The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-11-13
RIOTS IN CHICAGO
MARKED THE INCEPTION OF THE
STRIKE
OF STREET RAILWAY MEN.
CREWS OF THE CARS WERE
DRIVEN AWAY.

one Man Had His Back Broken.
Fierce Attacks Made by the StrIIS-
ers-NO Police Protection Was At
fOrded the Cars-EnOrts to Run
Were AbandOned-Wi1 Resume
To-day.
Chicago, Nov. 12.-Constant scenes of
disorder over a district approximately
fifty square miles in extent resulted to-
day from the inauguration of strike
by the employees of one of the two prin-
cipal surface street railway companies
in Chicago. All along the lines, where
ever cars were started, strike sympa-
thiZers made desperate onslaughts on
the crews, beginning at daybreak and
continuing as long as care remained
on the tracks. The tie-up was made
complete
A number of cars were wrecked, and
that no person was killed is no fault
of the rioters. One man had his back
broken, and the first shot of the strike
was fired at Wentworth avenue and
West Sixty-ninth street, where a mob
Of several hundred tried to hold up a
train. Many persons, chiefly non-union
street car men, were injured by flying
stones or splintered glass. Two women
were among thosa hurt.
Except a few ozen passengers, who
had to flee from the cars, 5000 daily
patrons of the company were forced to
all sorts of other methods in order to
get down town and back. With faces
and hands bleeding from the attacks
of strikers, motormen, gripmen and
conductors, who tried to run trains, re-
turned to the barns and refused to go
out again unless the trains bore plat
toons of police, or patrol wagons were
alongside.
Police Was NOn-Partisan.
The police confined their efforts to
seeing that the passage of cars from
the barns was unobstructed, and that
the crowds and blockades in the streets
were quickly cleared.
This was done under orders from
Mayor Carter H. Harrison, whose an
nounced purpose was to preserve an
impartial attitude, taking sides neither
for nor against the strikers or the
street car company, which, though
Company is a private corporation, the
lines of which extend through the
south side of the city, radiating from
the business center.
Developments regarding the attitude
of the municipal administration hinge
largely upon new official, Herman f.
Schuettler, who to-day, under appoint
ment from the Mayor, assumed the du-
ties of assistant chief of police. He
will be in direct charge of police ar
rangements during the contest. Schuet-
tier is the man who tracked and arrest
ed Anarchist Louis Lingg after the
Haymarket riot and subsequently sent
Adolph Luetgert, the wealthy sausage
man, to die in the penitentiary under
conviction for wife murder Schuettler
has a remarkable record for personal
daring and astuCeness.
Government May Intervene.
Possibilities of federal interference
under certain contingencies are being
discussed. The situation in this re-
spect was outlined to-day by Post
master Coyne. He said:
Thus far there is no cause for
alarm as to the mail service. 1t is
true trains have been delayed, but that
is not serious enough to report to
Washington. The street car company
owns the mail cars, and by contract
is obliged to run them in separate
trains and deliver mail at specified
points. There is no ground for OBJ
jections against the company sending
out mail trains between passenger
trains. What else can the company
do? If serious delay occurs we will
report the fact to Washington and
act on instructions from the postal
department.
Before nightfall, President Hamilton
and General Counsel Bliss of the rail-
way company, after endeavoring to
operate cars in defiance of the strike
of its trainmen, announced after a
conference with Mayor Harrison that
the attempt would be abandoned for
the day. The railway officials say that
80 per cent. of their employees are loyal,
and that If accorded sufficient protec-
ton by the police department, they
will be able to man and operate their
cars. A further effort to run cars,
each car accompanied by a squad of
police in a patrol wagon, will, 1t Is ex-
pected, be made tomorrow.
The strike is the outgrowth Of per-
sistent efforts for increased wages, and
exclusion of non-union employees. To-
day about 1900 men, practically the
entire force of the company's wage
earners, were idle. the number of men
at any time running cars being, but
small fraction of the number usually
at work The company's stationary
firemen, who also have presented de-
mands upon the company for Increased
wages, and to whom the trainmen
looked for assistance, have declined to
go out.
Derogatory remarks regarding the
union by an armed non-union employee
of the company caused riot at Thirty
sixth and State streets tonight. The
man was chased into the engine house
near by and before the police could
reach the spot a mob of 1000 persons
surrounded the place, bowling for the
life of the offender A squad of police
men, after great difficulty, quelled the