Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-07-08
ONE DEAD IN A RIOT.
AT Cleveland Boy Shoots a
Striker.
Police and Militia Barely Able to Pro-
tect Their Prisoner.

Cleveland, O., July 3.-The most seri-
Ous rioting that has yet marked the
strike at The Brown Hosting works took
place yesterday afternoon. A bystander
was shot through the heart. by a non
union man. and the latter narrowly es-
capped lynching.
At O'clock $50 police were massed at
the works. then the gates were thrown
open and the wOrkmen, 80 in number
surrounded by hollow square of police
marched out The mob outside num-
oered from 5000 to 70OO and a shower
Of stones greeted the column. The po-
lice forced passage through the rioters,
using their clubs freely.
Boy Kills a Striker.
As the main body of police and work
men disappeared two young men, named
respectively Albert G. Saunders and
gard on their bicycles. Saunders, who
IS a young student at Case School of
Applied Sciences and whose father lives
at 3331 Prospect street, has been working
for the Brown company during vacation
Cor the practical knowledge it would give
aim. He did not leave with the nom
union men under police guard, but
mounted his bicycle and sought to reach
home alone, AS he turned up Hamilton
street a knot of strikers saw him and
shouted for HIM to stop. He did not
obey, and they began to throw stones
and bricks at him. A brick struck him
On the head and Knocked him off his
wheel, and. he claims, that after he
was down they continued to stone him.
Rising to his knees, he drew his reyol-
yer and fired. The ball missed his as
sailantS, sped across a vacant lot and
buried itself in the breast of William
Rettger, one of the strikers who was
walking through the alley with several
companions. Rettger was sent to
hospital where he died in q few minutes.
He was unmarried, % years old, and was
a brother of Pitcher Rettger of the Mil
Waukee baseball club.
Just then twenty policemen, who had
been detached from the main body, came
up. A fierce fight between the squad
Of police and the mob ensued, and with
great difficulty Saunders and Vernon
were taken to the office of a nearby
factory. They were placed inside the
building, a small one-story affair." and
the police stood guard outside. AS if by
magic a rope appeared in the hands of
some of the mob, and cries of Lynch
him." Lynch the scab,' were raised.
A determined rush was made at the line
of police, but the leaders of the mob
fell back with bodies bruised and heads
broken by the heavy clubs in the hands
of the bluecoats.
Militia on Hand.
A second charge met with the same re-
ception. and the mob again retreated.
Meantime the telephone wires had been
busy and two companies of the Fifth
regiment, O. n. G., which had been
under arms all day, were ordered TO the
scene. The troops arrived just as the
mob was preparing to charge the police
for the third time. The troops drew Up
across the street and leveled their rifles
at the crowd, which at once scattered IN
driven up and Saunders and Vernon
were placed in it and taken to the central
station, one company OF the troops eS-
cOrting the wagon and the other holding
the mob IN check.
At the central station Saunders was
locked up, the charge of manslaughter
being formally made against him. Yer
non was taken home by the police.
In the meantime the main body OF po-
lice escorting the nOnunion men had
reached the Wilson avenue station, fol-
lowed by an immense mob, who knew
nothing of the exciting scenes going on
at the hosting works. As soon as the
wOrkmen were safely inside the station
the order to charge was given, and go
police went at full speed toward the
mob. which broke and fed. For five
minutes the clubbing continued, and ev-
cry man or boy who came within reach
of the police was hit.
Stephen B. O'Neill, the driver of a
wagon which contained several strikers,
was pulled off his seat and severely
dubbed. Five other men were badly
hurt and were taken to hospitals. About
8 o'clock the mob at the hosting works
having dispersed, the troops were sent
back TO their armOries.
At Berea. the scene of the quarrymen's
strike. three companies of militia were
on duty totay. No disorder was re-
ported.
Cleveland, o., July 6.-Contrary to ex-
pectation there was no violent demon
stration last evening after the funeral
of Rettger, the victim of Thursdays riot
There was, however, great deal of feel
ing manifested and the authorities think
that the prospects for trouble tonight
when the men in the works go home are
FULLY equal to those of the preceding
nights: The militia are. still in their
armorIes awaiting orders. The funeral
was an immense affair, fully 10000
union men being in line including 100
OF the Berea quarrymen who are on a
strike and unions from surrounding Ohio
towns
Mgr. Thorpe of the immaculate Con-
ceptlon church preached the sermon, in
which he cautioned the strikers '. 40 are
struggling with the company against do
ing any violence. He also advised them
TO :eturn to their former employer as in
dIviduals If he would not recognize them
collectively. The recognition of their
union is what stands between the 800
men and the company at present, and
this advice from the priest was consid-
cred presumptuous by the men. The
priest also admonished the strikers to re-
member that capital has rights and to be
careful not to interfere with the liberty
of the non-union men who took their
places. He urgently appealed to the men
TO turn deaf ear to anarchists and
communists who come from ti,a SlurOS
of the streets of Europe, where men are
not men. He said "They tell you that
capital is your enemy when in reality
it is your friend. 1t is only when in the
hands of an INSCRIPTIONS man that it is
not your friend"