Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-05-25
-Four Strikers Killed.

UNIONTOWN, Pa, May 25.-The long
threatened attack by striking miners on
the pits of the Washington Coal and Coke
company at Sickle Hollow, in the Fourth
pool district ON the Monongahela river,
was made, involving another of the grim
tragedies that characterize the irrepressi
BILE conflict. The fight was one of the
f1ercest in the history of the mining trou.
bles in western Pennsylvania and in the
section where it occurred as well as
throughout the coke region. The situa.
ii IN it has developed is one of the most
ense excitement and dread uncertainty.
-Four strikers are lying dead, and double
that number are badly wounded, some Of
them mortally. Thomas Kenan of Woods
Run is the only American killed in the
encounter with the deputies. The other
dead men are Slavs.
The wounded men, who fell under the
first volley from the deputies, were taken
off the field by the retreating strikers, and
even now the actual number of wounded
is not definitely known, their friends hav.
ing the strongest motives for concealina
them.
1t is perhaps too soon to attempt to ap
portion the responsibility for the killings
In the mass of confessed and contradicto
ry statements there is testimony to show
that the strikers, while threatening an at
tack, had committed no overt act of law
lessness beyond the possible offense of un.
lawful assembly; that the deputies fired
on them absolutely without provocation
that would warrant the use of deadly
weapons, and that some of the killings
were particularly cruel and unjustified
Then there is equally abundant testimo-
ny to show that the deputies simply de-
Tended themselves and their charge from
the rushing assault of an armed and blood
thirsty mob. The strikers furnished all
the dead men; not a deputy was fatally
lurt, and only three of them were wound
cd.
The fight occurred az daybreak in the
public roadway leading to the Sickle Hol.
low plants. Two thousand strikers, after
camping near the works all night, came
out there to intercept the men on their
way to work to induce them to come out
and help win the strike. A few of them
carried winchesters, while fully 80 others
were armed with shotguns, muzzle loading
rifles and revolvers Because of their
threatening demonstrations, and the fact
that they had given notice to the company
that they had come to drive off the depu-
ties if necessary, there were ball cartridges
in the winchesters carried by the guards,
and the entire outfit at the works was in
general readiness to receive raiders. The
deputies had specific orders, and it is ad-
mitted that the company had conveyed to
them directions to shoot to kill.
Situation Still Alarming.
Sixty-six of the strikers were placed I'M
der arrest and taken back to the compa-
ny's ground, where they were closely
guarded during the remainder of the day
The whole lot of them were later placed
in box cars, which were closely nailed up,
and kept there until last evening, when
they were brought here to Jail in charge
of 20 deputies.
The men arrested are nearly all native
born citizens, Intelligent looking, and sew
eral of them are known to be men of inf1u-
ence and good reputation in the Fourth
pool district. The situation at the mines
is alarming, and moro serious trouble is
expected within the next "a hours.
Reports from there are to the effect that
5000 strikers from the lower end of the
Fourth pool were marching on Sickle
Hollow, thoroughly armed, for the pur-
pose of storming the works, regardless of
consequences. But these reports have not
been verified.
None of the dead, except Kenan, have
been identified 1t is impossible to learn
about the others who are dcad. Fear muz-
zles the survivors and seals the lips of
even the children of friends of the men in
the fight. They will not even claim their
dead, and nobody has come forward to
speak for the remains of the poor fellows
who are lying where they fell.
John 9EoZQt Faystte City was badly