The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-08


ing and using the vilest language. made
rush. but every time Kelly met them steadi-
ly with his men, and the crowd paused be-
fore the threatening rifles. Finally, several
toughs on the edge of the mob made
rush at Yardmaster Mckee. one OF them
hourishing a revolver. Mckee drew his
own revolver and fired. but the bullet flew
wide The strikers by this time were fairly
wild with rage. and bricks. stones. chunks
of coal and coupling pins rained around
the troops. Lieutenant Reed was struck
twice on the head in quick succession by
stones and fell to the ground like a dead
man. Kelly then concluded the time had
come. and. wheeling his men quickly. gave
the word to charge. and the handful OF
militiamen sprung forward with leveied
bayonets. John Burke was standing i'm the
front of the mob throwing coal fast
he could move his arm. One of the first
soldiers in the charge plunged his bayonet
clear through his body. the point coming
out at the back. Burke went down like
log and died in few minutes.
The mob broke before the charge. but
quickly rallied, ana after a short pause
came on again, sending a pattering Of
revolver bullets before it. The troops, the
deputies and the police waited for no or
ders. but the rifles came TO level. re-
volvers were drawn and storm of loaded
hail swept into the mob. Men fell right
and left, but the militia and deputies and
the police pressed forward, rapidly driv-
ing the crowd before them in the widest
confusion. 1t was all over in three min
utes. and the militia marched into their
train. and with the deputies returned to
the city. They looked as though they had
been through battle when they dis
embarked at Dearborn Station. Their uni
forms were torn. hats gone. they were
covered with dust and dirt, and many
of them had been badly bruised by nyinG
stones.
AS the train with the militia on board
moved off fully twenty thousand people
crowded about the handful of police left be-
hind From all sides they rushed upon them,
hurting stones and iron in their mad as
sault. The men, realizing their position.
drew their revolvers and backing up
against each other. prepared for a despcr-
ate battle. The crowd halted for moment
and officer Ryan. breaking from the crowd.
hurried to "a patrol box and called the pa
troi wagon Lieutenant keleher and twelve
men responded, but in the meantime the
crowd had closed in again on the now re-
treating police. following them with volley
of stones. The work that had been done by
| the wrecking party was attacked as the
| police retreated. A car was set on fire, the
switch close by broken, and rails torn up.
| An alarm of fire was sent in, and with ii a
| second call for police assistance, to which
| Captain O'Nein and thirteen men re-
| sponded.
| The condition of things was extremely
| critical. Loomis street, the heart Of the
| Anarchist settlement, was crowded by
| bowling. shrieking mob The patrol horses
were urged through it, the crowd sullenly
| their way through to their fellows, and
| then all started back against the crowd.
| AT the sight of the reinforcements the
| crowd fell back. Each officer thought his
| life in danger, and without any order
| they raised their weapons and fired as
| fast as possible directly into the crowd.
| which wavered. and then beat a retreat,
| first replying to the unexpected rain of
| shot with q shower of stones. AS they
| retreated. leaving several on the ground,
the police followed with clubs, showing
no mercy. AT every step they knocked
man down. and as they advanced the
| crowd showered stones on them like
| hail. Rushing into near by saloons the
stand but were driven out through win
| dows and back doors like rats, clubs de-
| scending on their heads at every jump.
Windows in the h)uses adjoining were
suddenly thrown open and a volley of shot
was poured into the police, who returned
the fire. and the mob finally scattered into
| dhSsS oiuS oNASObo, NhuiliS tue pun
| suit. The ground over which the fight had
occurred was like battle field. The men
shot by the troops and police lay about
| like logs. Hats Knocked off and coats
thown off to lessen weight in the fight
| were scattered abo'It, while on the Loonlis-
| street crossing, wnere the eight police Of
ficers had made their stand. were fully
five hundred large stones that had been
| thrown by the mob.
'1 believe" said Superintendent Atwa-
ter. that ac least a dozen men were
!, killed / saw men strewn all over the
tracks. and they were dead men, too The
mob was not far away when we began to
| fire, and for about three minutes the
militia, the deputies and the police, who
fought like devils, were simply pouring
lead into the crowd. We were close
enough and the mob was big enough. and
! 1 don't think many bullets went wide.
There were more killed than we will ever
| know about"
The statements OF Superintendent At
| water as TO the number OF men shot down
Il