Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-05-05
,utft's ordered to Chicago by special

outfits ordered to Chicago by special
train"
And 20, finding the secret out, the
| colonel presently puts aside professional
sang froid and condescends to be hu-
man again.
Get a hearty supper all round, gen.
tleinen, then-'boots and saddles and
away for Sidney!"
Two days later. A fierce July sun is
pouring down a food of humid, lnois-
ture laden heat upon a densely packed,
sweltering mass of turbulent men.
many of them flushed with drink, all
of them flushed with triumph. for the ill
armed, i'll disciplined militia of the sew
entities pygmy force as compared with
the expert 'guardsinen' of today-has
been scattered to the winds; the sturdy
police have been swept from the streets
and driven to tho shelter of the sta
lions. Mob law rules supreme. Dense
clouds of smoke are rising from sacked
and ruined warehouses and from long
trains of burning cars. Here and there
little groups of striking employees have
gathered. holding aloof from the reck-
less and infatuated mob, appalled, at the
| sight of riot and devastation resulting
from their ill advised action. Many of
their number, conscious of their re-
| sponsibility for the scenes of bloodshed
and pillage and wanton destruction of
property, public and private, would
now gladly undo their work and array
themselves among the few defenders of
, the great corporations they have served
for years and deserted at the call of
leaders whom they never saw and in a
cause they never understood, but there
can be mo footsteps backward now.
The tide of riot has engulfed the great
city of the west, and the majesty of the
law is but the laughing stock of the
lowest of the masses. Huddled in their
precinct stations, the police are bandag-
ing their bruised and broken heads.
Rallied mt their armories, the more de-
termined of tho militia are preparing to
defend them and their colors against
the anticipated attack Of so times their
force in ''toughs ''-Chicago's vast
accumulation of outlawed, vagabond
or criminal men. The city fathers are
[ we'll nigh hopeless. Merchants and
business men gather on Change with
blanched faces and the oft repeated
query: What next? What next."
Every moment brings tidings of fresh
dismay. New fires and a crippled and
helpless department, for the rioters
slash the hose and laugh all efforts
to scorn. A CLEAN Of hope shonc in at
10 O'Clock, and the boardroom rang
with cheers at the president announce
ment that the regulars We're coming-a
whole regimo.t of infantry from Oma-
ha was already more than half way.
But the CLEAN died ont at noon when,
with white lips, an official read the tel
egram saying the strikers had side
tracked the special trains bearing the
soldiers, and they could not advance
another mile.
| And SO they had on one road. but
there are others, better guarded. better
run. The sun is well over to the west
again, Chicago is resigning itself to
| another night of horror; when from the
| suburbs there comes gliding in TO the
heart of the city the oldest looking
railway train that has been seen for
| years, sight at which host of riot
Gus men break away from the threat
ening front, dragging with them those
pals" whom drink has either mad
dened or stupeied; a sight at which
skulking blackguards who have picked
up paving stones drop them into the
| cutters and think twice before they lay
hand on their revolver butts. No puff
ing engine hauls the train; the motive
power is at the rear. First and fore
most Is platform car-open, uncover
ed, but over its buffer glisten the bar
rels OF the dreaded gatling gun, and
around the gun-can these be soldiers?
Covered with dust and cinders, hardly
a vestige of uniform among them, in
the shabbiest of old felt hats. in hunt
ing shirts of flannel or buckskin, in
scout worn trousers and Indian leg
gings. but with their prairie belts
crainmed with copper cartridges, their
brawny brown hands grasping the
browner carbine, their keen eyes peer
ing straight into the faces of the throng-
ing crowd, their bronze features set and
stern, the whole car fairly bristles witt
men who have fought tribe after tribe
of savage foes from the Yellowstone to
the Sonora line, and who hold a savage
mob III utter contempt. Here by the
hub OF the gatling's wheel stands old
Feeny, close at the elbow of dark faced
Drummond. G troops first platoon,
mans" the gatling gun, and under its
old leader of the Arizona campaigns
Leads the procession" into the Garden
! City OF the antebellum days. BY
Drummond's side is railway official
gazing ahead to see that every switch
IS properly set and signaling back to
the engineer when to slow. - when to
come confidently ahead. Behind the
| eh
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