Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1902-06-04
LABORERS REBEL N CHICAGO


CHICAGO, June 3.-Riot and blood.
shed marked the progress of the team
sters' strike Monday. There were nu.
merous conflicts between the police
and the strikers and their sympathiz.
ers. Fighting began on the West Side
shortly after noon and in different
parts Of the city continued practically
all the afternoon. The most serious
trouble of the day occurred in Crosby
street in the district known in police
circles as Little He'll" A detachment
of policemen under the command Of
Lieutenant Collins was escorting a
number of wagons loaded with meat
to the distributing stations down town.
A large crowd followed the wagons,
shouting and jeering and now and then
sending stone over the heads OF the
officers in the direction Of the men
on the meat wagons. The line of wa
CONS escorted by the. police was fire.
quently stopped by other teamsters,
who would manage to pull across the
street just in the proper place to pre-
vent the meat wagons from making
any progress. The police would order
the men away and in a few moments
this action would be repeated, much to
the delight of the crowd. Finally one
of the teamsters refused to pull his
wagon out of the way of the meat wa
CONS, and the police placed him under
arrest.
Then the fight commenced. Instant
ly shower of mud, stones and sticks
fell around and on the officers, bruis
ing some of them badly. Lieutenant
Collins ordered the march of the meat
wagons stopped and at once charged
the crowd. The crowd refused to
bulge, when the police came on. A
large number of women came to the
aid of the strikers and were the fierc
est fighters of the lot. One policeman
was knocked down with a brick and
his companions then drew their clubs
and made war with such energy thai
within a few minutes the street was
filled with men with bleeding heads
The mob were led by large man who
came from the gashouse near Crosby
street, and who called to his follow
ers continually to Kill the coppers
and hang the scabs afterwards"
Finally big policeman got hold oil
the big leader and when he was car
ried off by friends his head and face
were covered with blood. The police
made no attempt to arrest him, fol-
they had their hands full with the hun
dreds of men and women who crowded
around them and fought viciously with
anything they could lay their hands
upon. The crowd increased so rapid
ly that Lieutenant Collins soon saw
that their men would be everpoweret
unless he took vigorous action. Hs
ordered the men to fall back slowly
toward the wagons, and the crowd
seeing in this action a token Of vic
tory, pressed in with shouts and vol
leys of stones came more thickly The
police fell back until they had formed
a compact mass close to the wagons
and then, at Collins order, drew theil
revolvers and charged the crowd once
more. This time the fight was more
desperate and it was over in much less
time.
The police struck down numbers Of
men and used their clubs and revolver
butts with energy, and in three min
utes the crowd was broken and in full
flight. Forming his men around the
wagons once more, Collins started or
his march. AS soon as the police start
ed away the mob formed again, and
although at respectful distance, they
kept after the wagons until they reach
ed the barns at Halstead and Division
streets. In this fight about a dozeI
of the policemen were badly bruised
and nearly all of them had torn cloth
ing.
Many more of the mob were badly
used up, but as they were all taker
off by their friends, it is impossible tt
guess at the numbers. By the time
the barns were reached the anger o.
the crowd had grown to fever heat
An attempt was made to cross Hal
sted street, but in less than a minute
a blockade had been formed, which II
took two hours to clear.
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