Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-04-10
WINCHESTERS SPEAK.
TAEy BUELL. A RIOT IN THE
COKE REGIONS.

COKE REGIONS.
Bloody work That Cost seven Lives
The O0ke Strike Leads to An Attempt
20 TSarorlxe the work,nsn ut Moore
wooA-xhs Particulars.
PtrrsSURe, Pa, April "A desperate
battle y reported between the strikers
and armed guards at Morewood this
mornintAt : o'clbck. Three, Or fout
hundred strikers approached the Works
of the a. C. Frick Coke company and
began N batter down the gates. When
ordered 70 desist they fired on tho deputy
sheri6sy slightly wounding several. The
latter replied with Remingtons and killed
seven ~ the rioters instantly; while
many VtAess were wounded. The guards
fired tsyyolleys before the rioters res
treated Previous to the raid the rioters
cut the Telegraph ahd telephone wires
Particulars OF the Battle.
Ne PyKAsANr Pa, April AIT 2:4s
rioting at tho Standard works. They
destroyed some Of the company's prop
erty and cut the telegraph lines OF the
coke company so that no warning could
be sent to the people at Morewood.
About o'clock a party inarchGd To
MOrewood. In the meanwhile the wires
were hurriedly repaired and word sent
to Nor wood that the strikers would at
tack the works In three places and had
well laid plan to destroy the whole
plant. Deputy sheriffs were soon In read
iuess to receive the attack. The men
divided into three parties, Capt. Lauer
having charge Of party placed behind
the big gates OF the barn and stable en-
closure. As the rioters passed the COM
panys store they raided it and then
marched to the barn and attempted to
break down the gates. They succeeded in
doing this, and as they entered Capt.
Lauer called out to them to halt or he
would fire upon them. Their answer
was to fire rattling volley in the direc-
tion OF the deputies, none OF whom were
seriously injured. Capt. Lauer then
gave the order to fire. Two volleys
were fired before the mob broke and ran.
Eleven men fell dead in the road and
the wounded are estimated as high as
twenty-seven.
The Deputies and Their Instructions.
The deputies who took part In the riot
were experienced men, armed to the
teeth. Last night Superintendent Pick
ard told them the raid was contemplated
on the works and presented each man
with Winchester. He said:
have promised protection to our men,
and must give it to them, When the
raiders come obey me. Fire the first shot
into the air IL the raiders do not re treat
fire second shot and keep on firing while
you have ammunition; protect the COM
pany s property, protect the men at work,
protect your own lives. The man in my
employ who runs will shoot dead on tho
spot. Any many who is not satisfied to ac-
cept my terms will please drop into the rear
and will send him home under guard.
"Is Everyb body satisfied?"
"Is everybody satisfed?" asked the
superintendent.
"Yes, yes," rang out all along the
lines.
Each man was supplied with twenty
cartridges and under the command of the
superintendent marched to convenient
point.
Before the hattie.
All night long tho strikers were pre-
pairing for the raid. A delegation
headed by drum corps marched to and
fro to places OF rendezvous. An occa-
sional pistol shot could be heard in the
distance, and now and then rocket
flashed into the air and from the adjoin-
ing hilltop swing lights could be seen.
There were three parties Of strikers.
One came from Stonville, another from
Moorhead, and third from the mines
in the neighborhood. They were very
noisy, cheering and shouting, beating
drums as they came along. The three
parties met and decided to make the
march on the works.
The strikers Demand the Bodies.
Some of the strikers say to-day that
there was no intention Of doing any dam
age, but that they simply marched to
the works to intimidate those at work,
The dead this morning were carried into
the company store at Norwood. The
strikers demanded the bodies of the
victims, but were refused and the place
Is now surrounded by an armed mob Of
over 1000 men who say they will burn
everything on the premises unless the
dead bodies are given up. The feeling
here Is very bitter among the workmen,
who denounce the action of the deputies
in no uncertain terms.
The Militia Ordered to the soens.
The governor has ordered the Tenth
regiment to aid the sheriff OF Westmore-
land county in quelling the trouble In
the coke region. The Eighteenth regi-
ment Of this city has been ordered te
hold itss.f ,readiAess.
The Names Of the Killed.
Mt. PLEASANT. Pa, April 3.-Calmer
- ka wln Il,
betters the situation. The attack was
well planned, headed by men determined
evidently to fntimidato the men working
there once for all. At IL o'clock small
bodies Of strikers began to gather on
the hills. They were armed with re-
volvers, stones, iron bars and every con-
ceivable weapon, and headed by q drum
corps. Tho strikers instantly killed
were: Creszo Binero, italian; John Fu
dora. and Antonio Rist, Huns; Jacob
Shuckasky and James Brochte, Poles; Val
entine Zeidel and Paul Dohannis, Slays.
The firing on both sides continued hardly
three minutes. The volleys from the
gaurds had terrible effect OH the
compact mass OF strikers, while the lat
ter made IN attempt to return the fire
with what weapons they had, but with
out effect. The dead were left lying in
tho road. while the wounded, estimsted
at between forty and fifty, were sither
assisted or bodily carried away into the
hills by their fellows.
The Dead Were All Aliens.
All day yesterday the entire coke
regions presented scenes Of tho widest
excitement. The foreign element es-
pcciaily was driven frantic by this woe
ful result Of their anticipated victorious
raid. Always turbulent, sulien and
ready for desperate measures, they were
not one whit cowed by the death Of
several of their number, while they
have sedulously concealed In their homes
those OF their number who were wounded,
many no doubt unto death. Anathemas,
loud and deep, were heard on every side
Ill day. The word has been sent by
secret means oil over the region that
their comrades were fred ON and moved
down without provocati0n, and deadly
vengeance on each and every member OF
the guards hes been sworn TO. This all
comes from the foreign element. II will
BE- noticed that all the men killed bear