Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-08-03

G1sI ErEy Ss4SaXy workers three
EEIs IsksskiA thousand Of
NE NsGAEY IhaEEIEIHE them; and the
N#SS&YSfsSIRaEE other, the sud-
qIgEs s&S B! ySA,' den appearance
81 Y ~ Su in the city of o
little band OF dangerous anarchists.
The cloth -workers-for the most
part they were Russians and Poles
were peaceable and industrious work
ers, at ordinary times. Even now, in
the excitement of the strike, with no
work and no wages, and nothing to do
but congregate in the streets and dis
cuss their grievances, they had created
no public disturbance, but they were
complaining bitterly and loudly of their
employers, and some of~them were be-
ginning to mako threats of violence.
The anarchists--at least, they were
believed to be such by the police
were, as it happened, also Russians.
They were evidently bent on some
mischief and were consulting with
some of the strikers, and though the
authorities had, as yet, ND ground for
arresting them, they were kept under
close watch.
Every day the papers had accounts
of the troubles of the cloth-workers,
their mass meetings, the conferences
of committees, and the fiery speeches
Of the leaders. Somo papers de-
voted whole pages to descriptions of
the people themselves; their life be-
fore they came to the Western world;
their iourneyings across q continent
and an ocean to find freedom; their
homes here, such as they were, in
dark, crowded tenements on the East
Side; the daily and nightly gather
ings on the streets of their men and
women.
Every day, too, the same papers
had much to say of the mysterious
anarchists and gave portraits which
represented them as particularly ugly
and vicious fellows.
Somehow, for no particular reason
at first, and then because everybody
suggested it to everybody else, the
public came to think of the two things
together, and all sorts of rumors
gained currency. 1t was said that
the cloth workers had brought the
anarchists here tointimidate their en-
ployers; that the cloth workers them
selves were half anarchists, and finally,
that there YVES not to set the city on
fire.
The public mind was much dis
turbed, and the papers began to hint
at dynamite stored in the tenements,
and of the hateful red flag of anarchy,
hidden away as yet, to be unfurled at
any momenG as the. signal for fire and
death.
Beneath all there was also an un-
easy fear that some of these strikers
had, perhaps, much to complain Of
beggarly wages, excessive hours Of
labors, wretched homes; and that they
were smarting under sense of inius-
tice, and were very ignorant, and
might be led away, in q moment of ex-
citement, by the conspirators, who
hated all forms of government and all
authority, and preached the doctrine
that ruin would give opportunity to
re-create better social order.
At last, in the second week of the
strike, the cloth-workers determined
to make q public demonstrations
perfectly peaceable one, they said
and applied for leave to parade the
streets on Friday evening.
The officials hesitated. To grant
the permit might lead to serious dis
turbancs. To refuse it would cer-
tainly increase i'll will and make the
strikers feel themselves to be martyrs.
But after some delay, it was decided
to grant the request.
A large force of police was detailed
to precede and follow the procession,
and to guard the line Of march. The
men were to gather at various points
and join forces at the corner of Centre
and Graud streets. ut half-past six,
and were to march through Broome
street, the Bowery, Rivington street,
and other east side thoroughfa"es, and
finally to pass through to Chatham
Square and there disband and so ut
once to their homes.
This determination served only to
Increase the general uneasiness in the
city. To bling so large body of the
disaffected foreigners together, and
to enable them to display their griey-
ances in public and excite sympathy
among tens of thousands of the look
ers-on, seemed to many the height of
folly. The talk of dynamite and the
red flag was renewed, and to add
to the confusion, OH evening paper an
nounced that it had discovered the
existence of an extraordinary plot.
1t had been found that there were
certain women among the strikers, SO
the account ran, who were thorough
going anarchists and exceedingly vim
dictive and daring; and it had been
determined that while the procession
was on its march, and many of the
police were withdrawn from their
usual beats, these women should carry
out their plan of shattering with dyna-
mite the building of one of the most
unpopular employers. This method,
it was thought, would divert suspi-
cion from the men, while no one would
dream of connecting woman with
such a deed. Even this wild rumor
received serious attention, and the
guards about all the buildings where
the strikers had worked were in
creased.
By Friday the excitement had
reached fever heat. Along the streets
through which the procession was to
pass, all the shopkeepers put up their
ahnttars and closed their doors early