Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-08
STATUS OF THE GUARD.

General Wiley Says There Are 8, 400 Men
in the Militia Armories Carefully
watched-Two Mon Caught Climbing
Through q Window.
The question that is now being asked
by nearly everybody is: "Will the militia
be called out, and are they strong enough
to combat with the thousands of iron work.
ers?" General Wiley was in the city yester-
day, and gave the standing of the militia as
follows:
First Brigade, with headquarters at Phil
and Sixth; Battalion, State Fencibles, four
companies; Battery A, Gray Invincibles
(colored) company and City Troop Cavalry,
in all mastering about $500 men. Second
Brigade. headquarters at Franklin: Fifth,
Tenth. Fourteenth, Eighteenth, Fifteenth
and Sixteenth Regiments; Sheridan Troop
| Of Cavalry, of Tyrone, and Battery B, num-
bering in all about 3100 men. Third
Brigade, headquarters at Lebanon, consists
of the Fourth. Eighth, Ninth Twelfth and
Thirteenth Regiments; Governors Troop
| Cavalry, and Battery G, the number of men
being about 9, 800.
This makes grand total of s, 400 men in
the National Guard of Pennsylvania, in
cluding the cavalry and the three batteries.
Some Men wouidn't Go.
The officers of the militia located in this
city have been on the qui vive since the
trouble at Homestead has been brewing.
All Wednesday night Colonel Norman
Smith, of the Eighteenth Regiment waited
patiently for orders from Harrisburg to
prepare his regiment for duty.
Some of the lieutenants and great many
of the men in the ranks say that they will
not through fear, but because the majority of
them have friends and relatives there.
The iron workers are not leaving any
thing to luck, and q close watch is being
kept on everything that could in any way
be used against them From this the mil
itia is not exempt, and for several days
suspicious looking persons have been loiter-
ing about the armories of the Fourteenth
and Eighteenth regiments and Battery B.
The officers had their suspicious aroused,
and two men were placed on guard in both
armories and double guard was placed on
Battery B.
The Guards We're Needed.
That the guard was needed was proved on
Wednesday night. When one of the guards
in the Eighteenth Regiment armory was
making his rounds he noticed two men slip
through back window. The guard pounced
upon the midnight visitors and grappled with
one of them. The other fled. and the guard,
being the weaker of the two, was unable to
hold the marauder. The guard sta tes that
the men were we'll dressed and looked as
though they were not ordinary thieves.
At the first of the trouble only two men
were placed on guard at Battery B
headquarters, but word came to the
ears of the officers that an attempt
would be made to spike the guns of the bat
terry. Orders were at once given to double
the guard, and vigalant watch is being
kept, and only members of the organization
are allowed in the armory.
The coming of General Wiley to the city
caused some comment. The General said:
II was merely passing through the city and
stopped off for short time The officers OF
the brigade have called on me, and started
the report that came to prepare for a cam
paign. IF there is any intention of calling
out the National Guard have received no
word, and 1 am the one who would get the
first intimation.'
The General stated further that the militia
would, if called upon, protect life and
property. This leaves the inference that
they would not act as guards.