Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-28
SHOWERS OF STON ES
From the Hands of an Indianapolis
Mob Crash Into Street Cars.
DRIVERS AND POLICE POUNDED.
The Company Makes a Strong but Vain
Effort to Resume Traffic.
no FURTHER ATTEMPT TILL MONDAY

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 27-To-day has seer
some rather riotous demonstrations in con
nection with the street railroad strike, bu
the casualties have been limited to few
cracked heads and . slightly larger pumbel
of black eyes Tonight both sides of the
controversy appear as determined as ever
and express and baggage wagons. hastily
filled with rough seats, are furnishing the
popular means of rapid transit at 10 cents 9
trip.
The victory of to-day's battle seems to
rest with the strikers, for they have sue
ceeded in preventing the running of cars
and demonstrated that there are no desert.
ers from their ranks. They have also con.
vinced nearly everybody that the company's
claim to having sufficient men to run its cars
was false.
The first attempt to move cars was made
at the New Jersey street barns, In the out
skirts of the city. Mayor Sullivan, with
Chief of Police Colbert and 36 patrolmen,
appeared there shor tly before o'clock this
morning.
The Mayors Warning Unheeded.
The Mayor addressed the assembled strik-
ers, telling them them that they must do
no violence. Soon the doors of the barn
were opened and seven cars driven out.
They quickly moved down Massachusetts
| avenue to Pennsylvania avenue, and at the
Grand Opera House 100 strikers met it
with shout.
They seized the brides of the mules and
brought the car to a standstal. The police
climbed down from the car, jerked out their
clubs, and, after fastening the traces that
the strikers had unlocked, the car was es-
corted around the circle. When the car
reached Washington street a bowling mob
| of 100 persons was after it.
Not far behind was No. 50, with Joseph
Cochran and A. f. Rork as driver and con-
| ductor. In front of the surgical institute
more help from the Louisiana street barn
reached the cars. The cars stopped and
police reiuforcements arrived. A surging
mass blockaded the street.
A third car coming down Georgia street
was held up. The policemen were too few
to look after the mules, and each car was
lifted from the track and turned crosswise
of the rails.
The Police in Battle Array.
The crowd was wild. The strikers pushed
against the police, trying to unhitch the
mules and shouting ''scab" at the extras
Each policeman had his club in his hand
but did not use it. Turned crosswavs of
the tracks, the cars stood there for at least
half an hour. The crowd. thickened every
minute.
Finally Captain Dawson, forming his men
In long rows on each side of a car, gave the
word. The mules were whipped, the crowd
yelled and struggled and the car started.
And it went Every effort was made to
break through the lines of police without
success, and the car was run to the Louisiana
street stables, where the crowd deserted it.
Another was started the same way, but
some man slipped in and unlocked the
traces Then the strikers seized the car
and ran it down to the stables by hand,
amid the plaudits of the spectators.
A car with four policemen and driver
left the NewJersey street stables at about
$50 and proceeded south on Alabama to
Market street, where it was met by crowd
of strikers and others. The car turned
west on Market street and then around the
circle.
One Car After Another Attacked.
tinued on its Journey, and by the time it
had reached Georgia street dense mass of
people were collected, and at the corner of
Georgia and Illinois streets everybody as
sisted in bringing the car to standstill by
pushing it from the track.
By hard work the car was again replaced
on the track and started on its Journey.
Then was heard the cry, ''Here comes
another" and the police were powerless
to prevent the grand rush that was
made for the mule chariot rounding the
Georgia street corner, heading north on Illi-
Dois. Pennsylvania street reached,
hr vii Tn, roi,
did Superintendent Colbert shout and try to
beat the crowd back. In vain did his men
try to follow his example They flattened
them up against the car, and in trice had
it crosswise of the track, where it stood for
Is or 20 minutes. The crowd became nois-
ier and noisier, and rained volumes of abuse
upon the driver, whose face was anything
but fearless.
All the adjacent windows were thronged |
with people, who waved their handker-
chiefs and gave every evidence of their SYM
patty with the men.
Stones Crash Into the Cars
A lnll.seemed to ensue after the first wild |
demonstration, and Superintendent Col |
bert took advantage of it to organize men |
for fresh attack. The crowd was pushed |
back and the driver ordered to move on. |
He applied the lash, but the car could not |
be budged. That seemed to infuriate the |
crowd, and they burst into the widest of |
yells, and few stones commenced fying |
into the car One of them struck the driver |
while another lodged in the bosom of a re-
porter standing on the front platform.
Then the police began to make arrests,
and men were yanked indiscriminately out |
of the crowd and hustled off to the patrol
wagon. The car was gotten on the track,
and after violent effort started. 1t pro-
ceeded forward north on Pennsylvania
street, in spite of the attempts of the men
to push it from the rails. The policemen
drove the men back and the mules were
whipped up, going lively rate. In front
OF the Grand Opera House the car was again
brought to halt by board being placed on
the track, but soon the obstruction was
taken away and the car continued on its
journey over the line.
Arrested, Released and Retaken.
About 11:30 the corner of Georgia and
Illinois streets was the scene of another
bitter fight. A car rounded the corner and
a big crowd intercepted it. Prominent
among its members was a burly negro, who
was foremost in trying to stop the car The
officers laid hold of him to place him under
arrest. With a yell the crowd sprang upon
the official and the negro was wrenched
from their grasp.
Superintendent Colbert headed a detail
for his recapture.- They waded into the
crowd, moving right and left with their
clubs. Crash, and big heavy board
welded by one of the crowd descended on
the Superintendent's head. Another crash.
and Captain Dawson was nearly felled to
the ground by an earthenware vessel which
struck him on the head, being thrown from
an upstairs window.
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