Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-03-22
FIRED ON BY WHITE LARoRERs

VI &
The Trouble Has Been Brewing For
Some Time and Was Caused by the
Blacks Taking the Places of the
white Screwmen.
New ORLEANS, March 14.-The thick
fog early this morning was the veil be-
hind which desperate white levee Ia
borers gathered, and which they pene-
trated with Winchester rifles all aimed
at the colored non-union workmen on
the ships loading at the docks. The
attack was made at points several miles
apart, Just before the arrival of the po-
lice, and as result there are half a dozen
corpses and dozen or so wounded men.
The police saw the attack, but no ar
rests were made, they claiming they
were too few to cope with the unexpect-
ed outbreak. The day before the mas
sacree all was quiet, and the governor
saw no grounds for interference; but to-
day the business men are denouncing
both the executive and peace officers;
the militia is ready to move; an appeal
to the federal government has virtually
been made, and even the foreign consuls
have decided to join in the move for
peace at any price.
The causes which led to the trouble
have been of long standing, and grew
out of the attempt of ship agents and
others interested to reduce rates. The
white screwmen claim that the colOred
men, who were given a share OF the
work under an agreement, made secret
cuts and violated the agreement in Or
der to obtain more work and gradually
crowd the white men off.
The white association then severed
ties with the blacks and refused to work
with them, or for men who employed
them. The white longshoremen joined
the screwmen in this. Since then the
steamship lines have been gradually
going over to the negroes. Lately, the
white screwmen quit work on the lines
still loyal to them, stating they would
not work until the whole affair was
Strengthened out. Several more lines
then took on negro laborers from neces-
sity.
The white union finally determined to
retaliate upon the stevedores, by offer
ing to reduce rates and deal with the
ships direct. Ships in haste accepted
the offer, but the agents stood by the
stevedores. The latter offered to pay
more than the screwmen asked, but the
screwmen refused to deal with them.
The agents offered to pay the screwmen
their wages and place the stevedores
over them as superintendent, but this
the screwmen declined. Then the
| CD
screwmen from Galveston, and the
whites, growing desperate, broke loose
in riots.
The smoke and fog combined made
the scene almost as dark as night. The
negroes were on board the ship, and had
just raised the tarpaulin of hatch num-
Der 2 when the attack was made. They
were taken completely by surprise, and
their cries were pitiful. Many sought
refuge aboard the ship, while some ran
down the wharf and made their escape.
1t is impossible to estimate the number
of shots fired, but it is said that there
were about 200.
After the bloody work the men hur-
ried off as fast as they had come. The
white men came in body, moving
along the levee up town unmolested.
After their departure a large number OF
policemen made their appearance on
the scene and cleared the wharf of the
large crowd which had gathered.
Mayor Fitzpatrick had hurried to the
scene as fast as possible, and was very
much disappointed when told that there
were no arrests made. The negroes
fred upon were in the employ of Steve
dore Geddes, of the Harrison line o.
steamers. 1t is said that the reason
there was not sufficient force of police
on hand when the trouble occurred was
that the hour to begin work was 7;3(
O'Clock, and the police had received or.
ders to report at that time.