Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-06-15


Western Stone Companies assem- led
at the depot at Lemont. and, armed
with clubs and guns, they marched
down the canal at IL o'clock in the
morning. On the way down the
strikers received reinforcements, and
in some instances they stopped and
compelled workingmen to join them.
They marched down the towpath, pa t
the camps of E. Campbell and Smith
& Co. At both of these camps they
passed a number of men armed with
Winchesters, but they encountered no
opposition. After they had gone
down about two and half miles, fully
one mi.e into Will County, they were
nearing the camp OF Locker. Harder
& Co.
Between the camps of Smith and
Locker d Co., they were met by an
armed force. A hot pitched Battle
followed, and within a few moments
the ground was strewn with dead and
mortally wounded strikers. At least
six people We're killed outright. out
the names of none of them have so far
been learned. One man was found by
Coroner Romus Arnold of Will County
with bullet through his head. Moth
ing was found by which he could be
identified. Three men are known to
,, havetallen into the old canal in VIII
! County and two are supposed to have
fallen into the canal on the Cook
County side ofithe line. The wounded
several of whom will die, are:
MICHAEL MICHAELIB, bullet through
feshy part of thigh.
FRANK PAESKI. cut over eye.
LORENZ LEvOUDOWsKI. bulletin wrist.
IN lQt
through body; will probably die
ANTON WISCONSIN, dubbed several
wounds in head
THOMAS MERETsKI, bullet through lungs
will probably die
MIKE Dyer, bullet lodged under right
kidney.
JOHN SEvRIN, shot through back and
lungs: will die
JOHN ZwoJoTowsKI, bullet fractured
thigh bone; will lose leg.
MIKE JAsLowsKI, bullet through lungs ;
will probably die.
JOHN PETERSON, bullets through shoulder
and groin.
OTTo SMITH, ear cut off.
Besides the killed and wounded
among the strikers the deputy sheriffs
among the canal laborers captured
thirtytwo of the strikers, and they
are in jail at Joliet.
The scene of action lies some two
and half miles south of Lemont.
The Santa Fe Railroad runs in a
southC asterly direction at that point
between the old and the new canals
Just north of the scene of the
conflict narrow. raised stretch of
ground runs west from the new canal.
1t was to the south of this stretch of
| filed grounds that the canal la borers
and the deputy sheriffs took up their
stand.
There were fully fifty of them. some
ten to fifteen mounted on horses. They
had all been well armed with Win
chester rifles and they stood there
ready for the fray. The strikers mean
while were moving steadily south in
an unorganized manner, talking loud
1y and thinking themselves master of
the situation. Having passed a num-
Der of armed canal men, they were be-
coming confident that their march
would not be withstood and that they
would soon join their sympathizers
from Lockport in triumph. One
hundred feet south of the raised
stretched Of ground and imme-
lately across the tracks from the
break in the rock excava ton.
Through that break the armed force
had a full view of all that passed
along the tow path. Word had gone
down that the strikers were coming
Every armed man at Lockers
camp had his Winchester loaded
and strange silence prevailed the
ranks as they waited.
When the armed band saw an I'M
broken mass through the breach three
shots rang out Three men fell. Half
dozen guns cl ched, and then gen.
eral report rang out. The striking
quarry men fell back. Their retreat
soon became a headlong confusion
and strikers rushed madly up the
canal, fearful of the death-dealing
bullets. As soon as the armed men
saw that they were victors they cam e
across the street and started in pur-
suit. The mounted force left the
horses behind and Joined in the I'M
equal conflict. Report after report
rang in the ears Of the flying strikers
and many were followed by groans
from the stricken strikers Back
toward Lemont they came.
Som distance above the scene of
the first conflict there is a bridge over
the old canal. AS some of them hur-
! ried over well-aimed shots struck two
Sur1EefS ana Unoy Tell. fuSneQ Dy
those in mad rush, they toppled
over and fell into the water. Several
of the strikers who fell still showed
| fight. bit weakened by til! loss of
blood. they could not stand the con-
fiict, and several Of them were severely
CLIP 1bed. The strikers claim that
as they came north past the camp of
t Smith & Co. thew We're fred un.,n hu
armed men from that camp. They
say that they were entrapped between
two fires They say that Smiths
men allowed them to go by I'M
molested. and that when they were in
such a position that their escape was
impossible they were attacked,
The van of the flying strikers
| reached Lemont and the news of the
conflict spread like wild fire Soon
! the whole town was out and express
wagons and all sorts of conveyance
were taken down to gather up the
wounded. All of them live in Lemont
and with one exception they are
| quarrymen. During the conflict the
| deputy sheriffs succeeded in capturin g
| thirty-two of the strikers. Two of
| them, who were mortally wounded,
dragged themselves into the woods
and died there. The strikers say they
| carried no firearms, and that t">
deputies fred the first shot.