Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-08
A SMALL SIZED RIOT AccoMPA-
MED IT.
TWELVE HUNDRED MEN WALK
ED OUT OF BIG MACHINE
SHOPS YESTERDAY.
POLICE ARE CALLED TO oUELL
TROUBLE AND SOME OF THE
MEN AND OFFICERS INJURED.
THE SITUATION AT PoCAHoN-
TAs-pEXTILE WORKERS FIRM.


a serious strike occurred at the plant
OF The Illinois Steel company in South
Chicago this morning, 1900 men throw
ing down their tools and walking out.
This evening u fight occurred IN the
company's yard and It was found nee
esary 10 call on the police. The strilS-
ers FOR n time stood their ground
against the officers. but were defeated
nd driven from the promises. The men
most seriously hurt were:
Jack sheppard, machlnlst, struck
on the head by q hammer In the hands
OF u striker, severe scalp wounds ic'i-
dered unconscious, will recover.
Edward Shaks, striker. thrown out of
machine shop by workmen, body bruis-
ed
officer V, Liendecker, hit ty coup
ling pin, bad cut over eye.
officer Patrick McCauley. hit with a
brick.
Twenty men, said to be leaders Of the
strikers at the riotlng, were arrested
and locked up ut the South Chicago
pnlice station. They are charged with
riotlng. They are all Ignorant Hun
garians, Poles and Bohtm:Rns.
According to Nice-Presldent FOrsythe
Of the company this spriag the furnace
men signed scale OF wages calling
for the rate Of S31O per day. This las
been observed to the present time, but
today the men demanded that they be
paid at the rate OF last year, which
was somewhat higher than the scale
they signed FOR this year. The COM
pany declared they could not pay any
thing except the scale which had been
agreed to for this year and the men
walked out. The strike closed two blast
furnaces, two others We're undergoing
repairs and the remaining four We're
shut down during the strike. the COM
pany concluding that 1t was unwlse
to attempt TO run until the matter was
settled, This action of the company
closed out In all about 100 men out Of
work, none remaining In the yard cx-
cept the watchmen and the machln-
lists.
The strikers were at first disposed to
be orderly and peaceable but later af-
fairs took on an ugly aspect, and It
was found necessary to call on tho
police to drive them out. Shortly be-
fore o'clock tonight a crowd number
ing about 1000 men forced their way
past the Waterman at one OF the gates
and proceeded to take possession Of
the companys property, They marched
first to where some Of the laboring
men We're SUN at work and either
| compelled them to join their ranks or
| quit work Not much trouble was eN-
| perienced with the laborers, but when
| the strikers reached the machine shops
| where about 400 machinlsts were en-
| ployed they met with u different re-
| ception. The machinlsts have 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 themselv to be driven
l out of the yards. The strikers, who Tor
| the most part were composed of Hun
garians and Poles made several at
/ tempts to persuade the mnchinists to
leave their work, but hnding them
! selves unsuccessful, they began an at
tack upon the machine shops with
| stones and such other things as they
| could nick up. The machinists FOR the
most part stood their ground ana gave
/ the strikers as good as they sent. The
fight was growing warm and broken
heads and bloody noses were getting
very common when the police, who hnd
been summoned when the iight hrst
| began, arrived.
They were under the command OF
| Captnin Jenkins, who at once made a
charge on the mob with his hnndIul
I of officers The strikers at ilrst re-
fused TO give ground and the police
used their clubs freely. This did NOT
have the desired effect, and captain
Jenkins ordered his men TO draw thclt
revolvers and fire over me heaus ~
the strikers As soon as TINS was dsht
the mob broke and fled wildly from INC
premises OF ia company. The hghl
only lasted a few minutes ana ther'
was no more rioting. 49,
one of the minor officials or ths
Company did not exactly agree win
the cause OF the strike as given by MT
Forsythe, He said: ,.,..a
'The men who struck were hlreu
three weeks ago to take the places
Of the old employees who were being
mid $40 day, and who would no.
work for the schedule of $:6O' wnlcI
was nut into effect at that time TheS
were hired on the contrace system ane
Mad agreements for year. with ms
81 GO men on the furnaces are NUN PEI
w. aav laborers who are working iol
s15 n day, and whose wages wer'
voluntarlly raised from 81 n short tlm'
AGO, They were satisfied. but II tn'
furnace men quit they VII nave nolh
ing to do, and will be out oil WORK
although they should not be oountet
among the strikers. The men Wny
a@roed TO work for Si60 asked the oit
scale. which had been paid the mei
whom they replaced. II was no
granted and they struck"
These police officers all recelEet
bruises more or less serious iron
stones thrown by rioters.
Fred Brown. Patrick McCauIey, JONI
Ryan, John Mcnamara John lam
han Antoine Angle and Wliilah
Kahle.