The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-12


strikers rioters" ''lawless fiends"
they have been called; but in all this the
terrible words have been aimed only at
men. Can it be that they have fallen
upon the heads of women2 Look more
closely among all these surging masses.
Yes, mOre's the pity, look in the front
| rank of all this lawlessness; a futter of
skirts is there; high, shrill voices, not
from the Threats OF men, rise above the
deeper roar of bafled rage.
/ With the keys of their houses Of dis
content hung upon their wrists and their
babies on their arms or hanging TO their
/ skirts, the women of the great strike fol-
low down the tracks in the steps of their
husbands, guided by the yells ana shouts
to the scenes of action Where great
| networks Of tracks cross each other at
| right angles near a quiet roundhouse a
cattle train is standing. The engine Kisses
/ threatenIngly but moves not. The crowd
ieers and looks proudly down the tracks
to where freight cars are lying on their
I sides barring the way. Soldiers of the
/ United States army with glistening bayo-
/ nets sit on the pilot of the engine. Others
| are on the tender and patrolling regularly
up and down the sides, while at each
/ cars end and on each side a soldier stands
to guard the coupling pins Police officers
are stationed on the tops of every car.
/ And from within the cattle low and call in
restless anxiety. Still the engine Kisses
| threateningly, still the crowd jeers.
WOMEN TO THE FORE.
The women climb on knobs of ground
on cinder heaps and piles of rock on
every vantage point, to peer over the
| scething mass OF men. Gradually they
push their way into the throng, and their
heads, covered with blue checked aprons
or draped in black shawls, give a strange
sitting to the stern, hard faces beneath.
Many girls with uncovered heads in all
stages of frowsiness, are soon in the front
lines. Gaining courage from the patience
of the patrolling boys in blue these women
of the strike Shrek their maddening
taunts and are wildly cheered by the
crowd. They press nearer Now some
thing peers, wild-eyed and excited, from
maternal arms and the folds of maternal
skirts Children are here; even babes
must go to swell a bowling mob. The
women go beyond the guard line and meet
the order to go back with swift, harsh
words and curses of defiance.
Then comes a shrill little pipe from the
shadow of a skirt; "Scabs Scabsl"
And the mass applauds. Still the train
does not move.
The cavalry goes forward to the OBJ
structions, but its arrival produces no eff
feet upon the reCumbent cars and the
troopers return amid the hoarse, trium-
plant cries of the mob that follows Far
ther down the track, an incoming train
has slackened its speed in the press of
the multitude Instantly it is surrounded.
and the engineer ana tiremen are dragged
from their places. Triumphant yells and
cries from men, women and children rend
the air A woman, white with wild ex-
element, lends her handkerchief II is
run up on stick q man climbs upon the
nil or md mi 60, H. i
shouts of laughter, the flag of surrender
is fastened to the headlight of the engine.
The crowd thickens fast and becomes
more unwieldly. The patrol is brisker
over the tracks, and the restraining pres
sure of bayonet is often felt
But, holding their babies close for
shields, the women Will break past the
patrol lines and go where no man dares to
step. Now children follow, and when
soldier heads them off, the crowd cries
tauntingly:
shoot kid will your Shoot a kidr'
And one man airs his NEUROLOGICAL lore
in crying, You're a hero, you are! l
think see your name engraved in the
calendar Of Mars!"
CHILDREN IN THE RIOTERS RANKS.
The children are stepped with the pois
onous spirit of Instruction Each dem
onstratiOn of it is cheered to the echo by
. llt mass VI kluQEeu Souls. L rom down
! the tracks wild shrieks aud wells come
nearer and nearer. Then stolen hand
car comes in view, loaded with these
little heirs of promise, waving flags and
yelling derisive epithets and curses The
| cruel features of their mothers and grand
danes light up with a savage delight: and
| not to be Outdone by their offspring they
add their volley Of curses to the boys in
blue and their hearty praise to the wee
rioters.
An aged crone, with struggling locks of
white, hobbies through the line and vents
her wrath upon the guard in a string of
black, ugly words. Respect for the aged
is sentiment rooted well in the heart of
| every American man. and this only ii is
that makes the deputy rest his hand in
\ hrmness upon her shoulder as he urges
her back. In another center of excite
ment the cavalry ranges across the track
| in advance of a train that is hurriedly
made up and the infantry forms in the
! space between, driving all trespassers
| from the line,
A building close beside the tracks is
shingled with excited small boys. Bayo-
| nets presented at the edge OF the roof
/ cause them To tumble quickly off, sliding
/ down the eavesspouts and disappearing in
/ space. One ragged brown cap comes
slowly up over the ridgepole, after the
roof is cleared, and an urchin finally
] y <
ready TO slide out of sight at the first in
timatlon That cavalry can climb. Farther
down an empty car on the side-track has
an irregular, notified fringe about the
edge of its roof-black little legs, brown
little legs white little legs Children
creep in back of the lines and appear on
the tracks with shouts of derision, copied
from their elders. A final rush along the
line from the soldiers and policemen put
them to flight. The bugle sounds There
is feeble shout Of bravado from beneath
the ragged brown cap on the roof. Ii
drops out of sight. And the train pulls
out
Here and there men are even teaching
their children the hendish work of firing
cars, themselves drawing the guards at
tcntion while the boys swarm on the
track to do the bidding. And when the
blackness Of night gives its shadowy pro-
lection the forms that creep about the
yards aud apply the burning brands are
not those OF men alone, but Of women and