Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-10-07
500 AT MOB'S MERCY.
UNPAID Workman CAUSE RIOT
AND 6LOO0shEO
Failure OF the Consolidated Lake su.
perior Bubble Brings Serious Dis
turbance-Ansry Men Wreck Office
and Defy Troops

Coincident with the bursting of Fran
els Il. Clergue's Si17 100000 bubble, the
Consolidated LAX. Superior Company,
there were riots and shooting Monday at
the company's closed plants at Sault Ste
Marie, Mich. While the company was
being placed in the hands of a receiver
in Connecticut 2,000 foriner employees
whose wages were not forthcoming Us
promised battered down the doors of the
magnificent Office across the river, smash
ed everything on the first floor and might
! have torn down the bull ling bu: for FIRE
men wSth hose and militiamen with load
ed rifles who threatened 20 Kill the mem
| bers of the mob unless Il 'drew.
The moo, hooting and yelling, fought
and ovespowered the police, and after
the local company of Canadian militia
mad been called out hurled bricks and
stores at the soldiers
Most Of tire members OF the mob were
armed, but no one used his weapons ex-
cept the soldiers, che police and the office
employees Of the company. -Four police
men were badly injured By the mob and
| two Frenchmen were shot By policemen
for attempting 70 release two prisoners.
More militiamen and company of Brit
! ish regulars we're ordered out
! The employees held big mass meeting
| Monday night in the White house An
/ attempt was made TO allay the passions
of the men by an offer made by the
Brothe hood of Woodsmen, an organiza
/ ton IN lintained among the lumbermen,
to furnish an attorney free of charge To
collect all pay checks left in his hands.
/ The meeting broke up without any par
ticular confusion or disorder
| An effort was made to get n body of
the rioters TO cross the river 10 the Amer
| lean side and put the power house and
/ street railway out of commission, but it
was not successful. On account Of this
rumor the local company Of Michigan
| troops was modified at the arnory and
| extra policemen were put on duty.
| A meeting Of the employees Of the com
| pany was held in Barnes Hall in the
morning and its proceedings were Of the
most heated character. The particular
grievance that inhamed the men to acts
of disorder was the promise Of pay when
the men who made the promises, the
employees believed knew they could not
be fulfilled. Immed " after this
meeting the men went IN a body to the
!
/ their money or satisfaction" The doors
of the offices We're locked and guarded
by police.
The men became furious, and despite
/ the efforts Of the combined strength of
the local police force and the company's
| private police stones ar5 a. r. missiles
soon filed the air, dire'tea at The win
dows Of the office build ng, inside of
which could be seen the officials of the
| company.
An assault on the Office was made by
the mob and a mass of freuzied rioters
secure possession of the ground floor of
the building, destroying everything NOV
able that came in their path The 1fice
staff, with drawn revolvers, prev ented
the mob from gaining access TO the up
per floors of the building. Every win
dow and door in the building was smash
ed in
Someone turned in an alarm of FIRE
with view t. using the fire hose on the
mob. The fremen turned seve1al streams
on the crowd and drove il back from the
| building. This reduced the size of the
mob.
The arrival of the troops on the
! grounds armed with bail cartridges,
| about o'clock served to restore some
semblance of order. The rioters then
contented themselves with throwing
stones at the building and hurling inyec-
tiyes at the soldiers, who established q
dead line" and prevented any approach
! toward the building by any of the riot
! ers
The mob attacked the street cars and
| IN order TO Rvoid a clash al the cars on
! the Canadian side wers ordered to the
! barn
In the conflict between the mob and
! the police at tAe works Patrolman Lit
ticwood was seriously injured and Pa
/ trolman Stinson was also hurt badly.
! Two other polcemen were injured.