Little Falls transcript., 1892-07-08
They at Last Surrender and Are
Disarmed and Brought
Ashore.
The Barges Burned After Strlk-
ers Secure the Arms and
Ammunition.
Shortly After Midnight Pinker-
tons Leave by a Special
Train,
List of the Dead and Wounded
as Far as Is at Present
Obrainable.

HOMESTEAD, Pa, July 7.-About $50
D. IN. word was received at Homestead
from the scouts stationed at Lock No. I,
ON Monongahela river bank, that two
boat loads of strange men had arrived
there in charge of the steamer Little
Bill, and were on their way to Home
stead. The information had no sooner
been received than the large steam
whistle at the electric light plant was
blown, and its mournful, far-reaching
voice rose and fell on the morning air,
waking the weary sleepers within .
radius of many miles, and telling them
that the Pinkertons were coming. With
in twenty minutes after the blast of the
large whistle 1000 half clothed, but
wideawake people were on the streets
hurrying toward the river, jostling each
other in their eagerness to get the first
glimpse of the Pinkerton feet. For fully
an hour it seemed as though the
people had been hauled from their beds
for no purpose. and many of the tired
ones returned to their homes. At 4
O'clock the streets of Homestead were
almost deserted, when three horsemen,
their steeds bathed in foam,
Came Flying up the River
road into Homestead and separated into
different directions, shouting wildly:
''To the river! To the river! The Pink
ertons are comingv' The same moment
the whistle for the second time since the
sun had set sent out its dismal warning.
This time the alarm was a genuine one,
and as the 10000 people scurried through
the streets toward the river a shrill
whistle from the bend below the town
announced the coming of the little boat
Edna, and her peculiarly plaintiff cry
carried with it an awful significance.
Nearer and nearer came the little boat.
Then it was seen that she was followed
closely by long, low-lying floating
mass, which was propelled by q
steamer. Men, women and children on
shore were not long in learning the char
acter of the strange craft and the story
of 1.-TWO model barges full of Pinker-
tons'' was soon raised. Then there was
mad rush toward the mill fence.
Rushing, screaming and falling over
each other, the crowd reached the twen-
ty foot fence which extended down into
the water, and the advance guard began
tearing down the boards. They were for
getting in the mill, for it was seen the
Pinkertons intended landing inside the
works. Every man was armed with q
club, and fully eight of every ten car
ried revolvers. The millmen now took
their position on top of the bank, while
skilled marksmen were placed at every
sheltered point, and with their long
range rifles proceeded to shoot down
every Pinkerton man they could see.
Not Word Answered the Pinkertons,
but as the boat touched the shore and 3
gang plank was thrown out every Pink
erton covered as many men as possible
with his Winchester. Rage had now
transformed the usually pacific Home
stead men into demons. They knew no
fear, but jumped forward to wrest tho
death dealing rifles from the hands of
their hated enemies. Never until the
judgment morn will it be definitely
known who fred the first shot which
started the slaughter that has made so
many homes of mourning. The: first
gun, however, was fired from the Pink
erton barge, and is thought to have been
discharged by the captain of the gang of
men, who was afterward killed. The
last moment before the slaughter tho
crowd was surging downward against
six of the leading mill workers. who
stood with their backs to the Pinkertons,
fairly under the muzzles of the rifles,
trying to keep the mill men back from
what seemed certain death. Clear as q
hsl;, far above the roar of the angry
s~:wd, came the voice of Hugh O'Don-
)si;, as hatless and coatless he tried to
cl,r::k the angry men. "In Gods name,"
l,s cried, "my good fellows keep back;
dom, press down and force them to do
Mavder.'
1t Was Too Late.
This appeal was drowned by the sharp
report OF Winchester from q man in
the boat. The first ball had hardly left
tho smoking barrel on it's mission of
death ere it was followed by a sheet Of
fame from score of rifles in the Pin
keltons' hands. William Foy, who
stood at the front window with his foot
Gu tho gang plank, staggered and fell,
his iife's blood gushing out. For mo-
,u.nt the crowd was struck dumb by
t.. sight. Only the groans'of the sew
eral wounded were heard. The echoes
had hardly reached the. neighbori1g
hill, the crowd repelled, out Of tho
semi-darkness of the morning flashed
wall Of fame. The leader of tho
Pinkertons clapped his hand to his breast
and fell overheard, sinking bepeath tho
waters; while several other Pinkertons
staggered back and were carried inside
the boat by their comrades. At the first
fash Of tho Pinkertons' rifles, many Of
tho crowd took to their heels, but close
to the waters edge stood about 400 Of
the angry men firing their rsvolvers
straight at the Pinkertons. Soon the
latter, unable to Withstand such fire, re-
treated into their cabin, and fred from
cover as quickly a. possible. When the
men on shore had emptied their revolv-
ers they retreated up the bank, greeting
every shot from their enemies with de-
fiant cheers. e - ..-.-
Heavy slugs were sent crashing into the
boats three different times, however,
and each time caused
e. .