The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-06-26
A NIGHT RIOT IN COLUMBIA

Masked Men Make an Attack on
Southern Railway Yard.-SOme 30
10 rs Men were in the Party WIN
their Faces Either Masked or
Blacked-A Vollcy Fired anu Nom
Union Men Taken from Cars in
(which they were Sleeping and
Marched Several Miles Out Of
Town and Turned Loose on the
Road with,N arning to Keep Going, :,
Some Of them Being Badly Beaten
The Yard Guard and the Police
Tried 10 Disperse the Mob and One
Of the Guard and several of the
Rioters were WOunded-The
wounded Rioters Have been At
tended by Physicians who Failed
to learn their Names-RailrOad
officers Sent au Engine UP the
Road and Recovered their Men-so
Far the Rioters Have been Able 10
Conceal their Identity.
Columbia, June 22-Speclal: AT last the
real trouble over the machinistS Strike OF the
Southern Railway has come, following upon
the heels of the first bloodshed on Main street
last night. The affair Is the talk OF tne city
to-day and there is more or less excltement.
Asa result number OF the non-union men
are badly bruised and four or the attacking
force have bullet holes in their bodies. Be-
sides. ShoPc
has flesh wound on his head. He was
struck In the forehead with pistol bullet
which glanced instead of entering. This
mans name Is Myers, who was on duty along
with q Mr.. Dlckert. botn "ere ai"eo Will
shotguns. ,oS
q perfect fusillade Of pistol and gunshots rang
out Inside the yards Of the shops. The yard
is enclosed by high picket fence running
around space Of several blocks. 1t appears
that party OF about tlfty & or seventTy.aVs aIT W.
having their faces blacked so that none couid
Identity them, went to the Laurel street side
OF the yard. and pulled on some OF the paiings h
entering the company's premises. The story
is to the effect that the men crossed the yaru
and encountered Watchman Myers. who tried
TO halt the intruders: that they told MIN
there were men in there who wanted 10 leave
and they we're going TO escort them OUT. inns
story has 1t also that Myers gun was nred ana
then a general lusillade began. Ihose VINO
heard II say that there must have oeen ABOUT
$50 or 200 shots fired. The men made Tor one
of the shanty cars in which the non-unlon
workmen were sleeping and surrounding IL
presented weapons, telling the men TO come
out and TO fall into line. There were about
twenty men In the car ana they ooeyea. d sone Inc
through the opening in the fence. Police
Offlcer Fowler says he had heard the shoot
ing-about $50 shots-while he was about the
station He ran around to Laurel street.
where he met the party. The men were In
line, the party being divided, some IN iropt
and others behind the non union men. Inc
officer halted them, but was poWerless: OF
course, He asked the crowd to turn over the
men to him and let them take them to police
heanquarters. This they declined to do Ihe
officer begged the crowd not to iDJure them
and went on around and reported 70 police
headquarters, as the crowd marched on and
went in the direction Of the railroad TRACK,
thence going up the track out OF the CITY.
The officer could not recognize any Of the
men all Of them, he says. having on either
black masks or having their faces blacked."
soon as possible and he reached the yard
shortly after 3 O'Clock. Everything was then
quiet. The crowd had gone on out Of the city
with the non-union workmen.
There were two other cars In the yard Win
non-union men sleeping in them, but In some
way the visitors failed to hnd them.
AS soon as possible superintendent Weies les
up" Upon IT went Master Mechanic Sprowl,
Trainmaster Maxwell and Yard Master b Blan-
ton. From four miles to seven miles from the
who had been conducted to point about two
miles above the city and told TO. move on.
Most OF them bad been struck and beaten,
so they said. In the crowd was the young
fellow Sigh, who had already been beaten
down on Main street earlier in The night. He
had been severely handled again.
the line OF the seven-m,le post. No attempt
was made to interfere with the engine as she
went up. She returned to the city about u
O'Clock with the union men ana steamed @
The police have been unable to make any
arrests. no one seeming to have any idea who
was In the party
Four OF the regulators. If they may be SO
termed, were wounded. Though three names
have been given TO The News and Courier
Bureau, the party who gave them was not
certain Of them and would not allow them to
1t was about o'clock when DR.. Knowlton
was called to q residence on Henderson street
IN a wnun0pd memb9r
The man was snot in the centre OF the left
thigh. DR.. Knowlton did not examine the
wound carefully before DR.. owens arrived
Kpowltol did not get the mans name. Dr..
Owens likewise did not get the name Of the
wounded man, he said this afternoon.
The wound, he says, was made by SS-
calibre bullet and he considers 1t a dangerous
When DR.. Knowlton returned to his Office
he found another man with bullet hole
through the palm Of one Of his hands and
some bird shot over his right eve. He dress
ed this mans wounds, but did not get his
name.
At the same house above referred to on
Henderson street DR.. Owens attended big
fellow, who had very ugly wound In the
side Of his leg, the hole being unusually
large, though not deep. He does not consider
this wound serious.
A little later Dr. owens attended boy who
was hit in the face and head with small shot
and was shot In the lower portion OF the
abdomen. Fortunately the bullets did not
penetrate the cavity.
Every effort is being made to keep the
names Of the wounded under cover apparent
ly. but above is given the exact nature OF the
wounds.
UP 10 midday Superintendent Welles stat
ed that he had no statement TO make in re-
gard 10 the unfortunate affair. and from him
nothing could be ascertained. Officer Fowler
seems 10 have been the only person outside TO
come in contact with the party. No request
has yet been made Of the city authorities to
detail extra police officers TO patrol the out
side OF the yard This, however, Is expected.
These are the facts as they could be collect
ed to-day. Whether the crowd was composed
OF strikers or of their sympathizers, or partly
OF both, Ia not known, In view OF the fact
that even the police officer could recognize
no one. Any way the act will react upon the
strikers, and many OF them are to-day de-
ploring II as much as anyone else.
Later IL was learned that the man danger
ously wounded is named McGeilis and the
boy Is named Winters. Both are striking
machinists. The names OF the others cannot
be gotten. This afternoon Superintend dent
Welles again requested "a police patrol and
guard. This was given and tonight the shops
are we'll guarded.
An Unfair Proposition.