The leader., 1903-10-03
SERIOUS RIOT AT
| SAULT STE MARIE
A Mass Of Frenzied Rioters Have
Taken Possession Of the Town.
GRAVE FEARS ENTERTAINED
The whole city TsrroFlSezd and tIae
Troops Seem WHOLLY Unable to
Cope with the Mob, NbO Are
Demanding Pay For W6YI<.

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich, Sept. 29.-
The situation In the Canadian 500,
which has been the scene of serious
rioting by the discharged employees OF
the Consolidated Lake Superior Co.,
who were put off with promises when
they demanded their promised wages,
Is very grave. No reinforcements oi
militia have arrived from outside, and
the only defense from the mob, which
grows hourly, is the more or less de-
moralized police department and
small company of militiamen. An as
sault upon the Office building by the
mob early in the afternoon by the ar
rival On the ground of troops was sue
cessfut and mass of frenzied rioters
secured possession of the ground floor
Of the building, destroying everything
movable that came in their path. A
| crowd of the Office staff, with drawn re-
volvers, prevented their gaining access
to the opper floor of the building. Ev-
cry window and door In the building
is smashed in. The arrival Of the
troops on the ground armed with ball
cartridges about two o'clock served to
restore some semblance of order. The
rioters then contented themselves with
throwing stones at the building and
hurling invectives at the soldiers who
established dead line" and prevent
ed any approach toward the building
by any of the rioters.> The greatest
number of the men are ignorant Ital-
ians, Firms, Norwegians and French
men, the latter perhaps the hardest OF
all to handle. All have been drinking
more or less, although the bars finally
obeyed the order to close up. The mot
is one that can not be reasoned with,
and the man they seem most anxious
to get at is Mr.. Coyne, the assistant
manager, who, in the absence Of Mr..
Shields, is in charge of the works. Mr.
Coyne has discreetly kept out of sight
all day Late Monday afternoon the
leaders of the mob held conference
and demanded that the company house
the men in their hotel and boarding
house and feed them until the money
for their wages is forthcoming. In or
der to appease the crowd this demand
was granted, and the men have taken
possess of the White house, large
boarding house operated by the COM
pany. 1t is estimated that there are
1000 men in the 500, and these are
reinforced by all the idle rabble in
town. A train carrying 400 more
woedsmen was expected to arrive on
the AIgoma Central last night. The
local police force is being strengthened
by the addition of all deputies who can
be found, each man being given badge
and a revolver and ordered to use the
latter whenever necessary. Consider
able feeling has been aroused over the
shooting of two Frenchmen by the po-
lice during the trouble Monday morn
ing. The rioters claim that the officers
used their revolvers when it was un-
necessary. Neither of the men is fatal
ly hurt.
The mob threatens an attack upon
police headquarters with view to eff
fecting the release of all the men who
have been arrested. Both this building
and that occupied by the fire depart
ment is guarded against attack.
The problem Mondays develop
ments has created is beyond the solu-
ton of any of the company officials on
the ground. Apparently their only
hope is that the anger of the mob will
expend itself and that the men will get
out of town by degrees