The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-12-14

the Party of Armed Men VINO
Went After Them in Wagon.
Detective James Farley and John
J'itZgerald, both of whom are employed
by the Scranton Railway company
had an experience on Thursday after
noon that seems. when told. like Il
chapter from some highly colored ro-
nance ON yellowbacked novel
Farley and Fitzgerald. who is one
one of the import motormen ana
giant in strength. Went down to old
Forge on Thursday with a number OF
other employees of the company 10
clear the tracks in the borough. an
unsuccessful attempt having peeh
made to do the same thing about
week ago. The ear was surrounded on
the main street of Old Forge by
crowd which kept gradually growing
larger and larger until i, numbered
upwards of 400
One of the borough constables
threatened the Italian laborers VINO
were brought along to clear the track.
with arrest If they dared to clear the
tracks and throw the obstruclions ON
the street. Superintendent Patterson,
who was with the party, claimed that
his men had right TO go on with the
clearing of the tracks because the
street was already obstructed. lie Or
dered the laborers to 20 on with the'r
work and as soon as they ana so theS
were both arrested by the two borough
officers who had the backing OF tn"
crowd.
DIrAJA NDED A HEARING.
The street railway people demanded
that the men be given an immediate
hearing but the officers refused to al
low this. one of the Italians was tax
en- into IA dark shed and was about to
be thrown into Il damp. ill smelling
cellar reached by a trap door when
Farley grabbed him from the officer
and declared that as long as he was
free he wouldn't allow any human pe-
ing to be put in such II place.
The officer accordingly took his pris-
oner before Squire Pickerel. around
whose office the crowd was gathered
and Farley and Fitzgerald boarded
the car little further down the street
for the purpose of defending it from
attack As soon as the crowd OF men
heard that Farley had prevented the
Ottltsf from iOtNlHS NY MS - P''''''''
they started down the street for the
car picking up stones on the way ana
yelling wildly.
Farley ordered Fitzgerald TO put on
| full power and the car was started for
| Duryea at top speed amid Il perfect
| shower of sticks and stones. About
| 800 yards down the track was an OBJ
| struction and as the car was stopped in
| 4 1,., laIn h
led it's speed ana came down the street
on the run.
Fitzgerald tugged furiously at the
| stone on the track while Farley STOOD
on the rear platform with drawn revol-
| Yer awaiting the coming of the mob.
When the leaders We're Il few hundred
| feet away he called upon them to stop
and they did so for just Il moment but
long enough to allow Fitzgerald to
clear the track and start the car on
| again.
WENT DOWN HILL
This time they went down Il hill at a
| lively clip and through Duryea to the
end of the line, getting about mile $
start on their pursuerS. The car was
| abandoned here and the two men start
| ed eastward over the fields for the
| PittSton line at Moosc two miles away.
| Farley believes that the miners VINO
We're quitting work ut Il mine in the
| vicinity were warned of his escape by
| telephone because he and Fitzgerald
almost ran into the arms of Il party
| of them who seemed to be on the look
| out.
| When the two pursued men reached
| n slight eminence and looked to the
north they saw that about half the
crowd from Old Forge was after
them. On their south flank We're the
miners before mentioned and in front
of them was the Lackawanna river
| They determined to cross the river on
a railroad bridge which spans it at
| this point. AS they were walking over
| the bridge on the narrow passage-way
on the side Il fast freight came bowling
along and the jarring nearly threw the
| men into the river.
| Once across they headed straight for
Moosic ana coming upon IA car, stand
ing near the Delaware and Hudson
station, they ordered the crew to turn
their trolley and start for Pittston
as fast as possible, In the meantime
several of the party from Old Forge
bound on capturing the two men had
crossed the river farther up and came
down the road in Il wagon They had
drawn revolvers in their hands and for
| a minute it looked as If there would
| be battle royal between the occu-
pants of the car and of the wagon.
THEY DIDN'T SHOOT
The men in the wagon didn't shoot,
| however, but drove on in front of the
car and backed the wagon on to the
track a few hundred feet ahead calling
upon the motorman to stop and upon
Farley and Fitzgerald to surrender
I'VE won't surrender for the best men
living after that chase" yelled Farley
and then to the motorman, "sail into
| them"
The motorman turned on full power
and the car, which was going down a
| slight grade taking on redoubled speed
at every turn of the wheel sailed
into the wagon with great force knock
ing the gentlemen from Old Forge into
the road, smashing the vehicle into
sundry small pieces and releasing the
horse which ran Gathering down the
road ahead of the car.
When Farley and Fitzgerald reached
| Pittston they got off before they
reached Main street and 1t WAS lucky
they did so for they found a few Off
GERS and a good sized crowd waiting
for them. They sauntered down the
street and yelled ''scab" at the crew
which had just brought them TO safety