Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-06


BET Weeu l4Doring men.
Nov, friends. / want 10 tell you the
story or Homestead. Eight or ten or
twelve years ago II Was = farming d.s-
trlcL lying IN the beautiful valley or the
with no indications that
i would BE n the condition that q l.
today. The eyes OF capitalists looked
sBd SAN that 1t Has good locality 10
build sssel mills and locate city. Ine
Investment paid and money rolled into
the laps " the Carnegles. At nrst they
offered fair wages 10 the wOrklngnen
Who were operating the mills and sold
many OF them pats OF ground where =
they erected their modest homes, and
indications were that al would Dc fair
aud satisfactory. The Iaborers went
there 10 make home; they had moth
lnS to sell out Their eaersy ana iADeI
aud the Carnegies paid them q lar
wage and allowed them said allowed
tlenl-Lo belong TO a labor organlLa-
ton.
Then came the time when Carnegie
desired TO make money faster, and ne
went into trusts ana nonopotes, aud
when he secured control squeezed the
life out or the rest OF them. Then
came the laborers turn to give them
sOmtthlng. Ii became necessary IN
order to dc this 10 have new chair
n1an, and II. c. Frick was chosen.
Frlck Is 3 man on whose hands Is
the blood of thlrty-fye men, and who
has three times called out the militia
TO subdue MS workers.
The Date of the Troubls
January 4, 1892, came round, and
contrary 10 the tlme-honored customs
which SAID that scales should expire
July l, il was decreed that they should
expire January l. He demanded q re-
dueuon IN all departments or per
cent on the decline of the selling
price. The men objected and the Car
negie company began TO build barri-
cade around the works. In this barri-
cade were arranged port holes,
and aoOye them search lights
on top of the fifteen foot
wall were put three wires which were
charged with electricity. Around the
whole thing they laid a gas pipe so
that natural gas could be put through,
and the whole lighted up SO brightly
that no man could get near enough to
make an attack. Then they connected
be thrown on possible attacking party.
All TINS the workmen who had put
their savings into their homes saw go
on without murmur. They walked
through the great gates knowing that
soon day would come when an end
would be put 10 their prosperity, and
still they did not murmur.
A Conference Held.
On June %, by request of working
men, a conference was granted by Mr..
Frick. The workmen were willing TO
compromise on anything. They were
ushered into the palatlally furnished
parlor offices of the Frlck COM
pany and made their proposition.
Frick, after hearing them said
that Is not enough and walk out
saying come again or Il will speak TO
you later on this subject abruptly left
the Office. Immediately after this
notice was posted in the works. Any
individual applying for his work can
have 1t but no committee will be rec
ognized and labor organization will not
be recognized
"On July list, the mills we've closed
before the workmen had time to stop.
two barges were being fitted up, one
with hunks and the other with cooking
apparatus. Ii was rumored that they
were for Homestead hut the Carnegie
company Immediately, over their own
Signature denied any knowledge OF
these boats.
ct Was seen that the Carnegie CON-
pany was lying to get the strikers into
trap by getting them 10 destroy prop
crty, and the Amalganated ASSOCIATION
sent out pickets to keep lawless persons
from committing depredations.
lone of these scouts dlscoveredEt as
the gas pipe put around the stocEade
was leaking and that match applied
would set the whole building on fire.
The company was immediately mott
fed that the pipe was leaking and the
gas was turned OH.
Watched the Property
"They watched the company's prop
eTtY as faithfully as If they had been
paid for so doing and every step posi-.
Die was taken to hinder the destruction
of property. On July Mr.. Frick
thought IL was necessary TO show the
people that the Homestead strikers
we're lawless set and accordingly a
posses of deputy sherlffs was sent out
from rittsburg. They desired To exam
inc the mills and were taken there by
members of the AmalgamateG associa.
ton, winch society rendered them their
aid. But TINS did not satisfy Carnegie,
and be had them report TO the sheriff
that they cou d not be responsible for
the condition OF affairs at Homestead
AT this very time, vending its way
from Chicago, was tram bearing 30C
Plnkerton detectives to guard the
mill. They had been secured two
weeks before the sheriff's visit, and al
the time the deputies were IN Home.
stead they were IN Youngstown, 0.
In the darkness OF the night the
Plnkerton detectives were loaded on
board OF the bsrges. They were not in
the service of the state. Many OF
them were ex-criminals who bad Ions
ago forgotten the meaning Of the WORD
home.
Arrival of Pinksrtons.
When the barEes being tOwed by the
tug Little BIZ were opposite Home
stead. word was sent 20 every house in
the town. by shst means no one bu
those sending It knew that the two
barges were shout 10 enter Homestead
lit wss IN the middle of the night
when the whistle on the top of the
electric hight tower sounded the alarm
bat men, women, ha.f-grown boys and
children burned cut TO see who ths
marsudsrs we're.
They were warned not TO land, bu
a plank WAS thrown out. II wsl
| promptly thrown back add shot from
A Winchester in the hand of a hreo
assassin levsled one man TO the dust.
How n Happened.
'fN0 one can tel how 10 happened
/ bat everyone knows now Il ended
| LIE ma, On the nnata Ht-lll.f Lad AZ