Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-07-07
to the place where Merry and the Hun


to the place where Merry and the Hun
\ garian lay.
They picked up the bodies and carried
them behind the trestle. One of the res
cuers, Welshmau, who refused to give
his name, was shot in the left leg Just an
he raised Merry's head from the ground.
Merry and the Hungarian were carried
: to. DR.. Purman's Office, where it was
said they would die.
f In the first of the firing the Pinkerton
captain was shot. He was carried to the
pilot house of the steamboat. One of
his men said although the wound was
serious it was not fatal.
The aggressiveness of the Pinkertons
Nnraged the crowd and they bore down
upon the detectives with resistless force,
driving them back to the boats.
The boats pulled up to the pump
house Of the works. There they were
greeted by the crowd. composed of old
men, young men, women and children,
ready at all hazards to prevent
landing.
! For a few minutes both sides rested
ON their arms, but the fighting was
soon renewed.
!. Five thousand men, women and chill
dren stood upon the river bank watch
ing the fight and cheering on the
workman in their efforts to prevent q
landing by the Pinkertons.
1t was supposed the Pinkertons would
not make another attempt to land.
This time the strikers scored first
blood by firing a volley at the boats.
Four OF Pinkertons men dropped in
their tracks, but their associates quick
ly returned the fire of the strikers.
Then after few moments of indis-
eliminate firing on both sides the Skin
mish ended. The victim of this appar-
emily unprecedented collision was
Henry Streigle, a lad 10 years of age,
who was formerly employed at the
works as helper. He was shot through
the left breast, and lived only q few
moments.
The strikers then busily began con,
structing a stout barricade of steel bars
as line of defence, situated on the bank
overlooking the spot where the boats
were anchored. Behind this barrier OF
steel was a cannon, antique as to pat.
tern, but still capable of doing serious
damage if called upon.
The cannon which had been trained
on the barges anchored in the river were
fired every few minutes with terrific
effect.
Strikers and their friends lined both
sides of the river and a constant fire
with but The exception of slight inter-
walls was kept up for several hours.
The steam tug finally left the barges
ed on board.
At $3.50 O'Clock 1t was said that there
were five dead on each side, and that
several Pinkerton men had fallen over
board and, it is believed, were drowned.
1t was also alleged that several men had
gone to Pittsburg to secure dynamite
with which to blow the barges out OF
the river.
At 10 a. m. the chief leader of the
workmen, accompanied by a reporter,
went to the front Of the line of battle.
The main fight was at that time being
made near a huge oil tank on the river
front, one mile from Homestead.
Here the reporter saw one of the
workers breathe his last. The man was
standing near the B. g. o. railroad
tracks, firing 30-lb. cannon, trying to
sink the barges on which were the Pink
ertons. His shots went wide of the
mark. moment later, the millworkers
head was almost severed from his body
by a shot from a Winchester rifle in the
hands of a Pinkerton man.
At 10 O'Clock the barges were strewn
with wounded and dying and the river
was stained with blood. The detectives
at that hour were unable to escape.
A raft of logs and barrels of oil was
set on fire half mile above the barges
and started down the stream. This
ment that the barges and their human
freight would soon be in flames, unless
some unforeseen escape presented itself.
Silas Wagners, striker, was shot
dead, about 10 o'clock. His body was
carried down the street by his brother.
The sight added greatly to the general
indignation.
The great fence about the works was
set on fire.
The Burgess has issued a proclamation
calling on all citizens to remain indoors
and ordering all saloons closed.
At 1910 near the lavatory, one man
aimed his rifle and the next instant
a shout went up and Pipkerton detec-
tive who had been standing on the
barge fell. The bullet had passed
through his head and the detective
dropped in the river never to riae.
The lookout men gained entire pos
In this their ammunition is stored. The
workmen have at least 500 rifles in
their possession.
At II O'Clock the men reported that
they were out of ammunition and the
committee was Immediately sent after
more.
At 11:3O a. m. the boat Little Bill,
which towed the barges to Homestead,
was seen coming down the river, large
United States flag flying from the mast
head. The appearance of the boat was
signal along the river front for re-
newed activity both on and off the
barges.
"She's coming to take the barges
away"
AS the boat came nearer it was seen
that she carried squad of armed men
who were lined up on the side next the
Homestead mills.
When opposite the converting depart
ment the men on the boat opened fire on
those on the shore.
For ten minutes firing continued, the
Piukertons on the barges joining the
men on the boat in the shooting.
The men on the bank returned the
fire from behind the furnace stacks
which they used as a shield. So warm
was the fire from the shore that the
men on the boat were driven to cover.
Several men en- The boat were seen to
fall and it is certain that they were
wounded.