The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-07-09
REACHED A CRITICAL POINT
RIOTING HAS COMMENCED IN
EARNEST AMONG THE CLEVE-
LAND STRIKERS.
ONE Striker WAS Fatally SHOT.
BY Young Man Who Had Been AS
sauted-Troops Were Called Out to
Prevent Further Bloodshed-The
Riot Act in Force.

Cleveland, O.. July 2.-The strike at
the Brown Hosting company's works
has reached a point where the authorities
as we'll as the strikers are in no mood
for trifling. When the non-union men
left the works at O'Clock this after
noon there was rioting. Two hundred
and fifty policemen emerged from the
gates guarding ffty-three workingmen.
An immense crowd had gathered block
away, but the police took a new route
and eluded them for Il moment. The
strikers set up yell and ran, soon over
taking the marching column, hooting and
yelling. No serious damage was done.
Meanwhile, Il tragedy had taken place
at the Brown works. Albert G. Saun-
ders, young student at Cases school
of applied science, whose father lives at
331 Prospect street, has been working
for the Brown company during the va
cation for the practical knowledge it
would give him. He did not leave with
the non-union men under police guard,
but mounted his bicycle and sought to
reach home alone. AS he turned up
Hamilton street knot of strikers saw
him and shouted to 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. Ris-
ing to his knees he drew his revolver
and fired His bullet missed his assail
ant, sped across a vacant lot and buried
itself in the breast of William Rettger,
one of the strikers, who was walking
through an alley with several compan-
ions. Rettger was sent to a hospital,
where he died in Il few minutes. He
was a single man, 81 years old, board
ing on HOardman street.
Patrolman Gibbs heard the shot and
rushed up and seized young Saunders
and hurried him into the office of the
Bishop-Babcock company. In won
derfully short time Il furious crowd,
which had packed the streets as far as
the eye could reach. surged against the
front of the office. demanding that Saun-
ders be given up to it. Someone brought
a rope and the cry to lynch him was
raised. A few began to pry at the win
dows of the office when PatrOlman
Gibbs, who was once a union workman,
addressed the mob and partially quiet
ed it.
Two patrol wagon loads of police ar
rived and a guard was posted in front
of the building. Long before this,
bott, Lieut.. Col. Whitney of the Fifth
regiment and others We're gathered for
consultation in the city hall. Word of
the critical condition of affairs was tel
ephoned to them from the Bishop-Bab-
cock office and a request made for mi
litia. The mayor responded by order
ing the City Guards and company f to
the scene. The Guards arrived first,
just rs the mob was preparing for an
other effort to capture Saunders. As
the soldiers came down the street the
mob shreled and howled and the
Guards were compelled to open a way
for themselves with leveled bayOnets.
Several men and boys were slightly
wounded by the soldiers. The Guards
formed in front of the office and just
then company f was seen alighting from
street cars a block away. Amid fren-
~ of excitement on the part of the
crowd, a patrol wagon was backed to
the door of the office and Saunders was
ierked into it and made to lie on the bot
tom. The Guards formed around it
with bayonets at 'charge" and forced
their way down Hamilton street, part
of the bowling mob surging along with
them. Detective Spottsey stood up in
the wagon and shot his revolver into the
dir. The wagon and soldiers moved off
rapidly to the central police station at
q run.
Saunders. whose head is badly cut and
his body mass of bruises, is a prisoner,
charged with the killing of Rettger
The mayor will cause proclamation
declaring the riot act to be in force to
be posted in the neighborhOod of the
Brown works tomorrow.