The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-04
WOMEN CAUSEARIOT
Wives of Strikers Attack
Deputies Protecting a
Coke Works.
ONE FIRED A SHOT AT THEM
Their Husbands Became Incensed
at This and Fought the
Deputies-Many Wounded.


Coke Company, two miles from this place, at
five O'Clock this morning in which one striker
was probably fatally and two others serious
ly wounded. Sanford White, assistant
superintendent, and Ewing Roddy. book
keeper, were brutally beaten and Roddy's in
juries may prove fatal
On Tuesday a start was made at this plant
and they have been doing little work since
that time The superintendent, boss and
store clerks have been acting as deputies
and were all armed with Winchester
rifles The men have not been inter
fering with those at work, but the
women were determined to drive the work
ers out This morning they marched to the
ovens for the purpose OF making the draw
ers leave. As they approached, 1t IS SAID,
Sanford White fired shot at them, and as
soon as the men heard the report they
swooped down upon the men like wild men,
THREE MEN SHOT.
White opened fire upon them with his
Winchester, and before they reached him
three had fallen in their tracks.
They were picked up by some OF their COM
panions and carried back to the houses, q
short distance from the works. The angered
strikers did not stop They faced the fire
and the Winchester had no terror for them
Il0V roac1oQ w 01L6 ana Ewing GOLQy, 6IlQ
before assistance arrived both we're horribly
beaten ard left by the Hungarians for dead.
1t is said that Roddy cannot possibly recover
and Whites injuries may cause his death
also.
There were no outside strikers about the
works when the, riot occurred, and no one
was engaged in it except the Painter and
Diamond men and women. Three doctors
were sent to the works to care for the
wounded
CONDITION OF THE WOUNDED.
Later-Two of the Hungarians shot in the
riot this morning will hardly recover
Ewing Roddy, the bookkeepar, is not SO
badly injured as at first reported. He was
taken to the store after the fight, where his
wounds were dressed and found to be not of
serious nature. Superintendent White
was worse hurt than reported, and his con-
dition was SO serious that be has been taken
to his home in Connellsville. The hungarian
women everpowered him, and took his re-
volvers and rife from him One of them hit
him twice on the head with hatchet, in
hictiug terrible gashes which may cause his
death.
Superintendent John p Brennan of the
Mcclure Coke Company telegraphed Sheriff
Wilhelm for deputies for the Painter works,
and all men and women who engaged in
this mornings riot will be arrested. Every
thing is quiet at the works now, and as the
men at work left as soon as the riot began,
no 10ftnef GrOupi0 fS 1eafeQ lO0dY.
WHERE THE RIOT TOOK PLACE.
There are two coke works where the riot
occurred this morning. Painter and Dia-
mond, with 296 ovens. The workmen at these
plants did not join the general strike until
Tuesday last. Superintendent Brennan de-
cided TO start these works as an entering
wedge to break the strike and he succeeded
in getting about thirty men to go to work.
The works have been the scene of many
lively battles between officers and workmen,
none Of which proved serious.
The battle between the strikers and depu-
ties at Painter this morning was q desper-
ate one, and at least ten Aungarians were
shot. 1t is as yet impossible to learn just
how many, as the wounded were carried
from the scene to the houses of the strikers.
& Hungarian woman was shot in the ankle
and three others were bruised and manned.
The women led the riot, followed by 200
men ard when they reached fireworks the dep
uties open fire Unfortunately. They were
at close quarters. and the shooting was kept
up by the deputies until their ammunition
ran out, when they had to retreat to the
tipple Here they were overpowered and
narrowly escaped with their lives.
THE ATTACK ON WHITE.
Sanford White fell from the blows of a
hatchet in the hands Of a.Hungarian woman.
A burly Hungarian was about to strike him
with an axe as he lay unconscious on the
ground when James Tarr appeared and
knocked the Hungarian down with o club
The Hungarians-men ands women-were
armed with clubs, hatchets, slaves and picks
and more bloodthirsty desperate mob
never raided in the coke regions. 4 deputy
engaged in the fight said that no less than
fifteen fell In front OF the Winchesters,
and that every time Sanford White
fred a Hungarian went down. This same
deputy says that Ewing Roddy refused to
fire on the crowd when ordered 80 do so, and
that the deputies and strikers were in such
close quarters that the Winchesters
could not be used to advantage,
done with revolvers At the time Of
the riot ten men were working in the mine
and twenty on the yards. The determine
ton of those at work to remain at their posts
and the premature shooting by White is re
sponsible for the trouble.