The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-06-13

a guest at the Linde1l hotel, who stated
that Sunday he was sitting in his room
saw an orderly body of uniformed
street car men marching west toward
him. AS far as he was able to see, no
overt act was committed by them, but
two rocks had been thrown at passing
car. When the head of the column
had almost reached Sixth street wit
ness saw several men with guns step
out and meet number of the strikers
who had left the ranks. There was
some scuffiing and one of the men with
a shotgun fired and a man in uniform
dropped. The street car men fled at
the first shot, according to the wit
ness and firing became general along
the block and from the windows Of the
posse barracks.
c. w. Cassidy a photographer, who was
present when the firing began, said that
he saw man strike a car with something
soft; heard a cry of halt, and saw sew
eral men pull one of the uniformed street
car men out of the parade and drag him
over to the north side of the street The
witness continued: Il saw the uniformed
men break from the line and saw the dep
uties follow them and shoot at them.
while Thomas was a prisoner, he
said, Il saw deputy with a shot gun
dancing about him in STOPPING position,
as if waiting for a chance to shoot The
shots were fred so fast that they sound
ed like the falling OF row OF bricks.
Il did not see any of the paraderS draw
revolVers, When placed under arrest
Thomas did not draw a revolver as far
as 1 could see. The shot guns, in my opin-
ion. were handled as though in the hands
of boys"
Colonel ]. H. Cavender, who said he
was in command of the posse cOmitatus,
made the emphatic statement that no
member of the posse fired shot before
/ the paraders fired. Witness told of the
| parade of street car men that marched
| past the barracks ana stated that a
| brick was hurled through the window
! of a passing car. Two of his deputies
went out to the crowd and seized one
| of the strikers who the witness said
/ he was informed was the man who
| threw the brick.
Colonel Cavender said that some one
! in the crowd of paraders fired a re
volver, which was the first shot ne
| heard. Then, he said, the crowd of
| paraders west of Sixth street ran on
/ up Washington avenue and down Sixth
/ street. The other portion of the parade
which was still east of Washington
| avenue advanced rapidly to the line OF
| Sixth street, said the witness, and at
| that point opened fire with revolvers, to
| which the posse replied Colonel CaVen-
| der described the search to which the
| twenty strikers were subjected to in
Adiutant General George o. Webster
| of the posse told Of the passing parade
and said:
"A car came west. A brick was
| thrown through the car window. Three
or four of US ran out after the mar
who threw the brick. Before reached
| the car there was a SnOT nred- II was
| not fired by a posse man. When the
| fleeing man reached the front of the
car saw he was followed by two 9th
ers, both with revolvers. One of then
pointed his gun at me, but it failed tC
work He tried to pull the trigger {
second time when heard the report O.
a shotgun and saw him fall. The mar
who threw the brick was afterwards ar
rested.
Some of the men who had been il
line west on Sixth street fired revolver
toward the posse men,
Kennedy, who was arrested for tn
brick throwing, was summoned, bu
Webster said positively he was not tn
man.
Adjutant General Webster told of tn
finding of weapons on the men arerst
ed He said a revolver with two cham
bers discharged and still warm wa
found on a man named McIver
4 w. S. Robinson, a staff captain of tn
posse, practically corroborated Colone
Cavender and Captain Webster.
A recess was taken at this point.
The injunction proceedings institutel
by the federal authorities against W
D. Mahon and 100 other individuals to
gether with all the members of division
13O of the street railway mems uniol
were continued in the United State
court today to June 25, owing to tn
absence of one of the attorneys.