The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-05-08
FIGHT With STRIKERS.
Resisting Police at the Illinois
Steel Company's Works.
THE ENTIRE WORKS CLOSE DOWN.

Twelve Hundred Men Start Strike which
Throws Thirty Ave Hundred Out of Work,
and Then Attempt to Take Possession of
tho company's Property.
CHICAGO, Mny S-A serious strike oc-
eurred at the plant of the Illinois Steel
sompany in South Chicago, yesterday,
1900 men throwing down their tools and
walking out. Lnst evening a fight occur
red In the company's yards, and IL was
found necessary to call on the police. The
strikers for time stood their ground
against the officers, but were soon do
feated and driven from the premises.
The men most seriously hurt were:
Jack Shepherd, machinist, struck on
the head by IA hammer in the hands Of a
striker, severe scalp wounds, rendered un-
conscious; Edward Shaks, striker, thrown
out of machine shop by workinen, body
bruises; Officer V. Liendecker, hit with
coupling pin, bad cut over right eye; Of
fcer Patrick McCauley, hit in the mouth
with brick.
Twenty eight men, who are said to have
been leaders of the strikers at the rioting,
were arrested and locked up at the South
. Chicago police station. They are charged
with rioting. They are all ignorant Huns,
Poles and Bohemians.
ACCOrulnb TO N1Co freSlueDt HOTSybnB,
Of tho company, this spring the furnace
men signed II scale of wages calling for the
rate of s2 10 per day. This scale had been
observed up to the present time, but yes
terday the men demanded that they be
paid at the rate Of last year, which was
somewhat higher than the scale that they
had signed for this year. The company
declared that 1t could not pay anything
except the scale which had been agreed to
for tE year. and the men walked out.
The strike closed two blast furnaces, two
others were undergoing repairs and tho
remaining four were at once shut down
until the conclusion Of the strike.
The company concluded that 1t was un-
wise to attempt to run until the matter
! was settled This action Of the company
threw in all about 3, 500 men out of work.
none remaining in the yards except the
watchmen and the machinists.
The strikers were at first disposed TO be
ortlerly and peaceable, but later affairs
took on an ugly aspect, and it was found
necessary to call on the police to drive
them out. Shortly before 8 O'Clock crowd
numbering about 1000 men forced their
way past the watchman at ono Of the
gates and proceeded to take possession Of
the company's property They marched
nrst to where some Of the laboring men
them to join their ranks or quit work.
Not much trouble was experienced with
the laborcrs, but when the strikers reached
the machine shops, where about 400 ma
nhinists wero employed, they met with
different receptions. The machinists had
. scale of their own, and tho fight of the
pther men made no particular difference
10 them, and they refused either to quit
or to allow themselves to be driven out of
the yards. The strikers, who for the most
part were composed Of Huns and Poles,
made several attempts to persuade the ma
rhinists to leave their work, but finding
themselves unsuccessful they began an
attack upon the machine shop with stones
Rnd such things as they could pick up.
The machinists for the most part stood
ground, and gave tho strikers as good as
they sent.
The fight was growing warm and brolSon
heads and bloody noses were growing very
1,-eommon when the police arrived. The
= strikers Mt first refused to give ground, and
: the police used their clubs freely This did
not have the desired effect, and Captain
y Jenkins ordered his men to draw their ro.
Folvers and fro over tho heads of the
strikers AS soon us this was done the
mob broke and fled wildly from the prem
lses. The fight only lasted few minutes
and there was no more rioting.
One of tho minor officials Of tho com
pnny did not exactly agree with the cause
Uf tho strike as given by Mr. Forsythe.
He said:
"The mon who struck were hired three
weeks ago to take the places of the old
employees who were being paid s2.l0 a
Gay and would not work for the schedule
Of s160 which was put into effect ut the
lime The men who agreed to work for
b1.60 asked the old scale which had been
:. paid the men whom they replaced. 1t was
not granted, and they struck"