Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-12
TROOPS IN CONTROL
Homestead in Charge Of the State
Militia.
THEY CAME IN VERY UNEXPECTEDLY.
In Consequence No Big Reception
Was Given.
A RAMA TIC SCENE

A D R A Alto seen
"FAKEs" OF THE STRIKERS.
Saturday Nights False Alarm Caused the
Militia to Be Ordered Out.
Special Dispatch from staf Correspondent.
HOMESTEAD, Pa, July 12-why Gov. Patti
son changed his mind SO suddenly on Sunday
and sent the state troops to Homestead is caus-
ing so much speculation that it will surprise the
world to learn that it was all the result Of a
fake perpetrated by the strikers themselves,
which resulted in defeating all their own plans
and in changing the scene of the Homestead
troubles from a field Of carnage to one Of dis
pute, conference and perhaps reason.
One Of the reasons which the strikers ad-
vanced as an excuse for somewhat harsh treat
ment Of newspaper reports was the almost
purely fictitious one that the victims were guilty
Of taking" Now "faking," as every one
knows. is the manufacturing of alleged news.
1t is reprehensible business at any time, but
it is especially SO at such time and in such a
place as this. The situation has been and is
bad enough withoutAny Of the distorting and
oedA eAAi6 lcotu1co WulCu Iudy VI uudy uOt uhNc
been added thereto by careless or conscienceless
scribes. The truth, the whole truth and moth
ing but the truth was horrifyingly sufficient.
So long as this taking was done only by
newspaper men. it was but little if any short Of
a capital crime, but wonder what the labor
leaders here will cay when I make known the
fact that three or four Of their most prominent
agitators have disturbed the peace Of the entire
country merely to keep up the public interest
and to insure vigilance on the part Of the local
pickets.
1t will be remembered that on Saturday
night an alarm went out from the Amalgamated
Association headquarters here to the effect that
a large force Of Pinkerton police was in the
hills south Of the town. The strike leaders
knew that alarm to be false before the people
heard q word Of the rumor. In response to the
bulletin which was given out after midnight q
thousand men seized their rifles and secuted
thoroughly over the hill territory within
radius of five miles. At Homestead the guards
were doubled and in every way the public pulse
was urged to q dangerous speed. Every man
not personally known to the strikers ran the
serious risk Of being held up as q Pinkerton.
and nothing but.the badges saved several cor
IoopOuutfHb ulSCOuIOEb anu tQo LOSE OI
valuable time. Many newspapers, when the
bulletin was wired them, ordered their repre-
sentatives to stay up all night so that by no
possibility should the big news be missed. In
a hundred Offices all over the land managing
editors and compositors and presmen and
stereotypers and engineers dozed in their re-
spective places until daylight and practical
denial Of the rumor put in Q simultaneous ap-
pearance. During all this trouble at Home
stead there has not been any more annoying
night than was that particular period Of dark
ness
DELIBERATE DECEPTION.
And it was all caused by faxed bulletin.de-
iberately concocted by four Of the best mem
bers of the advisory committee. Anything that
will stir up sentiment and hatred against the
Pinkerton ''Hessians" is to the advantage of the
strikers. Everybody hates the Hessians, but
the leaders were apparently afraid that some Of
the less enthusiastic might forget how to hate
unless the dreaded name was continually kept
in front Of every eye.
There had been symptoms of weariness on the
part Of the men whose duty it was to act as
sentries, SO it was thought to be a.good thing to
stir matters up little. Then, again, even the
keenest Of the labor chiefs had failed to locate
any Of the Pinkertons who,were said to be in or
around Pittsburg. 1t had been rumored. that
the disturbers Of the peace would come in on
one Of the railroads; that guess was wrong.
Then they were coming down the Monongahela;
that was no nearer the truth. One other posi-
bility was left, and that was an invasion over
the hills from an almost disabled branch Of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad. 1t was a new
idea, and almost as soon as it had been advanced
it was given out as q fact. There was not even
the semblance Of truth behind that official
bulletin. Had there been anything like reason
| able ground for the alarming statement given
out SO circumstantially the big mill whistle
would have been blown and the entireAcommu-
nifty aroused, but that would have BEEN .arther
than even the official "fakers" dared 60.
Maybe they will try to excusestheir action on
the ground Of policy, but that,excuse will fall
far short Of being acceptable to the general
public.
Pinkerton men are numerous lenough,and
sufficiently ubiquitous in real life. The mere
mention Of their name is suficient-to arouse
Homestead from the deepest slumber. To use
them as aids to insomnia at such a;period as
this is more than cruel
ANoTHER FALsEsAIARM.
What was practically the same sortsof bust
ness made its appearance yesterday afternoon.
There was mass meetingi in the rink of which
I may have more to say directly. Themetine
adjourned when IL was announced by. Hugh
O'Donnell that he had information which in
dicated Pinkerton raid from over the hills.
OF course everybody:clsared out in hurry.
With knowledge Of the faxed bulletin.fresh in
| my mind was q rank unbelievr, but amounted
horse and started out on an expe dition
through the territory which was alleged to be
populated by Pinkerton police. The road
were not over good, for: rain was -fallinxquite
steadily, but they were only used when dbso-
lutely necessary. Into the woods went the
expedition through the long wet grass, owe,
fallen and rotting trees, dodging rain-lader
branches and avoiding awkwardly located limbs
For more than two hours, away ahead of ths
strikers scouts, TIE SrAR investigated and