The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-07-06
INSULTING THE TROOPS
Chicago Strikers Treading on Dan
gerous Ground.
MANY FREIGHT OARS OVERTURNED

MANY FREIGHT CARS OVERTURNED
Uncle Sans Soldiers Display Admirable
Discipline and Goodness Mayor Hop
kins Issues q Proclamation Forbidding
Assemblages OF Idiers = General Miles
Words of Warning.
CHICAGO July 8.-Yesterday's sun went
down on by far the most turbulent and
critical day thus far In the unparalleled
railroad strike and boycott. When 1t
opened there was a general feeling that
its passage would go far toward lifting
the embargo on commerce which has held
this city In Its grip for the past week.
The expectation was chiefly based on the
presence Of federal troops in the most
dangerous districts,
1t must be co Messed however, that the
hope has not been justified. The troops
were few In numbers at best. and when
they were divided into squads and dis
tributed at points separated by very con
siderable distances 1t soon became evi.
dent that their prestige as overawing
bodies had been dissipated. Instead OF
neeipg in fear before the faces of the vet
srans. as was expected they would do the
turbulent thousands surged about the
little band of soldiers, jeered and hooted
at them, cast vile epithets at them, and
literally played hide and seek with them.
stopping trains at will, and generally rem
dering the embargo in the military dis
krict more effective, If possible, than be-
fore.
The throngs Of strikers did not resist
Uncle Sans police Again and again,
when there were thousands Of them about
strain which it was sought to move, and
on the track in front of it. they gave way
like water before the leveled bayonets of
ssingle company of ofinfantry or the tramp
ling of single squad of cavalry. Like
water, too, they closed in.again at a point
Just beyond. They turned switches. de
rallied freight cars In front of the slowly
moving trains and played all sorts of rail
readers tricks with which the soldiers
were unacgualnted. Thus it was that he
troops at the stock yards, In perseverance
and patience, spent the entire day in a
vain endeayor to get one train load Of
dressed beef out of sight of the starting
point.
Another and pleasnnter thing this ex-
perience showed, and that was the ad-
mirable coolness self poise and discipline
Of the troops throughout an exasperating
twelve hours. Not man was shot and
mot man was pricked by a bayonet,
which argues that, with force enough, the
soldiers would have done the work which
was expected ofthem.
Aside from the immediate neighbor-
hood where the troops were operating
there was plenty Of excitement and disor-
der. Great mobs gathered on the Lake
Shore, Rock Island Alton and Western
Indiana tracks and proceeded to obstruct
them by overturning box cars, breaking
switches and the like. At one point they
set fire to a switch tower and an inter.
locking switchbox though the flames were
extinguished before serious damage was
done.
In two instances there was bloodshed.
On the Western Indiana tracks hard
pressed special policeman fred at his pur.
suers wounding striker in the leg. On
the Lake Shore road an official of that
company, in charge OF train which he
was endeavor!ng to force through, emptied
his revolver point blank into the massed
strikers about him, wounding two OF
khree, it is believed. He was saved from
the fury of the mob by his engineer, who
put on steam and ran back to the point
Of starting.
Shortly after noon q mob numbering
1000 started north on the Lake Shore
tracks at Thirty y-seventh street, overturn.
ing cars and obstructing the line In every
possible way. They were not checked un.
I'll they reached Twenty-second street
where heavy force of police were massed
and succeeded In turning them back
OF the strike in general II may be said
that it has broadened. The Big Four on
which 1t was understood traffic was to be
resumed by agreement, Is practically tied
4. 4
still, because the yardmen have gone out
and the city water works has shut dowr
for lack of coal Kansas City is again tied
mp pretty completely. This federal troop.
quickly put an end to the trouble at Ra
ton, n. NJ, arresting lot of strikers and
starting them for Denver, though they
may be hung up on the way.
Paralysis continues on the Pacific coast
There are federal troops at Los Angeles
but none have been sent to Sacramento
or Oakland, pending decision of ths
question whether or not the state troop.
and United States marshals can cope witt
the situation.
General Miles, in speaking of the OBJ
structing tactics OF the strikers and thell
sympathizers at the stock yards and ad
3Aeent railroads, said;
THESE men do not seem to realize how
attempt to stop a train and harrass tn,
troops That bloodsbed has not yet taker
place Is due to the extraordinary coolpes.
Of the soldiers, and their wonderful cell
sontrol. They have taken the taunts aud
sneers OF the crowd with great forbear
Rnce, and have submitted to indignitie,
and insult in a remarkable manner Thes,
people do not seem to realize what a ter
hble engine of destruction they are going
against when they fool with the soldiers
= Fifty of those soldiers could NOW down
1000 people in Q few minutes The presi
hentIs In earnest in-.this matter of sup
pressing Interference with the operation
Of the laws. The orders Of the fedora
court are being treated with contempt
Conditions like !hose existing today can
hot last many hours without ending In ,
declaration of martial law Then tn,
military will be supreme"
After personal inspection OF the scene.
pf violencH near Fortieth street Mayol
Hopkins returned to tho city, and for a
lalf hour was oloseted with Corporation
Counsel Rubens. At the expiration ol
Ibis Interview a letter was dispatched to
ohief Of Police brennan ordering an In
festigatinn into the overturning OF fre.gh,
tars, and the suspension of all police OF
hcors present whom said cars were over
iurnad. pending the investigation. The
mayor also issued proclamation warn
EnE citizens against overt acts and order
ing the police to disperss assemblages.
"The immediate cause OF the issuanc,
bf my proclamation was tho over;nrulnp
Of cars on the Lake Shore and Michigan
eut1