The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-09

Other Made the Attack-Ihe Rioters
Dispersed Upon the Arrival of the
PoIice-The Non Union Men Escorted
TO Their Work Between Lines of
Police Armed With Rifes-The
wharves Guarded by Armed Men.
The Mayor Appealed to for Protec-
tion-Proppt Measures to Prevent
Any Further Outbreak The Military
Under Arms at Their Armories.
The first serious conflict between the
union and non-union longshoremen oc-
Cured yesterday morning. There was
brief fight between the two parties at
Bay and Houston streets in which Mark
Cain, Col. Harmon's white foreman, was
badly beaten, and John Williams and
William Adams the two colored foremen,
were shot in several places.
The affair created great excitement and
was the general topic Of conversation
throughout the entire city during the day
and last night. The general report was
that there was pitched battle and that
in the neighbor hood of 100 shots we're
fired, with the result that several men
were wounded on each side. Cain, the
white foreman, was believed to have been
fatally shot, but an examination by the
physicians proved that he had not been
shot, but had been very badly beaten.
THE MARCH To THE SHIP
The men employed by Col Harmon to
load the Berenguer ell Grande, the first
cotton ship in the port, met him by APP
pointment at his Office on Bay street, near
the cotton exchange, yesterday morning
about 7:3O O'Clock. There were in the
neighborhood of fifty men, not all Of
whom, however had been engaged to
begin work. Col. Harmon had an engage
ment TO meet Mr.. c. S. Connerat. of the
firm of Barnard K Richardson, the
ships agents, at $50 o'clock, and was
awaiting his appearance Shortly after
S o'clock he ordered the foreman to get
the men together and take them down to
the ship at the wharf of the lower press.
Foreman Cain had the men arrange them
selves in double rank and placed himself
at their head. The two colored foremen,
Williams and Adams, were just behind
aim. There were just six gangs of five
men in each party besides three foremen,
making a total of thirty men in all
The fact that the non-union men would
pass down Bay street on their way to
work was well known to the union men
who gathered in the nighborhood Of Bay
and Houston streets in large numbers
The negro longshoremen scattered them
81
the street in small parties. Apparently,
according to the reports Of parties who
saw them, there did not appear to be any
warlike preparations, and the men
seemed to be gathered merely as specta-
tors. A small party of white longshore-
men were gathered at Lanes saloon on
the south side of the street, and others
were scattered in twos and threes along
the street.
THE FIGHT.
The non-union men marched along the
sidewalk, on the north side of the street.
They had hardly reached the point at
which the union men were gathered
when the fight began. Pistols were drawn
on both sides and a number of shots were
fired. The non-union men retreated pre-
on the ground and it was sup
posed that he had been killed
The union men were in possession of the
field. There were all sorts of reports as
10 the number of shots fired Some
thought there were as many as 100, while
some placed it as low as twelve. The
whole fight did not last more than two
minutes. Had there been a large number
OF shots fired with the two crowds so
close together, there would certainly
have been a number Of killed and wounded
AS IL was only two Of the non-union men
besides Foreman Cain were wounded and
only one union man was heard of who had
been wounded and he only slightly.
The nOn-union men who were wounded
e Were the two cOlored foremen, Williams
and Adams, who defended Mr. Cain The
Others all Runaway and escaped unhurt.
There were no police on the ground at the
time. II was thought that the prepare
lions which had been made by the police
TO quell any riot which might arise. with
which preparations the longshoremeu
were acquainted, would be sufficient to
prevent any serious difficulty, but this
proved to be a mistake
ARRIVAL OF THE POLICE.
Policemen Mitchell and Becker were
on duty not far from where the riot oc-
Cured and went TO the scene at once at
the sound of the pistol shots They found
an excited mob occupying the green. The
police barracks was teleph0ned at once
and Chief Green responded with the re-
serve squad of twenty men. Assistant
Chief Reilly accompanied the squad The
police arrived upon the scene within ff-
teen or twenty minutes after the row oc-
CURED. An immense crowd Of people had
gathered by this tine and the greatest
confusion prevailed IL was impossible for
the police 20 tell who had taken part in
the ARRAY and who had not and no ar
rests were made. After dispensing the
crowd Chief Green returned to the bar
racks with his attachments. leaving n
small squad TO preserve order in the
neigh borhOOd.
Cain. who was lying senseless upon the
ground, was placed in the police ambu-
lance aud sent 10 the barracks. He was
able to walk from the street entrance to
the sergeant's olice with the aid of a
policeman, but, as he was seen to be
seriously hurt, he was sent at once to the
81. Joseph's iutrmary where his wounds
were dressed by Drs Dunn and Lincoln
the latter having been sent out by Col.
Harmon
THE WOUNDED NEGROES.
inc two wounded negroes had boon
sple 10 limp back 10 Col. Harmon. S oglre.
where the gang had retreated when tle
row began Col Harmon appealed DO