Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1894-04-05
COKE MINERS RIOT.
ANTICIPATED OUTBREAK IN
PENNSYLVANIA OCCURS.


Ing Sworn In.
PirrsnuRG, Pa, April 4. The threat
ened strike of the Conceivable coke
workers occurred yesterday and was
Immediately followed by wild scenes
of riotIng and disorder The reports
received at the headquarters of the
| United States Mine Workers union in
uniontown say that over 5000 men
are out A midnight special from
tniontown says the officials OF the
miners union have received advioes to
warrant them in the statement that
from Is, 900 to 1900 men will be out
| to-day. This means a total suspen-
sion of work in the region. Acting
upon the advice of his attorneys Sher-
iff Wilhelm has sworn in 500 deputies
and will distribute them through the
region, A number of arrests have
been made. The rioters were immedi.
atelv bailed out
All night mass-meetings were held
all over the region and the unprotected
property of the operators was in great
I
! kilograms have been sent to the gov.
ernor from prominent citizens To call
out the National guard, but until a
serious outbreak occurs the executive
will notact. He says the civil nuthori-
ties can handle the rioters II they ms.
sert their authority,
At the Oliver Coke and Furnace com
Nil hA ri
raiding and preventing those from
working who so desire, The English
speaking worlSmen want TO work, but
the Slavs and liungarians will not per-
init them At this plant there are
1900 tons of coke burning up. When
the management of the plant called on
Sheriff Wilhelm to protect the men
who want to work they were told that
deputies would be furnished if the
company would put up the money to
insure their payment No arrange
ment has yet been made. The men
had promised to draw the coke at this
plant before striking
At Wheeler and Morrill, the men de-
stroyed n portion Of the plants by ex.
ploding dynamite, and were raiding all
of last night, shooting firearms terror
izing the community and driving off
all the men who wanted to work At
the Lesenring, Nos /, 2, and !, the
largest FIR elk works there has been
much trouble All the men are out
About 100 of the English speaking ele-
ment began work but were driven
away by mob of foreigners number.
ing several hundred. Some of the
workmen were badly beaten
with clubs and stones At Leith
and Brownfleld part OF the
men are working on the yard
and in the mines The strikers say
they will visit these lants in body
TO bring ont the men At Lemont
Nos, | and ., where about 600 men are
employed all are out. large body
of strikers from Wheeler and Morrill,
went to the Anchor and Humr hrey
plants yesterday afternoon and drove
the men off They then went to the
Hill farm mines and attacked the men
there. A colored worker was struck
on the head with n stone and his skull
fractured. 1t is feared this injury
may prove fatal. The strikers were
armed with guns, clubs and stones
superintendent Lang has sworn out
warrants for the arrest OF the rioters
Most Of them were foreigners and the
strike seems to be led principally by
them
The men ut w. j. Rainey's plants
are working, but arc expected to come
out to-day. The coke in the ovens Is
being taken out TO keep il from being
destroyed. At the Stewart Iron com
pany's plant the men are doing the
same thing. In the lower end OF the
region the Standard works of the Frick
company, the famous Morewood plant,
where the big riot occurred in 1891;
the Alice, Trotter, Nellie and Stoner-
vile, all the plants of the Sewiclslev
branrh, all the works of the Cambria
Iron company, the Atlas, and many
smaller plants are idle The indie
pendent plants at Pennsville and Mover
are running.
The leaders are confident and say
that the strike is success and that
not a man will be working Saturday
night unless the operators eapitulate.
The operators are determined and say
they will demand protection that they
may operate their works. The situa-
ton is undoubtedly critical and the
operators are apprehensive Of serious
trouble. The rioting is done by the
Slavs, Hungarians and other fore ign
ers. The English speaking miners
can not control them.
The strike is for increased wages and
the recognition of the new union 1t
is part of and the beginning of the
national coal miners strike to be dis
cussed at the Columbus convention.