River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-06-08
FOUGHT AMONG THEMSELVES.

ouarrymen aud Iaborers Do Battle ON
the Route of the Illinois Drainage Canal
Many Men Hurt-A Negro Ground to
/ Pieces by a Train While Trying TO Es-
cape HIS Assailants.
| CHICAGO, juno War broke out be-
tween quarrymen aud laborers at Ro-
meo and Lamont Friday. Turbulent
scenes were enacted and many men Sc
/ riously injured several, it is feared,
\ fatally. A few days ago the
/ Illinois Stone company reduced its
I quarrymen's wages from SlT5 TO
$3.50 a day. They believed that it
was due to the importation of laborers
I for work on the canal, and great indig
nation arose among them. Four hum
bred quarrymen struck Friday.
and armed with clubs and re-
volvers marched from one stone
I quarry to another gaining adj
ditions TO their ranks. When their
/ force was sufficiently strong they left
/ the quarries and rushed upon the
nearest camp of contractors on the
drainage canal line. Camp after camp
was visited and IN each the men were
driven from their work and where they
resisted We're assaulted by the strikers
/ The employment of colored labortrs
on the canal still more enraged the
I strikers, and i'm spite of all the con
I servative men could do the riotous ele-
ment carried the counsel and war was
declared
| One negro while fleeing from the mob
of excited Poles and Swedes was killed
by Santa Fe train. Charles Burns,
general drainage foreman, is momen-
| tarily expected 10 die from wounds in
/ fiicted by the strikers. Foreman Pow
/ derby is not expected 10 live and Fore
striking negro connected with the
! quarry strike at Joliet
/ After several stormy meetings Friday
morning mob gathered in the vicinity
of Romeo and after listening to one or
two incendiary speeches the men started
/ for camp / on the sanitary district
/ Here they called upon the men to quiz
work and completely cowed the
/ laborers by their show Of strength and
arms. About 500 of the canal diggers
/ obeyed the order and threw down their
1 shovels and picks. TO emphasize their
| demands the strikers assaulted a few
of the laborers and gave them severe
beatings. No one was severely injured
| here.
| A march was then made TO Gilford's
camp, where rumors of the trouble had
preceded the rioters The foreman had
| organized a resistance, and the strikers
were met by body of men hastily
armed with such weapons as bars of
/ iron and pick handles. The sight of
an armed force seemed to enrage
4 the strikers. Without hesitation they
made charge. The defenders of the
camp made but little resistance. A few
clustered around the foreman, James
/ Powderly, and with him made a stand
/ against the charge. The little
band was overwhelmed by the
| numbers, and in a moment Pow
derby was stretched insensible on
! the ground. His men were steadily
beaten back and finally, bruised and
bleeding, were forced to take refuge in
/ flight. The rioters swept on, leaving
/ Powderly apparently dead behind them.
/ lie was subsequently found by his men
and cared for at Macarthur Bros camp.
/ The next raid was on the camp of L.
/ d. Smith e Co. Manager Jackson had
\ heard of the approach of the mob and
had gone to the headquarters of sec
ton II near Lemont to consult with
| his superiors. The camp was left in
| charge of Foreman Larsen. Smiths
men were mainly colored and UNI
armed. The mob commanded Lar
/ sen and his men to quit work.
| The foreman refused and rush
was made. One of the colored laborers
drew revolver and dared the rioters
to advance, threatening TO shoot the
first man who interfered with him. The
mob made rush. avoiding the man
with the revolver. Larsen was knocked
down and his arm was broken with
club as he warded off a blow from his
head. He was knocked senseless and
his men put to rout. Larsen was sub
sequently carried into camp, fearfully
beaten.
The mob heard that one of Agnew &
Co.'S employees named WEIGH had
threatened to have the ring-leaders ar
rested This added to the fury of the
strikers and they started to find
Welch. He had disappeared and
the rioters attacked Superinten-
dent Burns and gave him a
terrible beating lie was left for dead
and was carried by trends to his home
in Lamont, where he was attended by
DIS. Leahy and Fitzpatrick who had
also attended Powdcrly. Friday night
the physicians said that Burns would
recover, but there was little hope for
Powderly
Altogether the rioters visited seven
camps on the drainage channel and
drove off all the men. a. the last
camp, near Romeo, the negroes refused
for time TO join the mob. Persuasive
measures having failed free for all
fight followed. The negroes gave in
shortly, but their leader was pursued
for some distance. Finding himself in
danger of rough handling from those
behind him he attempted TO board
swiftly moving Santa Fe train. He
fell under the cars and was ground to
pieces.
The most alarming reports reached
Locl1port and Lemont during the after
noon. and Chief of Police Hannibal
Laughliu, of the latter place. tel
egraphed to the sheriff's Office for aid.
Five men were sent down on the even
ing train and remainded over night 70
render aid in the event of further
trouble.
a Pension for Mrs. oLeary.
Nashville, Mich, June 3.-Mrs-
O'Leary has secured eight dollars per