Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-07-14
"A WAR TO THE DEATH.
An Awful and Terrible Riot at the
Carnegie Steel Works.
A Number of the Rioters and Pmker.
ton Men Killed.

Carnegie Steel Works were locked ont
the company declaring that hereafter
they would use non-union labor.
Trouble has since been brewing, and
Wednesday the storm came, when the
Pinkerton detectives arrived. They
were loaded on barges at Pittsburg
and shipped to this place by way of
the Monongahela River. The news
spread like wild fire, and when the tug
towing the barges arrived there were
1900 people waiting to meet them. As
soon as the Pinkertons attempted to
land they were met by q firm refusal
from the men and a battle followed.
The Pinkertons opened fire, and at the
first volley two workmen fell. This en-
ragged the crowd and they bore down
on the Pinkertons with resistless force.
The first shot of the engagement came
from q barge. The ball went wide of
the human target, but was the signal
for the Pinkerton men to begin, and for
full ten minutes they continued to fire.
, AT first the strikers retreated, and for
a moment it looked as though they were
routed, but the men rallied, and by
sheer force of nun bers compelled the
deputies to proceed with caution. Up
to this time no one had attempted to
leave the boat, but suddenly fifty or
more of the invaders attempted to
jump ashore. The strikers responded
with sharp volley, and SO fast came
the bullets that the deputies retired to
the semi-shelter of the lower deck. 1t
was in this attempt to force the fight
ing that the Pinkerton men sustained
their most serious loss. Their captain
was carried to the pilot house of the
steamer, seriously wounded. Directly
after this episode both sides rested for
a moment, and then, after another
sharp volley. the hostilities ceased.
The fighting was resumed shortly
after z o'clock, and continued a half
hour. In the second engagement Hen
ry struggle was killed and some wound
ed. The workmen built a ratification
of steel bars on the river bank. Four
locked out men were killed. The men
rolled barrels of oil to the river to burn
out the Pinkerton men. Six more
Homestead men were shot at the Sec
ond attempt at s o'clock. The captain
of the tug and one Pinkerton man were
also killed.
The steamer came down the river
shortly before II o'clock to take off the
Pinkertons who were imprisoned in
their barge. The moment it reached
the shore a regular fusilade took place.
1t continued ten minutes. and was
mixed with hoarse, derisive cheering
from the men. The number killed now
reached ten and the wounded eleven.
Three times the Pinkertons ran up the
flag of truce, but as many times it was
stricken down by bullets fired by the
strikers. Then it became evident that
the ammunition of the beseiged detec-
tives was either exhausted or they were
too much worn out to continue the fight
and for nearly two hours before the
end of the struggle was reached not a
shot was heard from the barges. To-
wards dusk efforts were again made to
burn the boats with theirliving freight,
and they would doubtless have sue
ceeded had it not been for interposition
of leading officers of the Amalgamated
association, who went to the scene of
war in the afternoon. Through their
efforts it was agreed to allow the detec-
tives to surrender, but this was not se-
cured without the greatest objection on
the part of the men, many of whom
have lost friends and acquaintances
during the day. Besides, as in all such
outbreaks, there were thousands of turb-
ulsnt characters attracted to the place,
and, as they owed no allegiance to any
organization, they could not be con-
trolled. They wanted to see the carnage
go on, so that it was not until some of
the strikers pointed their guns at the
outsiders that hearing was obtained.
At clock the Pinkerton men hung
out another white flag, and this time it
was respected and committee of stri-
kers went aboard to prepare terms of
capitulation. They guaranteed safe
conduct for the Pinkertons provided
they left their arms and ammunition
behind, and agreed to leave the place
under guard. The detectives had no
alternative and promptly accepted the
terms, some of the men saying that it
was the first time that they had ever
submitted to such a humiliating sur
render. When an inspection of the
boats was made, it was found that seven
of the Pinkerton men had been killed
and twenty or thirty wounded, many
of them so badly hurt that they will
die. As they were brought from the
boat they presented a terrible appear
ance. Many were besmeared with
blood, while all of them showed signs
of exhaustion from long confinement
in close quarters between the decks.
The most shocking and dastardly deeds,
however. was committed while the pris-
oners were being escorted through the
streets by the escort of guards appoint
ed by the strikers. An angry mob lined
the streets on both sides. As the men
passed by, each in charge of two dep
uties, the mill men and their friends