The Dickinson press., 1901-05-25

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melted away before the bayonets and
shotguns, cars had been operated un-
der heavy guards and there was an
impression that the spirit of tur.
bulence was waning. There had been
come minor demonstrations, particu-
lsrly in North Albany but not a shot
had been fred, and as the day passed
the running of cars attracted but lit
tie attention. The volley fred OH
Broadway by a squad of Twenty
third infantrymen, in which Leroy
Smith and William Walsh, we'll known
citizens, fell mortally wounded.
changed all that. It stirred anew the
feeling of hatred as the exciting It'd.
ings swept through the city and the
guardsmen were bitterly denounced.
Neither of the men had been guilty of
an offense, but were caught In q
crowd, some member of which had
stoned the guardsmen. and
BY Misehance Were Hit.
The disturbance was not serious
one and murder" is the title applied
by infamed public sentiment to the
shooting. The guardsmen seem but
to have followed their duty as SOL
diers, for they were under orders to
shoot IL assaulted. The bright pros
pect of settlement Of the strike has
not served to allay the growth Of vim
dictive feeling and II the present sit
uation continues acts of bitter re-
venge and violence may be expected.
1t was on the last run of the soldiers
on the cars that the tragedy of the
day occurred. Near Columbia street
q truck blocked the way of car and
urged on by the crowd the driver re-
fused to move on as speedily as de-
sired. The crowd was very noisy and
there was much confusion. The car
finally moved forward into the next
block and a stone was hurled at 1t.
There was sharp command and as
the car slowed down four shots were
fired from 1t. Leroy Smith was
lounging on the steps of his store;
William Walsh, his business neighbor
from across the street, was his imme-
diate companion, and a small crowd
hung about near them. It was into
this crowd that the guardsmen fred
at range of less than 20 feet Smith
and Walsh were both shot in the alb.
domen and fell where they stood. A
third man, William Rooney, was
slightly hurt by glancing bullet
Some of the guards stepped from the
car and reloaded their pieces. The
startled crowd fell back at the first
shot and a moment later the guards
sprang aboard the car and were rap.
idly wheeled from the scene. Smith
and Walsh
Were Hurried Away to Hospitals
for surgical care, and an angry crowd
swarmed in the street to curse and de-
nounce the guardsmen. Smith is a
member of the shoe manufacturing
firm of Smith & Herrick and a citizen
of wealth, respectability and promi-
nence. He is so years Of age and has
family. Walsh is the head of a
plumbing firm and we'll known in
business circles. Neither man had
any part other than as spectators In
the demonstration thLt provoked the
shooting. The remainder of the cars
made the run to North Albany and
back without trouble, and when they
reached Quail street barn were housed
for the night. When the cars were all
In the guards in the street were re-
called.
William Walsh died after being
taken to the hospital. Robert Smith,
the other man shot, is slightly i'm.
proved. The shooting of Smith and
Walsh had very depressing effect
upon the members of the Twenty
third regiment and when stones were
hurled at the pickets in and around
quail street barn they did not fire.
Two privates were hit and hurt, but
they did not care to take q chance by
firing. It was held by the oficers and
men that the general order to fre
was entirely justified, but there was
general regret at the consequence of
the volley. ssas +.
In the morning there will be over
5000 guardsmen in and around Al
bany. Ss5.i; 81.