The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-05-05
MRS.
A Woman Leads a Mob of COnnells-
vile Coke Region Strikers.
She Gathers $50 of Her Sex and Men
. and Children, and Attacks Work.
ers at the Painter Plant.
A BLOODY BATTLE FOLLOWS
In Which Clubs, Hatchets, Axes
and Guns Were the Weapons.
Two Men Badly Beaten, and Five Male
and Two Female Rioters Shot,
Three Probably Fatally.

SCOTTDALE, Pa, May 4.-The north end
of the Connellsville coke region Is in a
fever of fear, excitement and anxiety to-
night. There was terrible work at the
Painter plant of the Mcclure company to-
day, but bad as 1t was in itself 1t is feared
still more as foreshadowing the beginning
of times and conditions that are inevitable
unless the strike is speedily terminated.
The battle to-day was between striking
Poles. small number of deputies and
comparative few Of the men at work at
the Painter plant Deputy Sheriff Sanford
White and Chief Clerk Ewing B. Roddy
were terribly beaten, and are tonight in
critical condition. Five men and two
women on the strikers side were shot, and
three Of the men dangerously wounded.
Fifty-six of the rioters have been arrested
and are now confined in the Uniontown Jail.
The Painter plant was closed by the
strikers on the 2ith inst. and was idle until
Wednesday of this week. Early this morn
ing Joe Sconesky's wife went about to the
other houses and got the women Of the
striking Poles to join her in proposed raid
on the plant. About O'Clock she had $50
men, women and children In the ranks,
ready for a raid. The men remained in
the rear, and the women and children, led
by Mrs. Sconesky, made a rush for the
coke yard. This region has seen many saw
age affairs, In which women unsexed them
selves in deeds of violence. but the old
timers say that never before has there
been seen such spectacle this. Every
person in the asSaulting party had some
sort Of striking weapon: even the children,
crying shrilly as they fourished sticks
suited to their size. Many Of the women
bore axes and some of the men OF the
mob carried ball bats and hatchets. Deputy
White was the first man at the yard on
whom a blow fell. Mrs. Sconesky had
ball bat and her husband welded an ak.
White went down before the front rank
Of the raiders. Roddy and a clerk named
James Tarr saw him fall. In the face of
the fearful odds these two mem sprang to
the rescue and fought their way to his
side. Then the frantic raiders fell upon
Tarr and Roddy as White struggled to his
feet blinded with blood. The three men
fought desperately. but the odds were too
grsal,.- and finally ais were down again
under the feet OF the mob. Roddy was
beaten and cut about the head almost as
badly as White.
Tonight White is in the miners hospital
at Connellsville. The latest reports are
that the chances Of recovery do not equal
the chances that he will die. Roddy was
brought to his home here. He Is vomiting
blood tonight and is very badly injured
man. Two OF the Poles shot In the melee
are pronounced by their physician to be
in a dangerous condition and are likely to
die. Sixty-three rioters, among them twelve
women and ten children, have been taken
to Jail and warrants for fifty others have
been sworn out. but the men cannot now
be found. Tonight the Painter plant is
In charge of large number of deputies
and the company is determined to ope-
rate It.