Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-05-24
STREET CAR STRIKE.
Rioting Breaks Out in Various
Points at St. Louis.
A CONDUCTOR SHOT IN The HEAD.


ed Employees Shot While In Charge
Of Cara Cable Cut.
St. Louis, May l9.-There was no
conference yesterday between repre-
sentatiyes Of the striking street car
employees and of the st. Louis Transit
company, although President Halves,
of the board Of police commissioners,
tried to get the two parties to the
strike controversy together in still an
other meeting. He consulted with I.
Il. Edwards, chairman of the griey-
ance committee. and with Benjamin
+. Clark, the attorney of the strikers,
in the morning, and as a result had
Mr.. Edwards send a letter to Presi
dent Whitaker suggesting confer
ence. In response Mr.. Whitaker said
he was willing to meet the commit
tee at any time. Mr.. Edwards then
suggested that the next proposition
come from the company, and the re-
Spouse was in effect that the COM
pany had no further proposition to
make, standing on the offer of Thurs
day, rejected by the strikers.
At noon a crowd of 400 or more
men, women and boys congregated
along Laclede, between Grand and
Theresa avenues, and stopped the cars
as they approached by means of OBJ
structions piled on the tracks. As
the cars came to standstill rioting
began. Persons in the crowd COM
menced throwing rocks and some
shots were fired One of the bullets
struck D. Il. Richardson, a conductor,
in the head. While the turmoil was at
its height a detail of police came dash
ing up and charged the crowd. They
struck right and left, but they had
no clew as to who was responsible for
the shooting. Richardson is probably
ldlully WOuHutu.
On the Bellefontain line obstruc-
tons were numerous and when the
men left the cars to remove the bar
riers they were made the targets of
the strike sympathizers, who pelted
them from windows and housetops
with rocks, broken bricks and pieces
| of iron.
The employees Of the Easton avenue
cars had another rough day of it.
Their cars were pelted at street cor
ners near the western terminus and
also along Franklin avenue and Nor
gan street. In one place the strike
| sympathizers blockaded the track
with dead horse. No sooner did the
street car employees remove the car
cass than 100 willing hands grabbed
it and dragged it back to the track
Traffic was obstructed until the police
arrived and made the crowd dispense
| distractions were numerous along the
| California avenue and Tower Grove
lines and the cars passed through sew
eral showers of stones and bricks.
Traffic was frequently impeded by
piles of rocks, lumber, etc, along the
Market street and Chouteau avenue
lines and every now and then stray
rock was hurled at the passing cars.
Two imported employees OF the st.
Louis Transit company were shot
while in charge of street cars. In
neither case is the assalant known.
Shortly after noon yesterday three
cable cars started east from the power
house of the Fourth street railway on
Eighteenth and Park avenue. At
Fourth street and Chouteau avenue
the ears stopped and, upon investiga-
ton, it was found that the cable had
been cut. When the free end of the
cable arrived at the power house it
was found that all the strands had
been severed, presumably by a steel
saw. The cars were hauled back to
the power house by horses.
John Kenna, saloonkeeper in
Gratiot street, was probably fatally
wounded, and Robert Nelson, colored,
and Emergency Officer Jacob Hollings-
worth slightly wounded last night in
a riot at the south end of the Four
teenth street bridge. Patrolman Hen
nv +. Barton was shot and painfully
wounded on jefferson avenue, near
Geyer avenue. Barton was on car
of the Jefferson avenue line as a
guard As the car passed Geyer ave-
nue. few stones were thrown and
then several shots rang out. A riot
call was sent in and squad of police
hurried to the scene. The crowd
which had gathered at the sound OF
the shots was dispersed without trou-
Bile. Bartons wound is not considered
serious unless some unforeseen com
plication sets in.
At a meeting Of 100 heads of labor
unions, called last night, it was re-
solved to recommend to the. control
ling central bodies that sympathetic
strike be inaugurated to-day Of all
the labor unions.
|
st. Louis, May 2l.-Cars were run
yesterday on five of the lines OF the
st. Lous Transit company without any
interference from the strikers or their