Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-07-13
THE PULLMAN BOYCOTT.
THE STRUGGLE OF THE AMER
ICAN RAILWAY UNION.
The Federal Troops Called Out to
Assist the United States Marshals
in Protecting the Property of the
Allied RailrOads-The Extent Of
the Strike-Washingto News.

! The presence of the United States
Regulars in Chicago. ordered out to assist
the railroads in protecting their property
from the members Of the American Railway
/ Union. who went on strike AMI declare
! boycott against all Pullman cars in order to
! compel that corporation to restore the wages
| os tho Pullman employees to the original
| figure. did not end the disorder as soon as
| was expected.
A dispatch from Chicago says The Fourth
| OF July was almost mockery in Chicago.
! The day was made tho occasion for big
| bonfire, but it was not in the way Of ceie-
| bration. As If in defiance Of tho calling
! out of the Federal troops came an act
| OF ineend;arism against the alliel
| railroads. Almost the first news Of the Ma
| tional holiday was report OF the firing OF
| a number of cars at West Pullman in the
! Blue Island district of the Rock Island road
| The blaze was started just far enough away
| to be out Of quick reach OF tho detachment
| of Federal troops sent to that point from
Fort Sheridan. The reports placed the nun
Der of ears burned at nearly q dozen, all
freight.
With rifles leveled AID revolvers drawn,
half Of tho Second Battalion. Fifteenth Reg
iment United States Infantry, proceeded
through a dense crowd of more than 5000
men. boys, women and children to their
camp in the Stock Yards The
train left the Lake shore depot
early in the morning, but at o'clock p.
N. was still! on n side track, not where the
managers intended it to be, but close
enough for the boys in blue to unload their
horses, ammunition, four Hotchkiss ritied
cannon and supplies. and go into camp, Il
wearied and faded lot of men, not having
slept for twenty-four hours, and without
food. with tho exception Of a single hastily
, snatchet meal, during that time.
The day was a trying one for the troops
and nOliPP and intense
ment from daybreak until night. Besides
the $50 men composing Companies G and ID
Of the Fifteenth Infantry, there were the
cavalry and artillery AMI squad of seven
ty-fve policemen. On tho latter fell tho
brunt of keeping in control a crowd wild
with excitement and inf1amed by passion.
The trouble began early in tho morning.
At o'clock Swift & Co. tried to move their
stalled meat train, eastbOund, which tho
strikers had held in durance for forty-eight
hours. Every obstacle was placed in tn
way Of the employees Of the big packer, and
ii was 30 before the train could be started
out on its long journey. Even then the
troops were obliged to charge the crowd
with bayoneta. before which. like a flock of
frightened sheep, it fell back and permitted
the train to move.
Six times the train was uncoupled by the
strikers or their sympathizers, in spite of the
fact that on every car sat the brOnzed and
seasoned army men, who had seen service
and knew how to shoot, AMI who declared
they would do SO If any man attempted to in
terfere with the train. This they wol Id have
done. but the strikers weretoo agile for them.
Before the rifles could be eaimedthe offenders
would be back in the midst of the crowd,
where it would have been worse than folly
TO shoot, ieering and hootinS at the discom-
flied military. Only once did the soldiers
look calmly on at two persons uncoupling
the train, and, although they had plenty
of time to shoot, failed to do so. In this
ease the persons were women,
The scene was noteworthy when Engineer
Wrenn and Fireman Culp, both employees of
th3 Lake Shore road, who had been running
the cngino pulling the military train all day,
concluded to quit. With wild cheers the
crowd rushed at the two men and despite
their resistance picked them up and bore
them aloft for distance Of three or four
blocks OF course this settled the question
OF moving for the night.
After the troops had abandoned their train
and gone into camp the crowd derailed the
two rear ears of the train and then. satisfied
with their days work, and finding no more
soldiers or policemen to harass, they quietly
dispersed.
Fifteen Pan Handle freight cars were
burned at Forty-seventh street, Chicago, by
a crowd Of strikers and their friends.
Trouble broke out at Hammond, Ind, in
connection with the boycott of Pullman ears.
As train No. on the Erie pulled in from
Chicago on time at p. m. it was attacked
by about 100 men and cut in two. Two Pull
man cars were cut off and the balance OF
the train was taken East. The per-
sons attacking the train were not Hammond
strikers, but were men who were forced
b away from Grand Crossing by the arrival OF
Federal troops at the latter place. By the
time the deputy sheriffS arrived at the train
about 600 strikers were on hand. and when
the deputies made a demand for the cars
cut off they were told they could not have
them.
On request from United States Marshal
Brinton Governor Altgeld ordered six COM
panies OF the Fourth Regiment, Illinois Ma
tional Guard, to Mounds. near Cairo, to as.
SIst in maintaining order and to release IIli-
nois Central mail trains. Six companies OF
the Fourth Regiment, Illinois National
Guard, arrived at Mounts 10 raise the en-
barge on Illinois Central freight trains de-
tanned there by the strike.
The Governor Of Iowa ordered the Fourth
Regiment, except Company X, to Sioux
City.
The Wyoming troops reached Pueblo to
aid in moving mails.
Freight routes by wagon were established
in all directions from Fargo, North Dakota,
for 100 miles, AMI took mail. Farmers fearel
that the strike would interfere with getting
twine and machinery for harvest.
The strikers in Oakland Cal, held up
local trains anl pulled off the fremen and
brakemen. The militia got ready to take
the field. In Sacramento the troops refused
TO disperse the strikers, and finally marched
back to their armories without accomplishing
anything. The strikers in Oakland spiked the
switches, and the track at Sixteenth street
and beyond there eastward This was done
to prevent trains with military from passing.
III Los Angeles the sympathy OF all classes
seemed to be with the American Railway
Union, while ribbon sympathy badges were
in demand and were generally worn.
dispatch from Washington gave the
following resume Omitted States troops in
the field in active operation against striking
railroad employees at Chicago, Ill.,, Los
Angeles, Cal, Ration, New Mexico, and
Trinidad, Col. threatening danger at He.
ena. Montana. Il call for State troops from
the United States Marshals at Sacra-
mento, Cal. to protect railroad prop.
erty, represented condition of the railroad
strike as gathered from official dispatches
received by the Attorney-General ard the
War Department. At Helena Marshal Me-
Dermott telegraphed that the mo5 assumed
very threatening attitude and stopped the
trains OF the Northern Pacific Railroad at
that point. Attorney-General Olney te!e-
graphei him to swear in $50 deputy mar
siIals and open traffic. If he should be
unable to do 50 with this force he was
informed that the United States troops
at that point, who were called
there during the movement of the
IN tustrial armies III the West, would be
ordered TO assist him upon proper certifica-
ton by the United States Circuit Judge and
himself. One other point at which danger
was apprehendet was at Ration, New
Mexico; United States troops were
that the train conveying the troops WAS
deraied about 100 miles south of Ration. The
opinion Was that the Government proposed
to re-establish order, maintain the law. and
open railroad traffic, cost what it might
Heret fore it procee led with extreme caution