The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-13
BLOODSHED.
Judge Golfers InjunctiOnLeads
to a Clash
Between Striking Miners and q
Sheriff's Posse.
ONLY ONE MAN HURT.
Marching Strikers Are Forced
to Turn Back.
Law Officers Get Little Rest
During the Night.

Pittsburg, Aug. 13.-The first blood
shed during the present miners strike
was that of Jacob Mott, drummer in
the Mcdonald band. The trouble oc-
CURED about o'clock this morning
near the Plum Greek tipple.
The 1000 strikers in the camp at
Plum Creek left the camp at a. m,
and divided into two squads at Center,
one body of the marchers going to
Center school house and the other to
the mems houses. The Center squad
was headed by the Mcdonald drum
corps. Sheriff Lowry reached Center
about a. m. He drove from Turtle
Creek by way of Monroeville and was
met by Deputy Sheriff Richards and a
number of deputies The marcherS
were stopped and the sheriff read the
injunction order made yesterday by the
court. He then ordered the strikers to
return to their camp. The men paid no
attention to the order for time and
the drum corps attempted to lead the
marchers past the sheriff and his dep
utieS The deputies closed up and
moved forward headed by the sheriff
and the opposing forces came together.
No blows were struck and no weapons
drawn, but there was a lively Scuff1e,
during which horn in the hands of
one of the band, was pushed into, JOS
eph Motifs face and he was badly cut
over the right eye. Blood flowed in a
stream from the wound and the sight
of blood checked the pushing, strug-
Cling men.
The sheriff again Rad the order of the
court and ordered the crowd to dis
perse and appear in court Saturday to
make answer to the bill filed. The men
again refused and John Brown was
particularly pronounced in his OppoSi-
ton. He was threatened with arrest
and after considerable argument. dur
ing which he asserted his right to be
on the public road, Urich Bellingham
and the band again tried to force their
way past the sheriff and his deputies.
6nn11tiaS a al rlOCnd nd
ed forward. More pushing and showing
followed. The deputies pushed ahead,
crowding and pushing the. strikers back
until both bodies were closely packed
and it looked for a time though ser
ious trouble would follow.
Sheriff Lowry again ordered them to
disperSe and threatened them with ar
rest if they did not instantly obey. Aft
er some hesitation the strikers moved
back, turned and marched back to
camp, closely followed by the sheriff
and his deputies
It is reported that the 90 men dis
charged from the Plum Creek mine are
to be arrested for alleged breach of
contract Bodies of marchers also start
ed from Turtle Creek for Oak Hill and
Spring Hill this morning in defiance of
the injunction, but nothing has been
heard from them.
About o'clock this morning some of
the deputies doing duty at the Plum
Greek mines were called from Center
school house to disperse a crowd of
Hungarians- Mary Haas, the daisy
CIOMueQ Jeanne arc went TO the
camp and aroused rs of the Hungarians
to the point of accompanying her to the
company's houses to do missionary
work. The molly crowd got a good
start before news of the movement was
conveyed to the De Armitt stables,
whence the warning was sent to the
deputies. After much chasing the dep
utieS managed to catch up with the
crowd and dispersed it.
No one can tell how serious trouble
was averted during the clash between
the strikers and IDENTITIES Tho
in camp at Turtle Greek obeyed the in
junction by not marching on Oak Hill
Spring Hill mine of Dempster Boyd &.
Co. and succeeded in inducing the men
to meet them this afternoon and discuss
the situation.
Last night was one of anxiety in The
strikers camp at Plum Creek and one
of sleeplessness among the deputy
sheritfs at Center. The campers had
been warned that the sheriff would at
tempt to stop their marching, and num-
erOuS threats were reported to the dep
uties as having been made by the strfk-
erS- At 9 o'clock nearly all the depu-
ties retired so that they could have as
much rest as possible before the strik-
ers appeared in the morning. They
had hardly fallen into a doze before
the pickets gave an alarm that they
were coming in a body and they tum-
bled out of bed and were marshalIed
about the company's buildings at Cen
ter The music of a brass band was
heard and after wait of ten minutes
NAlS ASdQ OF a column OF SCTlkSfS aD-
peared. They were escorting home
from the camp Emma Haas. the lame
girl who had been crowned by them
with a wreath of daisies for firing q re-
VOlVer in honor of the ma-chers. The
deputies went to bed again. but they
had very little sleep, for at 2:30 a. m.
the alarm was again sounded and they
turned out. knowing that it would be
hours before they would again be per-
mitted to rest. From that time until
daylight there were numerous clashes
between the IDENTITIES and strikers
several times a bloody riot was mar
rOwly averted.
At a. m. Sheriff Lowry and Deputy
Sheriff Richa rds arrived across the
country from Turtle Creek They drove
in the patrolling parties and in doing so
gave the men to understand that an ar
gunent would be of no avail
This action caused jam of men that
tmpeded their progress There was a
move on as directed and Sheriff Rich
ards read a copy of the injunction and
delivered it to him. The man would
not give his name, and for want of a
better one Sheriff Lowry dubbed him
John Brown"
The men were in a sullen mood and
nearly a hundred others gathered about
the sheriff. One man demanded to
know by what right the courts granted
an Injunction against citizens who were
using public roads for a lawful pur-
pose. He was Immediately served with
copy of the injunction. There was a
threa tening movement among the mer
and Sheriff Lowry made a short speech
saying the men were defendants in a
suit brought by the New York and
Cleveland Gas Coal company and that