Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-07-04
BLOODY RIOT.
Striker Shot by Non-Union Workman at
Cleveiand-A Mob Attempts to Lynch
Him-The Police Makes Change.

tttm--lne IOhCt nAhbtd u CuhNsts
CLEVELAND, o., July 3.-Bloodshed
again marked the trouble atthe Brown
hosting works Thursday afternoon.
VIM. Rettger, one of the strikers, aged
10 years, a brother of Rettger, the
former pitcher of the Cleveland club,
now with Milwaukee, was shot dead by
a non-union man who had attempted to
leave the works on his bicycle and was
attacked by a portion of the mob. The
police managed with difficulty to rescue
him. and the police detail was besieged
in shop and had great difficulty in pre-
venting the lynching of their prisoner.
Finally call for troops was made and
two of the four companies under arms
were hurried to the scene. The pris-
oner was finally loaded into a patrol
wagon and about 9:3O Thursday night
locked up in Che central police station.
The troops remain on guard and there
is sullen mob OF ut least ten thous-
and men hanging around the prem
ises.
Shortly before the hour for quitting,
several strikers marched up to the
Brown works with a big banner, on
which was written in big black type:
Brown scabs."
At 4:3O o'clock the main body of the
workmen were marshaled into line and
the police force formed the usual hol-
low square
The crowd gave way and the process
sion moved up Hamilton street TO Case
on the way to the st. Clair street cars
The crowd followed as on Wednesday
evening, yelling 'scab' and making a
lively vocal demonstration. Contrary
to what the mayor had declared would
be done, the police did not drive back
the crowd. At least they allowed them
to follow up Hamilton street. In the
meantime the police marched steadily
forward to Case, up Windsor to Wilson
avenue, and reaching the Fourth pre-
cinct station, near Euclid, halt was
made.
Forming two lines, the police allowed
the workmen to enter the station. All
out of the way, the police formed
again across the street. At this mo-
ment the following party was dense,
black crowd, reaching far down Will
son ayenue. Suddenly the word
Charge" was given. 1t rang out
loud and clear and an awful scene
followed. The police sprang forward
like a shot out of gun. In moment
they We're upon the vanguard of the
crowd. The latter were dumbfounded.
The facts of the fatal shooting by
which VIM. Rettger lost his life were
as follows:
There have been ten students of the
Case School of Applied Science who
have been, working at the hosting
works, and there has been no disposi
tion on the part of the strikers to
molest them. Each day they have,
after the police had marched out
the other workmen, mounted their
wheels and gone home. Thurs
day afternoon A. G. Saunders, one of
the Case boys, aged 10, was later than
his companions in leaving, and when he
followed the crowd which was in pur-
suit of the police, he was assailed with
cries of ''scab" and stones thrown at
him. When he reached a point about
a block away in front of the Bishop
Iron works, he was struck by stone
and d great cash cut in his head. He
fell from his wheel and the mob howled
kill the scab," and made a rush
for him. AS he ran he drew a revolver
and shot Rettger through the heart.
The squad of police left to guard the
Brown works witnessed the shooting
and charged down the street, manag-
ing to reach Saunders, who was again
on the ground, being kicked and buff
feted The police drew their revolvers
and managed by great efforts to get
the injured man into the office
of the Bishop works. The mob
outside, which had swelled to 5000,
infuriated by the sight of the
dead man, howled lynch him. and
were preparing to make charge on
the building in which the police had
taken refuge, when the police rein
forcement attacked the crowd in the
rear and dubbed their way to where
the imprisoned officers were standing
off the crowd. They managed to keep
the crowd at bay until a company of
militia marched onto the scene when
the mob scattered aad Saunders was
put into a patrol wagon and
guarded by squad of police
and the militia taken to the central po-
lice station. The whole section of the
city where the workmen live is in a
state of ferment, as threats have been
made to burn the houses Thursday
night where the men who have re-
turned to work live. The police are
on the alert, and the streets are
being rigidly patrolled. There
is also apprehension that the
trouble has only begun and that a
strike OF iron workers, embracing
every branch of the industry in Cleve-
land, may come about at any moment
Four companies of militia are under
arms at their respective armories and
will be used to keep the peace ~Friday
Mayor McKisson Thursday evening
issued a proclamation commanding all
persons to refrain from engaging in
any unlawful or riotous acts with force
or violence or assembling in public
streets or grounds to incite any unlaw-
full or riOtOuS act. Citizens are warned