The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-08
MURDERED BY Canal THUGS
Two Men Are Killed by a Mob Of
BOatmen at TOnaWanda.
BOAT DECKS RED WITH BLOOD
Captain Phillips and Son Arc Murdered
ond Their Dead bodies Beaten to
aJclly by Maddcncd Ruffiaus.
Police Afraid Of the Mob.

North Tonawanda, N. Y. Oct IA
double murder was committed on i. W.
ScribnerS lumber docks at an early
hour this morning, and up to tine pres
ent time sixteen men have been placed
under arrest, and search is being made
for others.
Shortly after midnight Captain Phil
lips of the canal boat Jennie Graft,
ana his son. of the boat May, began
loading up with lumber. Other boat
men who had refused to take loads at
the price Scribner offered, marched
down In a body ITO the dock and inter-
fercd
I'hilllps. who was armed, drew q re-
VolVer and fired over the heads of the
crowd, probably seeking ITO intimidate
them. Some one, exactly whom, has
not been learned. pulled a gun and
fired three shots at Phillips. who fell to
the deck of his boat dead man. The
younger Phillips, who had taken a hand
in the melee, was struck down with a
club and horribly beaten. He managed
to crawl into his cabin, where he died
at S.15 this morning.
The murders appear to have been the
direct outcome of the newly formed
canal association, which was credited
some time ago as q New York Central
movement.
The evidence here shows that Scrib-
ner had got Captain Phillips to bring
his boats here for load. the boats to
be loaded as soon as they arrived. This
is contrary to the associations rules.
as the association wishes to dictate to
the forwarders when and how boats
shall be loaded When the Tonawanda
boat tmen found that Captain Phillips
would load when he saw fit, a little
army OF desperate men collected at the
dock and waited for the boat to come in.
She arrived and tied up only to be
boarded by the crowd. Officers We're on
the scene and attempted to keep the
crowd back, but their efforts were fruit
less Tor the men We're like pack of
moddened wolves.
Dcficd the Police.
IF the coppers lay a hand on any of
you, lay them out, boys" shouted one
man in the crowd, ani then he shouted
to Captain Phillips, IF there's ANYBODY
on tnat boat that you want to get off.
now's your time"
Never mind anybody here" an
swered Phillips.
Then the trouble began. The men
poured on the boat like demons, kicked
the crew into the forward cabin and
started for Captain Phillips. In sec
ond he fell to the deck with a bullet
through mis- brain and another through
MS heart. His 17-year-old daughter
sprang to his assistance only TO be
struck on the head and felled to the
deck. while the mob kicked and abused
the body of her dying father.
while this was going on the dead
captains son was attacked, and though
he fought well. he was knocked down
ana beaten almost to a jelly, his skull
being fractured.
United States Deputy Marshal Smeer-
ing made an attempt to fight the crWd
back, but three of them covered him
with revolvers and held him at bay
until they had completed the bloody
work.
When the crimes had been committed
the mob cut the boats loose and al
lowed them to drift down the river but
they Were brought back by a tug.
1t was horrible sight that greeted
the people on the dock when the boats
We're again tied up
Along the deck were pools of blood
and blotches where the son hod crawled
along to the cabin. Every window in
the cabin was broken, and the daughter
was in Mysteries over the remains of
her murdered father.