The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-12-26
ECHOES OF THE CIR STRIKE
Another P~ief Season. of Apprehension
in Philadelphia.
REINSTATED MEN QUIT WORK
Because New Men Are Given Preference.
The Difficulty Quickly Adjusted.
Railroading Men Charged
VITA Rioting

+ IHlLADELfHlA, lJeG. 20 Inc street rail-
way trouble broke out afresh yesterday,
but was quickly quelled, and cars are
again running as usual While it lasted
several cars were stoned and their win
dows smashed, but nobody was hurt. The
difficulty occurred on Girard avenue, the
eX-strikers charging that the division SUI
perlntendent in sending out cars, vio-
lated the company's agreement of Mon
day last by giving preference to the new,
or non-union, help. The old employees got
together and after Watching the cars going
OuJ Tor some time with imported motor
men and conductors, started revolt OBJ
structions were placed on the tracks and
mob of 10000 people quickly gathered
and began TO stone the cars A squad Of
mounted police was called to the scene,
and in short time dispersed the mob
The new men were taken off the cars and
traffic was resumed with the regular men.
The Second and Third streets line was
also in trouble for little while, but peace
was restored on both branches by the COM
pany agreeing to put the old men back to
work
About 2 o'clock in the morning the
stables attached to the residence of John
Lowber Welsh, president of the Union
Traction company, in Germantown, were
burned to the ground, entailing a loss Of
$4,000 The bitter feeling existing against
Mr.. Welsh because of his attitude during
the strike leads to general belief that the
fire was of incendiary origin. Mr.. Welsh,
however, says he does not think so. He
believes it was probably due to the care
lessness of servant employed in the sta
bles. The police are investigating the
matter
A significant feature of the strike is the
excessive bail demanded for those arrested
for riot and the unusually harsh punish
ment inflicted upon rioters by Judge Cor
don. Charles Edwin Ludy, 25 years old,
called a Traction employe 'scab" and
threatened to fix him. He also threw a toy
torpedo, which struck moterman on the
hand fell to the ground and then ex-
ploded. 1t did no damage, but Ludy was
sent to the penitentiary for three years and
six months. Max Wilson, who was charged
with throwing three stones at a car and
swearing at the crews, was sent up for
two years. Wilson vigorously asserted his
innocence Others were held in bail rang
ing from $1,000 to $1,000 to insure their ap-
pearance for trial.
The undue haste with which the grand
jury found indictments against alleged
rioters is shown in the case Of Conductor
w. w. Wetzel who was indicted for "in-
citing to riot and held under 81 200 bail.
Owing to the fact that Wetzell's name
was misspelled in the printed reports of
his arrest and he had been unable to com
municate with friends. his young wife be
came temporarily insane when he failed to
return home. Wetzell is now at liberty,
and the "case" against him will no doubt
be quashed Wetzell was standing on
Broad street when the police made dash
for the crowd. An old woman had fallen
down and Wetzell endeavored to pick her
up. A special officer caught hold of him
and took him to the central station as a
''rioter."
District Attorney Graham declares that
President Mahon, of the National Anal
gamated Association of Street Railway
employees and Chairman Lutz, of the local
committee, have been closely watched, but
they were careful not to violate the law.
He continued; 81 have heard 250 of the
strike cases and the majority of the de
PENDANTS were small boys. AS far as
know not one man or boy of the hundreds
arrested carried a murderous weapon,
| There was nothing known to this depart
ment to connect any of the strike leaders
with the trouble"
When asked to explain the matter Pres
ident MahOn said
"As | understand it the officials had
taken the names of all the regular men
! for the purpose of arranging their runs,
and on the Girard avenue and Willow
Grove branches when the first cars went
out they were manned with the imported
hands to the exclusion of the association
men. 1t looked to the latter as though
bad faith was meant, and that the company
was breaking away from the letter and
the intent of the agreement Reports
were also brought to me that similar
measures had been taken in some instances
elsewhere.
LAS it stands now the trouble seems to
be over, the imported hands have been
withdrawn to large extent and the cars
are running again ON schedule time