The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-08-09
BUTCHERS OUT FOR BLOOD
A Crisis in the Situation at
South Omaha.
The Strikers Doing About as
They Please.
All the Big Packing Houses in q
State of Siege.
Workmcn Assaulted in the Streets.
Murder aad Arson Threatened.
The militia Likely to Be
Called Out.

By the Associated Press.
OMAHA. Aug. 8.-The crisis arrived to-
night ana if there ia no improvement
by morning several companies of militia
will be sent to South Omaha and the
packing house district placed under
martial law. The situation ia most eeri-
GUS tonight, and the 1900 strikers have
been doing about as they pleased. At
p. m. they forced their picket line that
has for 4S hours surrounded the packing
houses under the walls Of the big build
ings, and their number was increased
by the addition of several hundred men.
At 5 O'Clock Mayor johnson of South
Omaha went before the Omaha police
board and asked that o detail of police
be sent there, as he was powerless to
control the lawiess element. He said he
had driven all over the city tonight and
found gangs of strikers patrolling the
streets waiting for some OF the workmen
to show up on their way to work. He
had found gangs OF 30 to rs strikers all
armed with clubs. The local police force
was powerless to cope with these organ
lied mobs. and unless some radical
measure was taken to suppress the dis
orderly element there would be men
murdered. and the packing houses would
be in ashes before morning.
He was informed that the governor
was in consultation with the packers,
with view to putting the district under
martial law, and concluded to await his
action. The packing house managere
held q conference, and at its close Mr..
Cudahy notified the Acknowledgement
that unless the workmen could be given
better protection all the packing housea
would be compelled to close down to-
morrow. He said the managers do not
like endangering their plants by keeping
them at work while their men were in
danger OF assault. Every fresh assault,
they claim. increases the eeriousneBs OF
the situation, and they believe there ia
but step from violence toward the men
to violence toward the packing houses.
In the evening the governor and ad-
jutsnt general met the packers to can
vass the matter. The packers declared
that the situation was most critical, and
the governor finally concluded to do
nothing until morning and then, If
there WAS no improvement, to call for
troops. General Gage is on the scene
tonight keeping a close watch on the
situation. He is in constant communi-
cation, not only with the managers of
the several packing houses. but with
prominent leaders of the strikers. If it
shall be decided that it is necessary to
call out the state troops, the two COM
panies in Omaha will be frat brought
into service, and if more are needed the
companies from York, Lincoln, Fair
bury and other points within quick run
ming distance from Omaha will be sum-
moned. Here in Omaha the attorney
general has a standing arrangement de-
signed to expedite the movement of the
Omaha guards and Thurston rifles, in
case the state needs their services. The
company eerReants are required to keep
the men in their squads and constantly
in reach of telephones or quick messen.
ger service. All that is necessary is to
notify the sergeant that the company
has been ordered into service, and tho
men will be summoned to the srmory
within an hour. 1t is believed that
both Omaha companies could be thrown
into South Omahs within two hours, if
necessary.
Many employees tonight on their
way from their work were assaulted by
strikers who were stationed at all points
to intercept them. Many of the men
who left the plants last night and went
home to sleep were unable to return to
work today. In some instances their
houses were watched by strikers, and
they were afraid to venture out. Men
who were on their way to work were
turned back by strikers, and not allowed
to pass the strikers picket lines.
n nm in topoa khraa pOlioanan Uayo
unable to escort one of the night tank
men to his home. A mob OF 100 or
more strikers would not permit them to
pass, and the laborer had to return to
the plant.
a number of the most prominent citi.
zsna, merchants and business men we're
called on this evening and were asked to
act as deputies. Mary signitied willing
ness and were sworn in this afternoon.
Mayor johnson and the sheriff visited
the various avenues leading to the diff
ferent packing houses tonight. They
both report the strikers to be in an an
CRY frame of mind They said the en-
frances to the plants were guarded by
strikers with an armed force OF men
with clubs, revolvera and stones, and
efforts were made to prevent men from
going to work, in which the latter were
more or less bruised.
Mayor Johnson predicts serious
trouble, and unless the militia is
brought into action at once, he says
that the regular army will have TO be
brought into action to prevent blood
shed on large scale. Sheriff Dreixel
ia inclined to think the police and dep
uty she:iffs can preserve the peace un-
less something unforeseen occurs,
but he does not favor the idea
of calling ont the militia at
once. Captain Mostyn, in charge
OF the department OF deputies, received
telephone message from Shelby today,
that mob of 200 men had assembled
along the tracks to sidetrack the refrig-
orator cars containing meat shipped east
from the packing houses. A patrol
wagon load OF police was sent to Shelby.
but before it arrived there the meat
train had passed umoeated.
The regular dummy train which left
Omaha for South Omaha, with packing