The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-07-13

HOMESTEAD, Pa, July 12-From sun
rise until after o'clock this morning
all Homestead was on the streets, every-
body eagerly awaiting the coming of the
troops and anticipating great time
when Burgess McLuckie should make
his speech, the bands should play well
come and the soldiers come marching in
to the peaceful accompaniment of the
songs of the school children. Home
stead was disappointed. AT little after
nine, train of cars stopped near the sta
ton, blue coated militiamen promptly
formed and in solid column marched
quickly to the steel works. The care
fully prepared reception of course was
frustrated by the sudden arrival of the
militia, and it was manifest that the Off
GERS in command did not desire to be
made the objects of a ceremonial recep-
ton from the people whose lawlessness
they had been summoned to suppress.
In twenty minutes the works were
entirely surrounded, and the Carnegie
mills were once more in the hands of
their owners. All the surrounding
streets were patrolled by pickets and a
guard at every street intersection kept
the crowd at a respectful distance and
prevented the assembling of groups of
strikers. 1t is due to the workmen, how
ever. to say that no militiaman was
called upon to exercise his authority.
The strikers were uniformly good
natured, and the peaceful programme of
their leaders was observed to the letter.
There was much speculation as to
whether the troops would occupy the
town or merely conine themselves to the
mills, but the doubt on this point was not
OF long duration. Immediately after the
deploy had surrounded the works and
the picket lines had been established,
several companies suddenly formed at
the command of their officers and
went directly to the heart of the town of
Homestead. One company halted near
the strikers headquarters, another
marched to the vicinity of the depot and
third occupied slight eminenee
overlooking and commanding the com
mercial centre of the town. Homestead
was
In the Hands of the Military
and martial law had succeeded the arbi-
tary reign of the advisory committee.
The 10Th, 18th, 9Th and 10Th regiments
were the ones pushed into Homestead.
The 14th and 10th had half an hour pre-
viously taken position on the opposite
bank of the Monon gahela, just across
from the Carnegie mills, and here batter
les were planted commanding the whole
of the town. Had there beenaany resist
ance to the entrance of the troops the
cannon on the other side of the river
could by themselves have made the
strikers position untenable.
When the troops were first seen leav-
ing the cars above the works the strik-
ers' picket located at Munhall fell back
and sent messenger into the Amalga-
mated headquarters with the news,
which had already been received through
the newspaper men. Other pickets fell
in from the hilltop and the woods be-
yOnQ, ana Tor LITTLE time did nothing
but watch the soldiers. Two of the
strike leaders, Cummings and another
man, were sent out from headquarters to
call these men back to their posts and
circuit of all the stations was made to
hold the men on watch.
"You had no business to leave your
Places said Cummings to one of the
plckets. "You have been off your posts
long enough 20 let hundred Pinkertons
come in. Go back and do exactly as you
have been doing. Do not let any non
union man through your lines. These
Troops Will Not Interfere
with you. They are here to support the
sheriff, not to settle the strike"
Similar instructions were given to the
other watchmen, and the whole of the
picket line was reformed outside the
station of the troops upon the hill.
AS soon as Gen. Snowden had estab-
ished his headquarters in the school
house on the hill over the iron works, he
was waited upon by committee consist