Morris tribune., 1892-07-13
A BATTLE FOUGHT.
RESULT OF AN ATTEMPT TO LAND
PlNkERTONS AT HOMESTEAD.

Driven Back to Their Boats by the Strik'
ers, Who Hold Them Under Fire fol
Hours -Pinkertons Finally Surrender
and Are Disarmed and brought Ashore.
The Barges Burned After Strikers Sc
cure the Arms and Ammunition-List
of the Dead and Wounded.
HOMESTEAD, Pa, July About $50
o. H. word was received at Homestead
from tie sco;,ts stationed at Lock No. l,
on NononSahela river bank, that two
boat loads of strange men had arrived
there in charge of the steamer Little
Bill, and We're on their way to Home
stead The information had no sooner
been received than the large steam
whistle at the electric light plant was
blown, and its mournful, far-reaching
voice rose and fell on the morning air,
waking the weary sleepers within a
radius of many miles, and telling them
that the Pinkertons We're coming. With
in twenty minutes after the blast of the
large whistle 1000 half clothed, but
wideawake people were on the streets
hurrying toward the river, jostling each
other in their eagerness to get the first
glimpse of the Pinkerton fleet. For fully
an hour it seemed as though the
people had been hauled from their beds
for no purpose, and many of the tired
ones returned to their homes. At 4
o'clock the streets of Homestead were
almost deserted, when three horsemen,
their steeds bathed in foam,
Came Flying up the River
road into Homestead and separated into
different directions, shouting wildly:
ITO the river! To the river! The Pink
ertons are coming!' The same moment
the whistle for the second time since the
sun had set sent out its dismal warning.
This time the alarm was a genuine one,
and as the 1Q,O00people scurrled through
the streets toward the river shrin
whistle from the bend below the town
announced the coming of the little boat
Edna, and her peculiarly plaintive cry
carried with it an awful significance.
Nearer and nearer came the little boat.
Then it was seen that she was followed
closely by long, lew-lying floating
mass, which was propelled by
steamer. Men, women and children on
shore were not long in learning the char
scter of the strange craft and the story
lo1 NIL of nj
tons" was soon raised. Then there was
a mad rush toward the mill fence.
Rushing, screaming and falling over
each other, the crowd reached the twen-
ty foot fence which extended down into
the water, and the advance guard began
tearing down the boards. They were for
getting in the mill, for it was seen the
Pinkertons intended landing inside the
works. Every man was armed with a
club, and fully eight of every ten car
ried revolvers. The ni!lmen now took
their position on top of the bank, while
skilled marksmen were placed at every
sheltered point, and with their long
range rifles proceeded to shoot down
every Pinkerton man they could see.
Not a Word Answered the Pinkertons,
but as the boat touched the shore and
gang plank was thrown out every Pink
erton covered as many men as possible
with his Winchester. Rage had now
transformed the usually pacific Home
stead men into demons. They knew no
fear, but jumped forward to wrest the
death dealing rifles from the hands of
their hated enemies. Never until the
Judgment morn will it be definitely
known who fired the first shot which
started the slaughter that has made so
many homes of mourning. The first
gun, however, was fired from the Pink
erton barge, and is thought to have been
discharged by the captain of the gang OF
men. who was afterward killed. The
last moment before the slaughter the
crowd was surging downward against
six of the leading mill workers, who
stood with their backs to the Pinkertons,
fairly under the muzzles of the rifles,
trying to keep the mill men back from
what seemed certain death, Clear as a
bell, far above the roar of the angry
crowd, came the voice Of Hugh O'Don-
nell, as hatless and coatless he tried to
check the angry men. In Gods name"
he cried, "my good fellows keep back;
don't press down and force them to do
murder"
It WAS Too Late.
The appeal was drowned by the sharp
report of Winchester from a man in
the boat. The first ball had hardly left
the smoking barrel on its mission of
death ere it was followed by sheet of
flame from a score of rifles in the Pin
kertons hands. William Foy, who
stood at the front window with his foot
on the gang plank, staggered and fell,
his life's blood gushing out. For mo-
ment the crowd was struck dumb by
the sight. Only the groans of the sew
eral wounded were heard. The echoes
had hardly reached the neighboring
hill, the crowd repelled out of the
semi-darkness of the morning flashed
q wall of fame. The leader of the
Pinkertons clapped his hand to his breast
and fell overheard, sinking beneath the
waters, while several other Pinkertons
staggered back and were carried inside
the boat by their comrades. AT the hrst
fash of the Pinkertons rifles, many of
the crowd took to their heels, but close
to the waters edge stood about 200 OF
the angry men firing their revolvers
straight at the Pinkertons. Soon the
latter, unable to withstand such fire, re-
treated into their cabin, and fired from
rover as quickly as possible. When the
men on shore had emptied their revolv=
els they retreated up the bank, greeting
every shot from their enemies with de-
Gant cheers.
For hours the crowd Of workmen be-
hind the barricade of structural iron
within the walls watched the barges
with guns cooked waiting for head to
appear. Down in the boats sweltering,
aud with hearts filed with fear, lay the