The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
Seven Hundred Heavily Armed
Men Sent to Different Parts
of the Union.
ON THE EVE OF A GREAT STRIKE
Plans of the American Railway Union
Evidently Anticipated by the
Corporations.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Nov. 2.-For the pas
three days the vicinity of the office Of
Thiel's detective agency in this city has
resembled recruiting station in time of
actual war. Men came to the place singly
and in squads and departed in companies
of 100 or more. A morning paper will
state tomorrow that the American Rail-
way Union is on the eve of great strike,
compared with which the strike of 1894
will be a mere skirmish.
Debs and his followers, it is said, are
particularly bitter upon the Great North
ern Railway for breaking the agreement
of two years ago. The Wabash, il is said,
will also be attacked and every road in the
West and Northwest will be drawn into
the strike. The situation is deemed so
critical by the corporations threatened
that measures for protection are being
carried out. For several days the fol-
lowing advertisement has appeared in the
papers:
WANTED-Able-bodied men; ex-reguiars and
ex-policemen preferred. Apply at room 722,
Odd Fellows building.
Room 722, Odd Fellows building, is
the main entrance to Thiels Detective
Agency, which agency handled thousands
of men protecting railroad property during
the A. r. U. strike in 1894. The agency in
the past few days has been actively en-
gagged in securing the men. Over 700 were
engaged and shipped to different points
Friday night and nearly 500 to-day. Each
and every one of these is armed with As
caliber revolvers and each squad has an
experienced man to lead it.
A great many ex-police officers went
with the crowd sent away tonight. The
Thiel agency is located on the ninth floor,
but as the chief did not wish so many
men tramping about the offices, two va
can't rooms on the second floor were Sc
cured, and there the men congregated and
received their orders. They were as
husky lot of men as is often gathered
together. and nearly all carried gripsacks.
They filled the two rooms and overran
the halls, and when talked to or asked for
information were as mum as oysters.
By the time the Chicago and western
trains left in the evening, however, they
were all gone. A railroad official stated
tonight that when this private army was
well toward its destination each man
would be given a uniform overcoat and
ammunition, and would be paid 50 per day
and expenses till mustered out. The Thiel
agencies at Chicago and Kansas City are
also enlisting men and shipping them to
different points.
The A. R. q. in this city refuses to dis
cuss the matter, and profess to know moth
ing about the threatened trouble.
DULUTH, MINI, Nov. 2.-Up to noon
the threatened strike on the Great North
ern had not occurred, and the officials do
not anticipate any. David McInnls ex-
president of the A. R. o., who wrote the
letter that called out Senator Davis IA
nous speech at Washington, returned this
morning from Montana. He says that the
men will tie up the entire system, as not
one is sure of his job for day.
BUTTE, Mont, Nov. 2.-It was an
nounced tonight that a general strike
would go into effect on the Great North
ern at II o'clock tonight on account of
the refusal OF President Hill to meet the
mediation committee at st. Paul
Investigation proved that strike was
ordered to take effect at that hour, but the
employees of the Montana Central have
refused to take any part in the trouble,
and they have announced that they
will not strike under any consideration.
1t is believed, however, that there will
be trouble on the main line, east of Minot.
The employees on the Montana Central in
Montana are circulating petitions tonight
on each branch that they have no griev-
ance and no representative on the media
ton committee. The petitions will be
| forwarded to Hill to- morrow.