The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-22
MOB LAW At BRIDGEPORT.
The City in the Hands Of a Mob Of
Strikers.

The Discharge of Five Men at the
Bottom of the Trouble-The Conn
pany Refused to Give Any Reason
for Its Action and 100 Men Fol-
lowed the Discharged Hands Out.
The Cars Attacked When They Came
Out With New Crews.
Bridgeport, Conn, Jan. 2l.-This has
been one of the most exciting days in the
history of Bridgeport. All day excited
crowds have thronged the streets, and
mob law has prevailed. The police have
been set at defiance and a crowd Of angry
men have routed the town.
The rioting was one of the results OF
the discharge of five employees of the
Bridgeport Traction Company yesterday
morning and the strike which followed.
About 100 employees of the company
stopped work yesterday afternoon, COM
pletely tying up the road. They held uu-
merous meetings last night and sent
committee TO the managers of the road In
an effort to bring about settlement In
this they were unsuccessful.
MEN IMRoRTED FROM JERSEY CITY.
Last night fifty men came up from Jer-
sey City to take the places of the strikers
and it was announced that the company
intended to man its cars to-day. The
men then held a long consultation and
decided that they would not allow the
company TO run the cars. They con-
cluded, however, to give the company
another chance for settlement
and agreed to send Rcom-
mittee to Col. Heft, the
owner of the road and to the managers
this morning. Accordingly, the repre-
sentatives of the strikers sought the rail-
road officials, but were denied an audi
ence. The managers refused to meet
them as n committee, or to give their
reasons for the discharge of the men.
He said he would meet the dissatisfied
ones Individually, but would not recog-
nize them as a body.
THE BEGINNING OF HosTmITrEs.
The men withdrew and the strikers
held brief session, at which it was de-
cided that they would not return to
work and would prevent the COM
pauy from running cars If possible
The company was preparing TO start its
service, and at 2 o'clock nine cars were
run out of the sheds. They were in
charge of men from New Jersey, the
a
men who reported for work. The yards
of the New York, New Haven and Hart
| ford railroad were raided by strikers
| and railroad iron, ties, coupling pins,
boxes and barrels, were taken and piled
on the street at various points. Some
cars were moved out of the sheds, but
were unable TO proceed far They were
surrounded by the strikers and their
friends, and the crews were compelled to
leave the cars.
POLICE ROUTED.
Police were summoned and several cars
we're started with the new employees and
q guard of three policemen. The crowd
successfully drove the policemen from the
cars with the conductors and drivers. At
intervals attempts were made TO
run cars but the strikers drove
off the employees and policeman and broke
the windows i'll the cars In East Bridge
port 500 men and boys raided the yard of
Jones Il Hoffman, contractors, and piled
lumber and other distractions on tho
tracks
ONE CAR MAKES TRIP.
At O'Clock the company succeeded in
getting one car, strongly guarded by po-
lice. over the entire line, but this was tho
only one to make the circuit during the day.
At o'clock patrol wagon, filled with
policemen, and three wagons with their
employees, left the stables to bring back
the wrecked cars, but they were sur
rounded by a mob and lively row en-
sued, in which hostler employed by the
company had his nose broken and an
other employe was badly bruised about
the body. No one was seriously hurt.
The police and railroad men retreated and
abandoned the car.
SETTLEMENT AGREED ON.
Meanwhile, the mayor summoned the
police commissioners, sheriffs and city
officials, and a conference lasting three
hours was held with the owners of the
road. At the conclusion it was announced
that the company had agreed to re-employ
the strikers, with the exception of nine
men, and that they would give good
reasons for the discharge of these