The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-06-11
SMALL WAR IN ILLINOIS
Drainage Canal Workmen Are
Fighting Employers.
SHARP FIRING WITH wINcHEsrERs

SHARP FIXING With Wholesalers
Contractors and Laborers Fail to Agree ON
Wages and u waude rinE Crowd of white
Lnborers Were Fired Upon by Negroes
Armed With Instructions to XIII.
ROMEO, Ills, June 10.-An encounter oc-
CURED between the strikers and drainage
contractors, and an unknown man WAS
killed and the following wounded: Thomas
Merika, shot in the breast and will proba-
bly, die; Anton Weshoski also shot in the
breast and fatally injured; Kesha Greghur,
shot through the abdomen and may die:
Frank Blakcski, struck in the head and
badly wounded Dan Rasmussen, also
struck in the head; Chemund Shodcch,
struck OH the head with mi,sket. There
were also two or three others slightly
wounded
The strikers came down from I.emont,
and it is claimed began firing on the con-
tractors and their men. All the men
wounded belong to the strikers. The bat
tleground was between Lockport and Lee
mont where over 1000 -quarrymen and
drainage men were keeping about 800 men
out OF the drain canal. A sherifr's posse
from Chicago and posse from Joliet have
been there since Wednesday.
Ordered to Go to Work or Get Out
The order went out that the men in the
camps would have to go to work or get out
The contractors were already behind and
Were constantly being urged by the drain
age board to hurry up. Rnmors were cur
rent of scheme on hand to import 500
men from outside In the afternoon the
sheriff i'll Joliet received Il telegram from
Contractor Mccormick above Lockport
saying huge army of men were marching
from Lockport to his camp and others
along the line
Mccormick had his men armed with
Wholesalers and orders were given to
shoot to kill. Joliet's sheriff at once be-
gan raising an additional posse of 50 men
to hurry to the place
Latest advices from the riot on the drain
age canal say strikers were killed, 20 in
Jured and 32 taken prisoners The con-
r.: ~ rs declare they will not pay 50 for
eig"- hours work. Chicago's contract if
| enforced will, it is claimed make the con-
tractors lose millions of dollars
Story Told by the Strikers.
According to the stories told by tho
| strikers they were i'm no wise responsible
Tor the carnage. Those from Lamont and
those from the camps north of Romeo were
to hold meeting at Romeo to discuss the
situation. They claim they were unarmed
"iiu NcIc dCtdChctl WITHOUT pfONOcitlOn.
OF the men employed on the drainage
canal about 100 negroes in the employ of
Contractors Edward Locker, Smith and
Jackson, King Bros. and John Mccormick
refused to join the strikers. They were
armed with shot guns, Wholesalers and
rcvolvers, and told To protect themselves
Iookouts with powerful fieldglasSes were
stationed in towers to give warning of the
approach of the strikers. When the party
from the north came in sight about noon
they say they were much surprised to be
met with n fusiade from the men at work
They deny having fired Il shot OF making
any hostile demonstration.
At the first fire they started to run. The
The negroes gave chase and II of the
strikers were captured and imprisoned i'll
box car, in which they were afterward
conveyed to Joliet
Met by IA voIIey of Rifle shots.
When the party from Lamont approached
the camp from the south an hour later the
lookout gave notice to the negroes who
were placed by the man III charge at vari-
ons coigns OF vantage on the SUBMITS of
the huge piles of rock which surrounded
the camps. The strikers approached I'M
conscious of the reception in store for
them. When about 500 feet from the
camps whistle WAS sounded
IHiS WAS Inc signal Tor the negroes to
fire in body and instantly 100 rifles
belched forth their death dealing missiles
into the ranks of the strikers. Many fell
at the first fire, while those unnjurcd
started to flee
They were almost surrounded. however
and as the firing continued they became
thoroughly bewldercd. At last an avenue
of escape was discovered and then began
began the mad race for life. The negroes
gave pursuit, firing as they ran, bringing
down Il helpless striker every few rods
For mile and half the chase was kept
up and marking the road for this distance
with trail of blood. Two of the wounded
| strikers were seen to fall into the canal
The others died where they fell in the
roadway.
While the battle was in progress Ludwig
Kruger, Il section man employed OH the
Santa Fe railroad, was taken for II striker
and shot through the abdomen He will
probably die.