Passaic City record., 1892-03-05
IN RIOTERS HANDS.
Mobs and Violence in the
Streets of indianapolis.
Strikers Block the Streets, and
Stop Car Traffic.

A dispatch from Indianapolis, Ind, says:
Several times in the past twenty-four
hours mobs have had possession Of the
streets of this city. Men and women have
encouraged scenes and acts of violence, and
one woman displayed in crowd black
and red flag, Haunting it about
her head and then hastily con-
cealing it in her dress. 1t was the out
come to the street-car strike which began
President of the company to advance
the wages of employees. Several attempts
were made to start the cars, but the
strikers inrerfered and the cars were
pushed back into the barns. The Mayor
took the view that he would not afford po-
lice protection until he was assured that the
company had not men enough to properly
man and run the cars. 1t received such as
surances, and the police appeared to aid the
company.
No attempt was made to run the electric
cars. ALI efforts were concentrated on the
horse cars. One hundred strickers met one
car at the Grand Opera House. Here
a desperate encounter occurred with
reached Washington street, the main
thoroughfare OF the city, the mob had
swelled to one thousand. Slowly the car
mace q
at least six thousand people had gathered.
Prominent among its members was bnrly
colored man who was foremost in trying to
stop the car. The officers laid hold of him
to place him under arrest. With a madden
ing yell the crowd sprang upon the OIL
GERS and the colored man was wrenched
from their grasp. Police Super.
intendent Colbert headed detail for his re-
capture They waded into the crowd, NOW
ing right and left with their clubs. A
heavy board, welded by one of the crowd,
descended upon the Superintendent's head
and he fell. Another crash came,
and Captain Dawson was nearly
felled to the ground by an ear5hen vessel,
which struck him on the head, being thrown
from a window. Such actions as THESE pre-
cluded all possibility of further leniency.
Superintendent Colbert arose. pulled re-
volver from each pocket and pointed them
into the faces of the surging mass of people.
Slowly the crowd parted and the colored
man was recaptured.
That was no sooner accomplished than the
crowd made rush for the man who was at
tempting to drive the car. Hang him!'
and similar expressions filed the air. The
drivers name was Madison, and In
an instant he was pulled over
the dashboard, and several men be-
iabored him over the head The police
charged, and again the rocks began to fly.
One huge brick struck Captain Dawson in
the middle Of the back, doubling him up
with pain. A strikers fist landed at the
same time on his nose Another missile
struck PatroIman Settle on the head, cutting
his helmet clear through.
Patrolman Smith Jared worst Of all. A
big stone struck him beneath his helmet on
the back of the head, tearing open scalp and
hair. and laying bare the bone. After sewers
fighting the crowd was dispersed and
queted. Smith was carried away in an
ambulance.
Not more than five minutes afterward
some one yelled: There goes one on Merid-
ian streetr' and away went the crowd.
There were two cars there guarded by q
handful of police. The crowd swooped
down upon them like birds of
in vain. The mems heads seemed
made of iron. In trice the mob had the
mules unhitched, and with hoarse yells they
pushed the cars into the gutter. A large
crowd of men and boys were in the gutter
standing on an improvised scaffolding OF
boards. Into this the car was pushed, and
the structure came down with it's
of fear. Luckily no one was
hurt seriously. The other car was backed
west on Maryland street until it sunk axle
deep in the mud, and there it stood Both
had their windows smashed, and more than
one striker and policeman will wear knots on
John McHugh was the driver of another
dumped car. He is a poor man and needed
WORK. His plucky wife was on the car with
him to lend him encouragement by her pres
ence. When the car went back gang boarded
itand gave McHugha beating, q negro strik-
ing him with stone. Constable Sorters ran to
his rescue. There were no Brotherhood men
in the crowd whom he knew to release the
man, and Sorters agreed to take him home.
To this the crowd consented, and McHugh
and his wife were escorted home under Sor-
ter's protection.
In another part Of the city two women
jumped aboard car, rushed to the driver,
threw their arms around him, and then gave
him q terrible beating. A policeman rescued
him, but the women got away. In other
parts of the city tho mules were unhitched
from cars and were stampeded, and the cars
were derailed. Many arrests were made
but bail was furnished in every case.
Finally all attempts to run the cars were
abandoned. The Mayor stands firm by his
decision, and will again afford all the pro
lection to the company within his power.