Daily Kennebec journal., 1893-10-02
BULLETS FLEW.
Shoe Trouble at Auburn Breaks
Out in a Riot.
-----------
Gang Of Drunken Armenians Shoot
Right and Left.
Ass uss ksivss-Hild Sesass Is Asbsss asA
Lswistsa shssls.

At last. and thunder clouds are gathering.
War broke out here with vengeance Sat-
urday night. To begin with Monroe,
Packard 4 Linscott brought II Armenians
from Massachusetts to the city Saturday
morning AMI they were set Al work 1t once.
| TIE committee from the union tried to
interview the strangers but failed as only
one Of the number understood English. At
noon the union men stood around as they
usually do when the new men 20 to and
| from work. When the 80 r. ". train
arriredit brought six men from Portsmouth,,
N. H., for the Cnshman Company Il 10
SAID that the manufacturers had misrepre-
sensed the case to them and when the men
got here and fourJ the exact condition Of
things they refused to 60 to work.
L. ID. Parsons, A. NJ. Parsons. A. G.
Yeaton, g. T. fletcher, f. s. Cnowles and
| w. s. Palfrey were the men from Ports
moath and when seen by the JOURNAL they
were very bitter in their denuneiation Of
the Cushman company, claiming that the
the company had told them that the trouble
had all been settled, that more help was
wanted and by so doing had induced them
to come to the city. The men say they will
| bring individual suits against the Cushman
company for damages when they arrive
home.
The return of the New Hampshire men
was a Sc. a k to the manufacturers. All
day long the best citizens had denounced
the action of the manufacturers in bringing
the Armeniaus to III. city, for it was ex-
pected that trouble would ensue from the
hot tempered class.
Saturday evening as the Armenians were
proceeding from toe Munroe, Packard &
Linscott shop to the Maine hotel, escorted
by members of the Arm, and while pa.sing
through lane made by the union men
one of the manufacturers struck
and kicked union man.
Nothing was said or done by the union man
and the workmen passed on.
Alter supper the men who we're boarding
at the Maine hotel. including the Armeni-
ans, went over to Lewiston filled up with
rum, got rattiing hot and started for Au-
burn. On the bridge the Armenians pulled
out reyolvers and began fusilsde into the
air. OF course this brought out the crowd,
The drunken mob turned down Main street
TO the Maine hotel, VII re they stood and
yelled aud threw rocks at the people that
gathered in the street.
street and escape was slow, and several of
The crowd returned the stones that had been
thrown at them. Thereupon the Armeni
ans drew revolyers snd began firing and
running toward the crowd. which became
panic-stticken. The Armenians used knives
rs well as grls, and several hand-to-hand
engagements were on the tapis for few
seconds. A stranger who was sitting in his
team in the street was cut by a knife in
the ha.ds of an Armenian, while another
struck at William, Harding, a union man,
cutting through his overeoat and all his
clothes, penetrating the flesh of the shoul-
der about an inch.
The police were nowhere about and the
foreigners cleaned out the streets and yelled
and held high carnival for few
minutes, when they finally partially quieted
down and went into the hotel, where It was
found that one of their numbers had been
knocked senseiess and had sustained u seri-
GUS wound in the head from stone. The
cessation of hostilities was OF but few
minutes duration, for soon great cry was
raised by those Inside the hotel and there
appeared to be every evidence of II row in
side.
All at once the door was thrown open and
q big strapping fellow, who had caused
more or less trouble all day, and whose
name at this writing has not been learned,
rushed out, branjishing revolver. OF
course the crown had gathered in the street
pgaia ami calls were being made for The
police. The big fellow, apparently erazed
by liquor, started alone for the crowd,
which naturally began to scatter. The in
furisted man began firing and bullets
wliis,led in very close proximity to a
number of ears. The man ran from one side
of the street to the other yelling oaths and
threatening to kill.
lie finally hai cleared the street of all
but one man and that was Constable Rollins,
one of the liquor deputies of Sheriff Hills
squad. The man charged the constable,
aiming his revolver and trying to raise the
hammer as he approached Rollins. who did
not bulge aud although being unarmed
himself. stood his ground and grappled his
man. Rollins succeeded in getting the gun
out of the mans hands and the fellow caved
and was taken to the city prison, followed
BY the cheering crowd.
Officer Rollins returned to the scene and
was joined by Officer Newell of the night
police, and both went into the Maine hotel.
There was no one in the crowd who could
identify any OF the crew inside the hotel so
the officers could at that time make no
arrests.
The night police force consists of only
four officers and they are widely distributed
over the city, but Constable Rollins AMI
Officers Newell kept the crowd id check.
There wete loud calls for the arrest of all
the Armeniaps, threats to burn the hotel,
hang il proprietor and matedictions heaped
upun the manufacturers who had brought
| the dangerous elsmeIt TO town. There was
a report at one time that the Armel,ians ha
| sh and kili.-i one of their own number,
/ bus il was afterward found to be incorrect.
| Drring the two showers of stones At least
ffly different people including several wo-
men were hit by the flying nnssels. There
WAS no violent demonstration on the part
OF ttse un on men in the first inst ince, the
crow i beiug dras by the rampaaious way
/ in Will the for, igners aeted While couiirg
over from Lewiston loaded with firewater.
| Citizens rushed home and go their guns
an returaei To the scene, many vowing to
clean ont the entire crowd in the hotel 1t
there wa, further trouble and ANXIOUS peo-
pie passed sleeplsss light.