Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-05-16
ARMED SOLDIERS
Alone Prevent a Serious Out
break in Albany Streets.
On Guard in Sire cts and on House
tops Throughout City.
Tremendous Excitement and Strikers May Take
Charge al Any Time.

| -''''''iS' L 81 &c. tOuS
The situation here. tonight, over the
| traction Co. strike that Gov. Odeli
postponed the continuance OF his trip
To the state Institutions and at $50
O'Clock. tonight, was at the Executive
Mansion. Two thousand armed SOL
dler3 are now within the city limits,
more are coming and $500 are in readi-
ness to move frcm Troy when Gov.
| odell 50 orders. The streets are
| thronged with excited men, women and
! children ana the other wise quiet day
terminated in bloedshed A dramatic
element was added to the days fea-
lures ny the sudden death of !Adjutant
Gen. Hoffman.
AS long as the Traction Co. does not
attempt to move cars or bring in non
union men, the crowds in the street re-
main good natured except for taunting
the soldiers and police, but the instant
| an attempt is made to work on the
lines or bring non-union men in, the
crowd becomes frenzied and bloodshcd
results.
! Citizens. sabre -slashed. non union
men with broken limbs and bloody
faces; women and children trampled
| under foot; soldiers MANNED with fly
ing missiles; and leaders in the crowds
beaten with muskets were some Of the
| results of the day.
Mob and militia clashed. late this af-
ternoon. but fortunately there were no
| serious casualties. Seventy-five nom
union men reached the Union depot
shortly before 6 O'Clock, and their de-
| livery ut Quail street barn, mile and
1 In "a
escort with mob resistance on almost
every block. FrenZied people swarmed
through the police lines, surged around
the fast moving cavalry men and
fought to get 1T the cowcd non-unon
men inside the circle of galioping
horses.
| Several men were cut down by TIC
cavalry men hut the record does not
yet show the score of a single fatality
In the mad ride through the streets Of
| the non n-unicniSts none escaped the fly
| ing bricks and stones, but less than
4 dozen Were badly hurt. The cour-
| age OF nearly dozen of the nJE-un-
| ionistS failed them in opening the pas
sage through the turbulent crowds ana
they sprang from the wagons and We're
! lost in the crowd.
| The ride of the non-union men through
the city was the dramatic spectacle of
! the day. Their coming was no secret
and the plan was evidently for an
open, daylight movement with arms
enough to awe the crowd.
At 5 o'clock mounted anL armed
| cavalry formed in hollow square on
Broadway just south of the depot.
| Suddenly side door NJ ha
was thrown open and up the alleyway
toward waiting teams marched the
non-union men. For a moment there
was NO demonstration, but the failing
courage of the new coners showed in
! their blanched faces and i'm the way
! they crouched when they climbed into
! the awkward wagons that waited to
carry them on the widest ride they
! will ever known.
! Like wolves the maddened mob took
up the terrible chase. The police
blocked the way in solid pha.anx. but
Were swept aside. The fighting. swirl
ing crowd caught one cavalryman and
swung him out of line. He beat him
self free with the back of his blade ana
went galloping on. Then came vol
ley of bricks. three of the non union
: men sprang from the rear wagon and
mingled with the crowd. Another rid
er was cut off and brought his sabre
down on the face of one of his an
/ tagonists.
| Two blocks up State street clever
military ruse blocked the down town
i mob. Two companies of the 10th Bat
TALON were concealed in Chapel street
and when the cavalry escort dashed
! past they ran across State street and
, with fixed bayOnets pricked the pur-
suers. In the main the movement was
successful.
| But the strike breakers were not yet
free. Smaller crowds had gathered at
various points along the route to the
barn and threw showers Of stones as
the cavalry rushed by.
There was another wild scene at the
barn where thousands more had as
sembled. The infantry repeatedly
charged into the crowd. substituting
butt for bayonet and a passage was
opened until wagons and escorts were
safe inside the enclosure.
Sixteen of the strike breakers were
injured during the ride and many Of
them, stunned, weak and scared, had
to be helped from the wagons.
The strikers say that Is strike break
ers deserted during the desperate ride
and that less than so were safely land
ed in the barn.
In a hollow square Of infantry pro-
tected by lines Of pickets that reached
into every street and outer skirmish
line in circular form that encompassed
all. the Traction tower wagon was
moved out Of the Quail street barn,
this afternoon at 4 O'Clock, and two
hours We're spent i'm repairing trolley
wires. The heavy force of guardsmen
and the strinEcncy of the protective
measures seemed to awe the crowds
and there was no disorder though the
soldiers were jeered and derided.
Quail street was first cleared at the |
point of the bayonet and then the side
streets Were swept. The crowds fell
back sullenly but the movement
against them was spirited. Next. every |
house within the lines was closed and |
sentry placed on every doorstep. |
Continued on page B.