The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-06-10
Battle Between Strikers and Men Work.
ing on the Big Drainage Canal.
Several Of the Former Killed in Running
Fight and Number Wounded, Some
Of Whom Will Die.
Regiment of State Militia Ordered to
The Scene by Governor Altgeld.
Strikers Claim to Have Been Unarmed-Many
arrested and Taken TO the VIII County
Jsil-Incidents of the Fight.

CHICAGO. June "a pitched battle took
place this afternoon between strikers. dep
uty sheriffs and employees Of the contract
rrs en- the drainage canal. about o'clock.
The fight took place al Romeo. One mob
Of strikers came down from Lee
mont and another from the north.
They as once began nring on
the contractors and their men. Coming
from the north they drove of the men on
Section 10. The men retired fight
ing. but had only gone short
distance when they were set
upon By another division of the
striksKa The workmen returned the fire
OF che strikers and several men were
killed. Three of the mon killed are in Will
county. two of them in the Illinois and
Michigan canal; one Is lying on the tow
path, and two others are lying In the
bushes Just across the line in Cook county.
Four of those who were wounded will
probably die. Il Is impossible to learn the
names of the killed. The list of the
wounded lie as follows:
Michael Nj cholib bullet through feshy part OF
thigh Frank Palski. two bullet wounds and ter
riby dubbed; Lorens Levandoski, wrist shat
tered by bullet; Ludwig X. Ruga. shot through
head and dubbed; Thomas Mereski, bullet
through lungs Michael Boyer. bullet through
through thigh bone; Michael JosloskE bullet in
lungs. dying; Frank Smith. ear shot of: severn
Peterson. shot in several places and dubbed.
There are six or eight others who are
wounded, but their injuries are not Sc
rious. All of tie wounded live In Lemont,
where they were brought for treatment.
DIR. j. J. Leahy attended all of them. He
49, I'D hal lnfa frn nm
Che wounded men.
According to the stories told by the strik-
ers. they were Id no wise responsible for
the carnage. Those from Lemont and those
hold meeting at Romeo 10 discuss the Sit
uation. They claim they were unarmed,
and were attacked without provOcation.
OF the men EN- Dloy ed on the drainage canal
about one hundred negroes IN the employ of
contractors Edward Lock, Smith and j ack-
son. King Bros and John Mccormick re-
fused TO JOIN the strikers. This moruing
they were armed with sbOtRuns. Winobes-
tiers and revolvers. and told TO protect
themselves. Lookouts, with terrible held
TO esvs Nssning of the approach
of ths strikers. When the party
from the north came In sight. about
noon. they say they were much surprised to
bo net with fusiliade from the men at
work. They deny having fired q shot or
making any hostile demonstration. At the
first fire they started TO run. The negroes
gave pursuit. and seventeen of the strikers
were captured and imprisoned In q box car,
III which they were afterward conveyed to
Joliet.
When the party from Lemont approach 60
the camp from the south an hour later the
Iookouts gave notice to the negroes who
were placed by the men in charge at va
nous coigns OF vantage on the SUBMITS
of the huge piles of rock which surrounded
the camp The strikers approached until
conscious or the reception in store for
them. When about five hundred feet from
the camp whistle was sounded. This
was the signal for the negroes to tire, and
instantly one hundred rifles beiched forth
their deadly missiles into the ranks of the
strikers Many fell at the first fire, while
those uninjured stsrted TO flee. They were
almost surrounded. however, and as the
firing continued they became thoroughly
bewlldered. At last an avenue Of escape
was discovered and then began the
pursuit. firing as they ran. bring
ing down hapless striker every
few rods. For mile and half the chase
was kept up, and marking the road for
that distance with a trail of blood. Two
of the wounded strikers were seen TO fall
into the canal The Others, who were
killed outright, died where they fell In the
roadway. While the battle was in prog
ress Ludwig Kruger; section man en-
ployed on the Santa Fo road. was mlstGk Ken
tor q striker and shot through the sbdo-
men. He will probably die. Superintend-
ent Wemmer. OF the section. will make a
search for the bodies of the d ead to- MORO w.
When the body of armed men were chas-
ing the strikers along the tOwpath twenty
of the latter were overtaken and made
prisoners. They were locked in a freight
car. and from there taken to the commits
sary department. of King Brothers camp.
One of the Kings turned the men over 10
the chief deputy sheriff of Will coun-
~. The chief refused TO take the
men into custody until BIO knew
what they had done TO be arrested. King
be more bioodshed. and to protect them
the chief locked them In box car and
sent them To Joliet. Tonight there are
thlrty-two of the strikers locked up In the
Will county jail.
Romus Arnold. coroner of Will county,
held an inquest tonight on the body of one
of the men found dead on the towpath. No
papers were found on the body that would
establish the mans identity. The canal
will be dragged tomorrow for the other
In.
There is talk tonight of a mob beinQ
formed TO drive the negroes and cOntrao-
tore from this section. If a battle does
take place Tomorrow the list of killed and
injured will exceed that of to-day.
Sheriff Gilbert this afternoon asked the
Governor TO call out troops. The Governor
refused TO call out the militia for the rea.
son, as be stated, tnat the authorities
in charge. from all the facts he
could learn. had SD far the best of the en-
counter He said that the deputy sberitfs
appeared 10 be holding their own. and the
only persons so far blurred were those of the
strikers party. He also said It was the
usual custom in similar cases. for the local
authorities TO attempt TO SHIFT the RESPONSE.
6Ility that should rest upon them and
he urged that the sheriff himself see
TO the suppression of all violence. The re-
ply closed with the question TO the sheriff
how many deputies he had a. hIs command
In response to another request the Gov
ernor. at midnight. concluded TO call out
the second Regiment of Illinois National
Guards. located ct Chicago. Tor service al
Lemont.