The Delta independent., 1891-04-07
A FIGHT WITH STRIKERS.
A Pennsylvania Mill Defended b,
Armed Guards Who Kill
Seven Strikers.

Mt Morewood, Penn, and were fired upon
by sixty armed deputy sheriffs, who
killed at least seven men and wounded
many others. A large portion Of the
strikers were Poles.
The attack on the Morewood plant was
well planned and conceived and headed by
determined men, evidently bent on bust
ness. The strikers began to gather on the
hills. As usual during former fights. they
| were armed with revolvers, stones, bars
| and every conceivable weapon obtainable.
Headed by their drum corps, they marched
first to the Standard works, where they
deliberately destroyed both telephone and
telegraph wires SO no word of their doings
could be sent to Morewo ood. While at the
Standard works, they incidentally de-
stroyed ything movable thep might find.
Sometime after O'Clock in the morning
the guards at Morewood heard from the
Standard that raid was imminent. The
few frightened men left at the Standard
had plucked upcourage enough TO repair
the wires, and the warning reached the
| Morewood plant none too soon. As the
noisy band of strikers, now numbering
fully 200 men, approached the plant, their
| outcries ceased, their drum corps were
silenced and the ugly crowd gathered in d
bunch on the black hills overlooking the
plant for q moments parley before attack
ing plant they knew to be well guarded
| by determined men. There was a hesi-
| fancy, but the fact that they were twenty
| they quickly separated, one large dctach-
ment advancing on the works by the main
road, while the others scattered over the
| brows Of the hills and shortly after three
o'clock, ut u given signal, ali moved down
on the works.
The night was Of inky blackness but the
guards were apprised OF the movements
of the attacking party by confused NUT
terings in q foreign tongue or orders from
| tie leaders.
Under tho orders OF Captain Loar, the
sixty-fvc guards stood quietly in line
before the works, their Winchesters '.at
restn Suddenly q break was made by
the advancing mob towards the fences of
the company. A stern order to halt was
given, but the only attention it received
WAS the firing of three slots by members
! OF the mob which whisued warningiy
close to the heads of the impassive guards,
zach one OF whom was well drilled and
was simply to obey orders. After the
shots were fired by the strikers they
turned and made dash toward the stables
OF the company. Without firing n sho;
the guards were commanded 10 follow and
the command again given the strikers to
halt. They only rctreated further down
the road md answered the order with
yells and threats. Again was the com
mand given and again came the mockiug
answer and the order to fire was given by
Captain Loar.
The volleys from the winchesters were
well directed, and but few rounds were
necessary TO drive the frightened rioters
back into the hills, where hundreds of
their fellow strikers had gathered in an
ticipation OF assisting in the raid; but no.
in battle with such u determined set Of
guards. The firing on both sides continued
hardly three minutes. The volleys from
the guards had terrible effect on the COM
pact mass OF strikers, while the latter
made an attempt TO return the fire with
what few weapons they. possessed, but
without effect The dead were left lying
In the road, while the wounded, estimated
at between forty and nfty, werc either
assisted or bodily carried away into tho
hills By their follows.
Two other men died Of their wounds be
fore night,
The Slavs and Huncarians were almost
fearless, the deputies say; not one was
| IL, 10, 81 hn. all .
bullets in the face, indicating that they
died fighting. Thousands OF strikers and
their friends poured into the place from
all over the region TO have look at tho
dead and perhaps hear what the living had
to say. As darkness fell amidst miserable
rain the foreigners began to draw away
in knots, and the night after the riot low
erod amidst a great fear OF what might
happen before another day.
1t is claimed by tho strikers that the
shooting by the deputy sheriffs was with.
ou, sufficient provoiation. and that an in
vestigation will put very different color
on things.
Labor officials deny the men at More
wood were killed for good causes, and
warrants have been issued for the depu-
tics On tho charge OF murder, with General
Manager Lynch OF the t'ricl, company and
Superintendent Ramsey of the Morewood
plant charged rs accessories before the
fact. A large number of the deputies have
already been arrested and labor leaders
i say they will not rest until all arp taken
caro- Of.
All day tho entire coke region presented
scenes of the widest excitement The
| foreign element especially. has boon fran
tic by this woeful result to the anticipated
victorious raid on the Frick works at
Morewood.
The sheriff appealed to Governor Patti.
son for military aid and the Governor
ordered out two rcgiments Of militia and
| 20, 900 rounds Of ammunition were shipped
to tho sccno Of war. and thero will prob.
ably be more bioodshed.
The Alliance and the eagging Trust:
A dispatch from Atlanta, Gcorgiu,
auys. Tho Farmers Alliance and tho jute
baggine trust have made peace. The
proposition Of tho Cordago Bagging Com
panysto supply bagging ~ 8,6 ccnss per
pound for ~ pounds, N cents for 3
pounds and ~ cents for s,< pounds has
been accepted, Thsss are tho maximum