Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-16
SOLDIERS PROTECT WORKERS.

SOLDIERS PROTECT WORKERS. Non Union Men Roughly Handled by
 the Strikers.
 Albany, May 16.-With sabres and drawn revolvers forty hofsemen of the Third Signal corps fought thousands of strikers yesterday afternoon and had a narrow escape. The troopers, hesitating to shoot ball cartridges as T bowling mob surged upon four trucks carrying several non-union men who had just arrived, were so roughly used that three of the soldiers fell from their saddles and were rescued only by a clash of sabres. The troops saved the non-union men from being torn to pieces, but they were at the mercy of a rain of missiles that beat fiercely on them. When at last the trucks drew in at the sheds in Quail street, pro- tected by 600 men of the Twenty-third regiment of Brooklyn, the bottom of the trucks were full of men grooming and bleeding, while three of the es- corts reeled in their saddles, battered into semi-consciousness.
 Six of the non-union men who had run the gauntlet were soaked with blood from cuts on their heads and hands and one had a bullet through his arm. Two doctors were kept busy dressing their wounds. Not man of the seventy escaped some injury in their dash up the long hill of State street. Nor did the cavalry escort es cape much easier. Both horses and riders were sore from bruises. 1t was a complete victory for the strikers, few of whom were hurt beyond being beat en with fiat sabres. For the long, panting mile they chased the trucks and their escort they had been re strained with difficulty from actually tearing the non-union men to pieces with their hands. The same brick was hurled a dozen times by different hands i'll that wild retreat.
 But when the local cavalrymen had galloped with their eursing proteges into the lines of the Twenty-third regi- ment waiting with fixed bayonets, the rioters found the tables turned
 Led by Major David k. Case. Com panies B and c charged the rioters. It was cutsand bayonet point, the chatter of stones, the thud of clubs and the clash of the officers swords, making stirring scene. The Brooklyn boys were angry and eager. They had seen the blood-stained faces of the cavalry men and had heard the moans and the
 
 the battered non-union men.
 They struck and thrust with cool vigor, remembering the ball cartridges in their Springfields. A dozen strikers felt the steel and fell back shrieking. The space before the car sheds never was in danger Step by step the Brooklyn men advanced driving the mob before them around the corner into Central avenue. In readiness for the fight all the windows of the houses had been closed, sash and blind. On every roof stood a boy in blue, holding his rifle in nervous hands, eagerly look ing for some order from the officers fighting in the street below.
 It was like the sacking of a city. Well around the corner of Central ave nue big motorman slipped under the front rank and reached Major Case. who was coolly urging on his men, counseling them to keep their fingers from pressing triggers. The motor man swung at Major Case with a big coupling pin, but the officer side stepped, his sword flashed up. he thrust quick and hard and the striker fell with six inches of cold steel through his neck. His companions made dash to rescue the fallen man, then the mob fled.
 Meanwhile only the sentries were left in Washington avenue. the other end of the Quail street block in which the car sheds are built. A striker rode boldly up to the corner on a.bi- cycle. Halt" yelled sentry.
 You go to hell" shouted the striker. Come on. fellows he cried to q gang behind him. "Clean those rats out of the stables"
 The sentry, Company c man. thrust his bayonet in the wheel of the bicycle. The man crashed down, to jump up in a moment. streaming with blood and cursing. In second the mob was around the sentry, striking with fist and club. Corporal of the again with his bayonet and this time it.entered flesh. A dozen boys in blue were running swiftly from their posts. Out of the car sheds detail of re- serves came on the double quick, bay onets glistening in the setting sun. Back fell the mob at this point.
 This ride of the non-union men through the city and the events follow ing it were the dramatic spectacles of the day. Their coming was no secret. indeed it was as well known as if pro- claimed. and the design back of it evi- dently was for an open, daylight move
 
 crowd. At , o'clock the Third Signal corps, mounted and armed as cavalry men. swung down through the city and formed in Broadway, just south of the depot. There were solid platoons in front and rear, and both Hanks were closed in.
 Fifty policemen formed in cordon about the waiting dragons and tried to force the crowd back. The street was cleared, but the walls of human ity on the sidewalks held firm and could not be moved. Men and boys climbed awnings and poles, and every window in the surrounding buildings framed half q dozen faces.
 A broken alleyway that runs along the south side of the Union station was the stage of the opening scene. Into it at 5:45 o'clock were driven the four fiat-topped open trucks. The crowd recognized them as the same unwieldy vehicles that had carried the first batch of strike breakers and greeted them with groans. The police singled out individuals who were demonstra- tive and drove them far back of the