Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1894-06-08
Riot nj McKeesport.

An ugly riot occurred at McKeespor'
Tuesday. ~
About 24O Of the employees of the Nat
ional Tube Works, returned to the MIL
that morning and resumed their old osit'
ions. This enraged the strikers and tneii
friends. and at noon fully 5000 people I'D
gathered in the neigbborhood OF the mil
and threatened the lives Of those employ eo
inside. The management Of the mill re.
fused to allow the men to leave the mill
for dinner and the strikers waited ANXIOUS
lyuntil evening. As soon as the "orkmen
left the mill for supper they were attacked
and beaten, and the management DECIDED
to keep the bulk of them in the mill over
night. Beds and bedding wore supplied
Provisions were sent in and all arrange
ments were completed to make the WORK
men comfortable.
The strikers who had been waiting I'M
patiently all the day for the others 10
abondon their work, found themselves
beaten for the time and then they became
desperate. TIE leaders hurried about
asking that the mill be cleared ont, and
while they talked the great crowd rushed
madIy against the high board fence inclos-
ing the mill and carried it before them
Then the crowd bowling like band OF
Indians, rushed through the several de-
partmerts Of the mill, destroying the pro-
visions supplied for those who had been
working, breaking up the cooking utensils
provided for them by the company and
driving the frightened workman ahead oi
them into the streets. When the work
men appeared in sight they were set upon
and beaten by the infuriated mob on the
outside.
About dozen OF the workmen when
driven from their shelter hurried to the
river and rowed themselves in skill to
the other side Their effort to escape was
noticed by the strikers, and almost instant
ly skiffload Of strikers was hurrying ID
pursuit. Another, and still another crowd
Of tho strikers hurried after the escaping
workmen, who room disappeared over the
hill on the opposite side. The strikers fol-
lowed. however, and at 10 o'clock at night
neither the pursued or the pursuers had
had been heard from. The mill manage
ment feared to follow their men. and the
strikers were content in the belief that
their people would not suffer should the
workmen be oyertaken. 1t was nearly Z
o'clock in the evening when the most
serious outbreak occurred. At that time
ne veral thousand men had gathered in the
neighborhood Of the Baltimore and Ohio
station. They were flushed with the sue
cessful raid ON the mill. They had dem
onstrated that the police were powerless,
and they seemed unnaturally reckless
Two OF the workmen, who had escaped
their fury in the mill raid were seen in the
distance. "Tnere they come" fully
thousand strikers shouted in chorus. The
workmen were surrounded and every
striker in the gathering Joined in the at
tack upon the helpless and hapless lei
lows
The two men were knocken down doz-
en- times. They were beaten with clubs,
and both were compelled TO crawl on their
hands and knees across the principal street
of the place. The entire police force OF
the place attempted to interfere in behalf
Of the unfcrtunates, but the officers were
driven back as though they we're children
Two of them were dubbed rather severely,
and were ordered to the hospital. They
refused to go, however, and continued on
duty throughout the night.
All day, Wednesday, McKeesport was
in possession OF mob, and the thirty po-
lice were powerless. BY 8 A. M. the
crowd at the b. d o. depot numbered sew
eral thousand. A report that the old
slack piles across the riv er were being dug
up and shipped to the works caused a
crowd to cross the river, burn the tipples,
arI ~ Ewa IN ha Annfhef
crowd Of about 1000 went to Duquesne
arJ cIogod Jo~yu fha tuha wnrka there