The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-06-27
STATE MILITIA OUT.
Troops Sent to ouell the RiOtOus Dem
onstrations at Punxsutawney.

p ennsylyania coal district and the riots
and disorder arising from il reached a
crisis Thursday. when Governor PattiSon
called ont the Fifth and Sixteenth regi-
ments and the sheridan Troop. Of Tyrone,
20 suppress mob violence in Jefferson
county. General John 4. Wiley, Of
franklin. commander Of the Second bri-
gside. was directed TO take charge of the
troops and report to sheriff Gourley at
Punxsutawney TO assist him in restoring
order and enforcing the laws
Governor Paitison received message
early Thursday morning from sheriff
GOuricy, of jefferson county, stating that
a mob OF 200 Italians with l.0e0 additional
sympathizers had taken Possession OF
walston. "AIl my endeavors in my
county TO secure deputies have been use
les" the sheriff added, '-as the over
whelming numbers Of the armed mob
terrorizes all, and the citizens here say
they viii submit TO arrest before going 10
certain death. I have exhausted my
powers and request the militia"
The Governor had hurried eOnsulta-
ton with Adjutani General Greenland II
which it MAS decided to call out the troops
and orders were issued to the Firth and
/ sixteenth regiments. Before tine orders
were sent out the authorities revoked
I them, and at seven o'clock Thursday
morning telegram was sent to Sheriff
Gourley acknowledging the receipt of
! his message and asking for exact particu-
lars Of the situation at once.
This message brought the following re-
/ sponse from the sheriff: ''Situation at
/ Walston unchanged. Growing worse
Mob still in possession Of properties;
have armed pickets out and they are con-
I trolling the town. / cannot control the
situation and again request the militia To
assist me"
During the morning the governor re-
eeived the following message by long
distance telephone from Captain Thomas
Z. Clark, chief of the coal and iron po-
| lice in the Clearfield region:
sheriff Gourley was just here TO see
me and requests me To send yOu this mes
sage. lie says the strikers. Hungarians
and Italians, have taken possession of
! WalstOn and the cOmpany's plant, nave
/ scared away the watchmen of the cOmpa-
! ny. took possession Of the pump house.
/ and the mines are filling with water.
/ They stand guard ,l1v and night with
guns and leave nobody i'm or out of town
| or the company works. They have stop
/ ped all traffic through the village by ciil-
/ zens who live beyond PunNsutawney.
| They compel all the English speaking
| people who live within their lines 10
stand guard with them. They go into the
4 l.. a 81
| their guns. The sheriff says he \ power
| less and cannot get the lawabiding peo-
| pie % assist him. They are afraid. The
| strikers number about 1000"
Soon after message was received from
/ Frank l.. sheppard. Of Altoona, general
superintendent of Pennsylvania railroad,
stating that the picket line Of the miners
extends around the mines 50 that no one
but friends can get through to ascertain
the situation. There are from 100 TO 500
men in the mob aud they have got all the
arms they could get around Punxsutaw-
ney.
Three err loads of miners started from
| Philadelphia Wednesday night 10 work
in the mines Of Berwind, White ~ Co.
They were in charge Of ten picked depu-
ties armed with Winchesters. Thursday
| afternoon General Greenland received a
message from Captain Clark stating that
1919 Italian strikers laid all night on the
railroad AT a point two miles from his
lines with guns watching for the ship
ment Of miners They len at five o'clock
and fifteen minutes later the train passed
thai point with the new men on Jlaci.
Captain Clark says the strikers would
undoubtedly have fired at the train If they
had been there.
MY detectives on the outside report a
| terrible state of affairs At the village of
| Walston, two miles from my location" !"
goes on Clark in the message "The
farmers are stopped on the outside and
no; allowed by the Italian strikers To
reach Punxsutawncy and no business or
traffic * allowed from that section.
American born citizens are forced to act
as guards 10 keep everybody outside
The strikers do duty day and night as
though they were authorized by law. We
are shipping about 80 tons Of coal daily.
expect no trouble here, but think they
viii attack the railroads and try to stop
us that way
| PUSXsUTAwNEY, Pa, June 2.-The
State troops took possession OF the Bell,
Lewis d Yates coal property at Walston,
Adrian and Anita, near this placc, this
morning, without Il protest from the for
eigners who have heen terrorizing this
end of Jefferson county for the past three
days.
Brig. Gen. John 4. Wiley assumed
command, and at 8 o'clock the men were
marched u Walston and Adrian. The
Italians and Hungarians who had been
doing picket duty about the idle works.
and who had been compelling American
strikers to assist them. lied like herd Of
stampeded cattle n the approach Of the
militia. In their flight they took with
them their munitions Of war, composed
Of old style guns and pistols and a few
weapons Of their own manufacture.
| which they called cannon.
One of the alleged cannon WAS captured
| by a detachment OF the Fifth Regiment
this afternoon. 1t was made OF a black
oak butt, into which three-inch gas pipe
had been inserted. II was then clamped
| with savy iron hoops and was loaded
with nails and small pieces Of iron. 4
powder fuse was attached to it from the
top. The officers regard it as a dangerous
implement.
Early this morning, when the Fifth
Regiment and sheridan Troop were COM
/ ing up the mountain 10 this place. they
encountered hand of about I,019 strikers
from Osccola and other mining towns.
Four companies of the soldiers were
promptly ordered ont. The strikers kept
up furious noise until the soldiers were
in sight of them; they were then sur
rounded by the troops aud for a time they
showed fight
Amer the soldiers had been distributed
about in fighting shape, Col. Theodore
Burchfield gave the order, Forward,
march, Instanttv the strikers We're Civ
en- the same command from their leader
MAKE ready shouted Col. Burchfield.
There WAS an ominous rattling of arms. a
few more hurried orders and the foar
companies closed in on the band of strik-
ers.
The colonel, as every body else, regard
ed the forward, march order of the
strikers Is proposing an attack. IL was
just the time for disappearing. however.
and the order really meant for the strik-
ers TO hunt cover. They disappeared into
a deep raVine and were lost