The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-11
Scatter-Guns Loaded with Buckshot
Fired Into a Crowd That At
tackled q Street Car.
TRAGIC END OF A PICNIC
STRIKERS WERE RETURNING FROM
OUTING WHEN THE RIOT BEGAN.
Governor stephens still Hesitatins
About Calling Out the Militia
Afraid of the Expense.

ST. LOUIS, June 10.-The day just ended
has been one of the most eventful and
bloody since the great strike on the st.
Louis Transit Company's lines began more
than a month ago. There were numerous
riotous individuals and the constituted au-
thorities. resulting in four deaths and the
wounding Of five or more persons. mostly
strikers. One of the latter will die.
The Dead
c. EDWARD THOMAS, striking conduc-
tor on Choteau-avenue line; shot In breast
by deputy sheriff. died on way to hospital.
GEORGE RINE, striking motorman on
the Delmar-avenue line, shot In abdomen
by deputy sheriff. died at City Hospital.
FRED BOEIIM, aged citizen shot and
instantly killed while standing In his front
yard. by deputy sheriff.
ED BURKHART, striking conductor on
the Delmar-avenue line, shot in head, died
in hospital.
Wounded
OSCAR MARVIN, conductor on the Lee
avenue line. shot in right hand and arm,
serious.
AUGUST SMITH. shot in right arm and
breast, not serious.
CHARLES LUDWIG. shot in hand. not
serious.
ED. barry. motorman on Laclede line,
hit on head and badly injured.
JAMES INQUIRE and JOHN MELROY,
severe scalp wounds, received in trouble
with strike sympathizers.
The day was quiet until this afternoon,
when the police were taken or number of
street-car lines for the purpose Of giving
them rest and to test the ability of the
Transit Company to operate without fric-
tion. Cars were in operation during the
day time on all the lines of the Transit
Company except the Southwestern. To-
night cars were run under police protection
until midnight on the Park-avenue. Olive
street. Lindell division and Laclede-ave-
nue. lines.
The most serious trouble broke out be-
tween and o'clock in front of the six
story building on Washington avenue be-
tween Broadway and Sixth street. occupied
by the sheriff's posse as a barracks and
headquarters. Several hundred striking
street-car men had gone to East ST. Louis
earlier in the day to attend picnic given
for their benefit at Woolf's Grove. Toward
evening they began returning home in
groups of two or three and others in COM
panies of a hundred or more. No serious
| trouble occurred until one of these COM
panies. composed of nearly 15O street-car
men in uniform and headed by drum
corps came west on Washington avenue.
| In the caps some of them were cards bear
| ing these words:
Union or nothing; liberty or death"
A CAR ATTACKED.
The men were marching along the side
walk on the south side of Washington
avenue. opposite the posse barracks. They
were in jocular mood and as near as can
be learned had no intention of making any
trouble. Just as they were passing the bar
| racks a car of the Park-avenue division
was going west. A number of men
broke from the line and rushed for the car
with the intention, 1t Is said, of boarding
| it and taking ride. Another statement
was made that 1t was the intention of the
strikers to assault the motorman and con-
ductor whose car was without the usual
police guard. However that may be the
| trouble started there. A brick was thrown
through the car window and a shot was
| fired by somebody not known.
At the first intimation of trouble mem
| the building and surrounded the crowd OF
| strikers about the car. calling on them to
disperse. Other shots were fired and then
some of the deputies turned loose their re-
peating shotguns loaded with buckshot. AS
| far as can be learned only four of the men
| in the strikers ranks were hit. Not a
| deputy was wounded even.
| c. Edward Thomas, striking conductor
| on the Choteau-avenue line. was picked ur
| and placed In an ambulance after the fight
| was over. He was shot in the breast, the
| heavy load Of buckshot tearing hole tha,
| soon let out his LIES blood and caused his
| death on the way to the city hospital.
George Rine. a striking motorman on the
Delmar-avenue line, received a terrible
| wound in the abdomen. He was taken to
| the City Hospital. but died on the operating
| table. Another Of those hit by shots from
| the deputies guns was Ed Burkhart. a
striking conductor. also OF the Delmar-
avenue line. Several shots struck him In
the head. causing fatal wound. He lived
/ until nearly midnight. Oscar Marvin, a
striking conductor on the Lee-avenue line
| will probably lose his right hand as a re-
suit of the fusillade. 1t was badly torn.
| TWENTY ARRESTS.
| Under the command of Colonel Cavender
| the deputies arrested twenty of the strik-
| ers and took them into the barracks, where
they were searched. Three revolvers and
| a number of pocket knives were secured
and the urisoners ware taken tn the Four