The San Francisco call., 1897-04-24
LeffingWell'S Army in
Possession of a
Freight.
Board the Cars at Lodi and
Are Finally Hauled to
Stockton.
Sheriff Cunningham Will Attempt
to Gust the Band This
Morning.

STOCKTON, CAL. April 23.-The army
of the unem pioyed has returned to Stock
ton. 1t had been in Lodi all dav and de-
spite the earnest efforts of the citizens of
that psce TO get the idle men to move
eastward they sturdily refused to do so.
At 10 80 o'clock this forenoon they seized
a freight train that pulled into Lodi, and
they are now on it. The men intend to
remain on this train until they are ar
rested or taken on to the East whittier
they claim they want to go.
This afternoon a delegation of the citi-
zens Of Lodi waited upon the men and
offered to pay their fare on the evening
passenger train as far as Gait. This would
involve the expenditure of 80 cents per man,
but the leaders refused to accept the gener-
Gus offer made by the Lodi peopl', as
Leader Leffingwell said that the men pro-
posed to force the Southern Pacific Com
pany to transport them as far as its lines
went. He said that his men wanted to go
to the East, but when the people of Lodi
offered to help them part of the way on
their journey their offer was refused.
Leffingwell was asked by THE CALL cor
respondent what he proposed to 40, and
he said that every man had instructions
to remain on the freight train that had
been seized by the unemployed at Lodi,
and that they should stay by it until they
were arrested. Deputy Sheriff Wall tried
to convince him that he was doing wrong
in seizing a train, but Leffingwell would
not listen to argument and said that the
men wanted to be arrested. As Sheriff
Cunningham was not here Wall did not
feel like arresting and throwing $50 men
on the county. Leffingwell and his fol-
lowers admitted that they had been made
a very fair offer by the citizens of Lodi
The station agent received orders not 10
move the train under any circumstances.
and the men decided to camp on the box
cars and the fiatcars during the night
The citizens of Lodi talked of forming a
vigilance committee and forcing them to
leave town, but later they decided to do
what tn could toward feeding them.
They agreed that they did not want TO
make the $50 men who had captured the
freight train angry, and thus ineite riot,
so they provided enough provisions to
give each of them good meal tonight.
Just as the army was finishing its re-
past All order was received from Lodi to
send the captured freight train with its
load back to Stockton. They reached
here shortly before 10 o'clock and hum
UIeUS Oh ClllZeNS were dt iNS TdlW Std-
tion to see what the men proposed to do.
Chief of Police Kingsbury and his force
were on hand, but the men said that they
intended to remain on board the cars and
carry out their determination to force the
Southern Pacific Company 10 carry them
eastward.
1t is understood here that the train was
brought back to Stockton because of an
agreement that was reached this after
noon between the Southern Pacific Of
ficials and Sheriff Cunningham, and that
the latter will be here early tomorrow
morning on freight train to make the
leaders of the unemployed abandon their
position or suffer the consequences.
Trouble is looked for, as the citizens will
not permit Leffingwell and his followers
to dictate TO them or to break the ordi-
nances of this city.