington road on its
tracks. The other roads are in a similar con-
dition and if the 30" can't take care of its
freight the other roads will tender it all the
freight ON their hands in order to avoid q
blockade.
The first encounter between the sympa-
thizers of the switchmen and the men who
have replaced them took place at 4:30 o'clock
when 90" switch engine and its crew at
tempted to transfer some freight cars to the
Northwestern tracks. A crowd of switchmen
of other roads were about the place and be-
gan to jeer at the new men on the SO" en-
CINE. When the train reached Kenzie street
and Western avenue it ran off a switch that
had been turned and number of cars were
ditehed. The mob then set upon the
crew of the engine and train and the fireman
and engineer took to their heels, getting
numberless cnffs. The new switchmen fol-
lowed suit and were pursued and roughly
| used by the crowd, which was made up of
| the toughest kind of citizens. The Pinker-
| ton men, of whom there were six or eight on
| the train, attempted to protect the switch
| men, but the mob set upon them with savage
l glee and disarmed them. They were power
/ less and after making few efforts to defend
| themselves took to flight to escape the drub-
bing they were receiving at the hands of the
| furious mob. Several of the Pinkerton men
| were hurt and one of them lie thought to have
sustained serious injuries. On the same train
WAS Division Superintendent John B. Besler.
When the trouble commenced he hurried
l to the front and someone recognized
him. He was attacked from all sides, and
after being badly used up he escaped and
i ran to a switch house, where he locked him.
self in and escaped further punishment.
l The riot created great excitement and the
Pinkerton men and officers hocked to the
scene. The mob quickly dispersed however,
| and only one man was arrested. His name
is William Quirk and he was locked up at the
| West Madison street police station. Police
were ordered to the scene from nearly all the
Il stations. Quirk, who was arrested, was q
| Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul switchman.
His arrest precipitated a strike of a hun
| bred and seventy one switchmen, twenty
eight engineers and twenty eight fremen on
the Chicago, Milwaukee and st. Paul When
1t was known that Quirk had been
arrested crowd followed him te
ored to get him released. Numer
ous offers of bail were made
Eight thousand dollars surety for his appear
ance was offered, but he was locked up
When the crowd realized that their comradt
had to remain in the police station the Mil
| waukee and st. Paul men in their rage de
cided to strike and Immediately deserted
their engines The whole force of switch
men, engineers and fremen, 1927 in all, quii
work, leaving twenty eight engines standing
on the tracks. It is rumored that the brake
men of the same road will 60 out to night
The strikers say the Milwaukee and ST. Pau
| road has been particularly friendly to tbs
Burlington and they have been ready aRd
willing to quit for some time. Division
Superintendent Besler, who took refuge from
the mob in the switch house, had both eyes
BACKED and was badly bruised up. The
fireman and engineer of the train which was
attacked were badly pounded. Wher
asked about the companys position II
regard to the riot, Mr.. Morton of the so
said it was an unfortunate affair; but wat
not wholly unexpected as the company hat
anticipated trouble. He said, however, tina
he did not think it would occur again as tn,
company would try to prevent repetition O
any thing of the kind. Mr.. Morton said il
regard to the progress the road was maxim!
toward handling their freight that they hat
engaged forty new switchmen to-day. TIL
| company now have sixteen switch engines a
work, ninety-seven cars of stock were brough
in day and considerable work was done a
the lumber district All of the empty freigh
cars the company had at its disposal wer
loaded at the freight house, and the reasel
that q greater number were not loaded wa
because Burlington Complies" are tied up. o.
other roads and are still in the country.
An extra evening paper says: "A meeting
of Eve hundred engineers, fremen AM
switchmen was held at Fourteenth and JET
ferson streets this afternoon. There wer
representatives from all the roads presen
and it was resolved that general boycet
should be inaugurated against Burlingto
: freight on all roads. The sentiment ez
| nrasaed was that the Burlington had con