Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-07
LIKE RATS IN A TRAP.
PinkertOn Men Tell of the
Awful Agony They En-
dured on the Barges.
THEY WANT TO GO HOME.
Were Told That They We're Wanted
to Act Only as Watchmen.
EXPECTED TO DIE In THE BARGEs.
A Few Contemplated Suicide During the
Afternoon.
THEY WANT TO GO HOME.
EXPECTED TO DIE In THE BARGES.
A Few Contemplated Suicide During the
Afternoon.
TREATED LIKE SAVLGES ON SHORE

One of the most graphic narratives of the
experience of the men On the barges was re-
lated last evening by A. L. Wells, stu
dent at the Bennett Medical College, of
| Chicago.
| He came down with six wounded Pinker-
ton men who were brought to the
Union station at 71O last even
ing. He is short, muscular
man probably 80 years of age, wears a
slouch hat and full sandy beard.
He was elated over his escape from the
mob, and was willing talker.
81 was sent on here by the Pinkertons,"
he began. ''They told the I24 of us who
left Chicago that we were wanted
as private watchmen. They ex-
pected us to get inside the
| works, and then if we were besleged and
any were injured 1 was to take care of
| them. The men who came on are not regu-
lar employees of the Pinkertons, but were
| picked up at random.
| Didn't Know Where They Were Going.u
When we arrived in Pittsburg we were
| Joined by 207 from New York and Brook
| lyn. They had also been informed that
they were wanted simply to act as
watchmen, and don't believe there were
| half dozen men in the whole party who
| had any idea of the extent of the trouble
81 don't know exactly where we were
| put on the barges, but it was some dis
| tance below the city. All of the men were
armed with clubs ahd billies, but only 20 of
| them had guns.
'Long before we arrived at Homestead
| the firing commenced, and the bullets were
dropping all around us, but until we got
| within easy gunshot no bullets struck the
barges 1t then began to dawn upon the
men that there was serious trouble ahead,
| and we began to prepare for a systematic
| defense.
"When the steamboat left us the bullets
| flew around like perfect hail storm and
| pattered against us from every side. For
| short time the men with the guns made an
| attempt to return the fire. but after 10 or II
| of our party had been wounded We gave it
up as bad job.
A Scene of Awful Terror.
s'The groans and curses of the wounded
| mingled with the prayers and pleadings of
the dying, as they laid in the bottom of the
barges; the whistle and ring of the bullets;
the reports of the guns, and the shouts of
caution, formed scene of indescribable
horror. 1t was terrible experience, and
one that blanched the cheek of the most
fearless.
"We were Gagged like rats in trap. The
situation was desperate. The chances were
100 to that not man of us would get out
alive. After we had run up flag of truce
for the third time, and each time it had
been snot down, we gave mp al hope The
dynamite bombs thrown at us bleu
out one side of barge as though
it were paper, and saw men in the party
who were contemplating suicide in prefer
ence to enduring the terrible strain, which
would undoubtedly end only in death if no
mercy had been shown us. If we had known
the awful treatment which we were subse-
quently led to undergo, it is a question
whether the men would have capitulated
when they did.
Took the Word of the Leaders.
"We relied implicitly upon the word of
the leaders to give us protection, but in
stead all but few of the wounded were
tortured worse than if they had fallen into
the hands of savages. Even some of the
men who were injured were kicked and
beaten into insensibility. 1t was sickening
sight, brutal and barbarous to degree al
most past belief I never imagined that
such scenes could be enacted in commune
ty of civilized men.
s'The terrible suspense and mental agony
suffered by the men while on the barges was
nothing to the awful attacks after they
reached the shore. There was not man in
the party but would have left the country
and never came back II they had been al.
lowed to depart"
Another happy man was John E Grid
leon, of New York He is tall, handsome
young fellow, probably q years of age,
dressed in new summer suit Of
light material, and apparently intelligent
He spoke with slight English
accent, as he related his experience. He
had been shot in three places. There was a
bullet buried in his scalp over his left
palm of mis- left hand and was buried under
the skin on the back OF his hand, while
third was imbedded in his left heel.
He Anticipated No Trouble.
sIike the others was led to believe that
we were wanted simply as private watch
men, and I anticipated no trouble. There
York. If 1 had known the condition of
affairs at Homestead 1 should never
have gone out. After we got out
there, however, there was no way of
getting back, and we had to make the best
of it. There we're over 80 Pinkerton uni
forms on board which we were to put on as
soon as we should reach the works, but
from what saw the strikers now have pos
session of all of them.
"When we were finally allowed to leave
the barges ran up among the first and was
one of the few who were not beaten. 1 &C
counted for this by the fact that my face
and hands were covered with blood, and on
the whole presume 1 looked more like
dead than live man.
':All 1 want is to get out of Pittsburg
and Pennsylvania as soon as possible and
think that is the wish of every man in tho
party.
There were a number of the Pinkertons
registered at the St. james Hotel last
evening, but soon after registering they
started out, and had not returned at q late