The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-04-12
Pitched Contests Fought.

plAcc OeStEOt ny me tIldcElLc4't d VIC
coke ovens and driving the workmen
away. They are armed with sticks.
old muskets and rcvolvcrs. and unless
they are promptly snbju rated more
blOodshed will certainly follow.
Fayette and Westmoreland Counties
from Uniontown almost to Greensburg
have been converted into a vast battle
field. At night armed >entries are
picketed on every hill top. Their fig
ures as they shift their rifles from
shoulder to shoulder stand out d0rkly
against the sky. Below then @ the
hillsides glow the long revo q coke
ovens with their canopy of half-lumi
nous smoke. A few workmen skulk
from place to place in mortal terror Of
being Drained by some blood-thirsty
striker hidden away in the shadows.
The valleys and fields are sprinkled
with camp-fires, around which the
striking COOKERS are bivouacked. All
day long parties of them, led by wild
eyed. unkempt Huns, have been parad-
ing from mine to mine, wheedling or
coercing the wOrkmen into Joining
their ranks.
six NJ m Killed Outright.
Six men were killed outright Wednes-
day and dozen more seriously If not
fatally wounded. The rioting began
early, and the climax was reached
when a body of strikers, numbering
several hundred, marched to the
Coke Company at Connellsville, where
men were working. Deputies had been
placed to receive them and opened
fire. The strikers returned the fire and
charged driving the deputies and men
from the plant. Chief Engineer Pad
dock. of the Prick Company. ran up in
the tipple of the works. The strikers
followed, and shot him in the back OF
the head. They threw his body to
the ovens. forty feet below. They
then tried to fire the Triple, but lett
when they saw the deputies returning
with a large force from COnne!l,ville.
Hearing of I'addock's murder, hun
dreds volunteered to avenge his
death. The pursuing larty overlook
the strikers and opened fire. The
strikers fired in return, but ran
on. Three strikers fell: one was
killed instantly, shot through the
body. ana two others We're fatally
wounded. Another of the strikers was
killed by deputy at Bradford, Il mile
distant. Eleven strikers were cap
tured after the first battle, and the
pursuing party kept up the chase until
Dawson, seven mi es distant, was
reached, where iifty-three more
strikers were c:artu! cd. The law
abiding element had its way ard the
prisoners were hurried to all
Scottdale is the center of the trou Die.
All the meetings have been held tn ere,
and the residents are being terrOriZed
almost hourly by parades of the mad
dened strikers. Some of the American
laborers have expressed themselves as
willing to work under the old scale. but
the Hungarians are not only unwilling
to accept the terms offered them by
the employers but they are driving all
of the Americans away from the ovens.
The delegate convention called Tues
day wa, storm from beginning to end.
Some Of the men wanted a strike at all
the works. others at the works not pay
ing the t'rici scale. while still others
wanted to declare the strike off until
the organization can be completed
and the men better prepared for
a battle. Tho convention broke up
about > o'clock. Before ad ournment
the radicals pushed through resOlu-
ton declaring a general strike. The
demand is for 70 cents per 100 bushels
for mining and an advance of II per
cent. on the Prick scale for all other
work. When the con> ention adjourned
the delegates were sent back with in
structions to urge all the men who are
out to remain firm and to work dill
gently to extend the strike.
The t'rick and w. :. Rainey COM
panies are most seriously affected.
Kainey was among the first to ask the
sheriff for protection. and his bel'iger-
ent attitude has brought the ill-will of
the strikers down upon him. The con-
Germs affected are the Oliver and the
Cambria iron companies and the La
mont and Meyer works.
Men from ne GLIB ring plants began
gathering in the vicinity OF Oliver and
at $50 over l.0OD men had collected.
There is large contingent Of Amer
lean workmen and a few foreigners at
Oliver who are not in sympathy with
the strikers, and they refuse to go out,
One Slav ran into the companys store
and asked to be protected. Then the
great mob gathered around the store
and attempted to 90 in and get the
man. The deputies on guard brought
their Winchesters into position for
action and threatened TO shoot if the
men tried to force their way into the
store. The mob yelled aud hooted and
threatened to burn the store or blow it
up if the man was not given up.
Serious trouble was imminent. and to
avoid it the company officials told the
Hun to 60 with the strikers. He did
so. and the strikers left at once. march
ing toward Leith and Brownfield. the
big Prick works, where the men are
working and do not want to strike.
They Were headed by drum corps.
and created much excitement as they
passed through Uniontown. Nearly
all were Slavs. The Leith men had
placed pickets in town. and when they
half a mile distant. informed the
men. giving them plenty Of time to get
out OF sight.