The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-05-08
EIGHT WTTH STRIKERS.
Resisting Police at the Illinois
Steel Company's Works.
THE ENTIRE WORKS CLOSE DOWN

Twelve Hundred Men start a Strike Which
Throws Thirty-nve Hundred Out of Work
and Then Attempt to Take Possession OF
the Company's Property.
CHICAGO, May S--A serious strike oc.
Cured at the plant of the Illinois Steel
company in South Chicago, yesterday
1900 men throwing down their tools and
walking out, Last evening fight occur
red in the company's yards, and it was
found necessary to call on the police. The
strikers for a time stood their ground
against the officers, but were soon de
feated and driven from the premises.
The men most seriously hurt were
Jack Shepherd, a machinist, struck on
tile head by hammer in the hands of q
striker, severe scalp wounds, rendered un
conscious; Edward Shaks, striker, thrown
out of machine shop by workmen, body
bruises; Officer v LieDdecker, hit with a
coupling pin, bad cut over right eye; Of
hcer 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.
According to Vice President Forsythe
OF the company, this spring the furnace
men signed n scale of wages calling for the
rate of - 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
1lfI I5f,. cod a.. ,,
declared that it could not pay anything
except the scale which had been agreed tc
for this year, and the men walked out.
The strike closed two blast furnaces, two
others were undergoing repairs and the
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 q, 500 men out of work,
none remaining in the yards except the
watchmen and the machinists.
The strikers were at first disposed to be
orderly 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 O'Clock crowd
numbering about 1000 men forced their
gates and proceeded to take possession of
the company's property They marched
first to where some of the laboring men
were still at work, and either compelled
them to join their ranks or quit work.
Not much trouble was cEpecicnced with
the laborers, but when the strikers reached
the machine shops, where about 400 ma.
chinists were employed, they met with
different receptions The machinists had
a scale of their own, and the fight of the
other men made no particular difference
to 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 thema
chinists to leave their work, but finding
themselves unsuccessful they began an
attack upon the machine shop with stones
and such things as they could pick up.
The machinists for the most part stood
ground, and gave the strikers as good as
they sent.
The fight was growing warm and broker
heads and bloody noses were growing very
common when the police arrived, The
strikers at first refused to give ground, anC
the police used their clubs freely This die
not have the desired effect, and Captain
jenkins ordered his men to draw their re
volvers and fire over the heads of the
strikers. AS soon as this was done tht
mob broke and fled wildly from the prem
ises. The fight only lasted few minute.
and there WIS no more rioting,
One of the minor officials of the com
pany did not exactly agree with the caus,
of the strike as given by Mr., Forsythe
He said:
"The men who struck were hired three
weeks ago to take the places of the ole
employees, who We're being paid S. 10
day and would not work for the schedule
of 100 which was put into effect at the
time. The men who agreed to work fol
81 go asked the old scale which had beer
paid the men whom they replaced 1t wa,
not granted, and they struck"