The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-24
Mobs Were CompOseJ of Men, Women
and Boys, and They DISTRACTED the
Tracks I'm Every Way.
WINDOWS OF CARS BROKEN
ONE UNRULY BAND DRIVEN INTO A
SALOON AND HELD THERE.
Conferences Held All Day and Well
Into the Night, but No Basis of Set
tIement Agreed On.

111CAGO, NOV. So.-fleTCe III
which police used their clubs freely and
twice their revolvers. marked the opening
of the State-street cable line by the Chi
cago City Railway to-day. AS far can
be ascertained nobody was seriously in
jured. although there were many broken
heads among the rioters who came in con-
tact with the clubs of the police. If any
members of the mob were injured by the
bullets Of the police and nonunion men on
the cars they were carried off by their
friends before the fact was known to
others.
The hardest fighting of the day took
place at Forty-first street and State. Many
Of the mob. who were slow of foot,
overtaken by the police and soundly raped
with clubs. Few arrests were made, the
officers contenting themselves with scat
tering the crowd. All day long on State
street the company was hampered by the
work OF the mob. which piled distractions
upon the tracks. drove pegs and spikes
into the cable slot, and cut the trolley
wires in many places. The Archer-avenue
line badly damaged early in the day.
and required several hours work by a
strong force of repair men, who were
heavily guarded by the police. No attempt
since the commencement of the strike. The
opening of the State street line to-day gave
the company five lines on which cars were
rum The service however. is not OF a char
acter to be generally useful TO the public.
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.
While the fighting was going on in the
streets the usual conferences were in prog
ress. and propositions and counter propo-
off of ho Oh nd II
tonight IL was learned that the company
and the strikers are so far apart on sew
eral propositions that there is little pros
pect Of peace in the immediate future un-
less somebody changes front. Arbitration
OF wages has been agreed to, but the COM
pany insists II shall be on the basis of
wages paid IN other cities, claiming that
Chicago wages now the highest in the
country. On the routing of cars nothing
approaching an agreement has been
reached. On the reinstatemen of employees
who went out on a sympathetic strike
both sides are firm and directly opposed the
men demanding, the company refusing 1t.
The question OF the demand of the closed
shop has been practically agreed upon, the
understanding being that there shall be no
discrimination by either union or COM
pany for or against any man in or out of
the union.
The lawless element began work early
this morning. Trolley wires were cut in q
cars on that line were delayed over an hour
while repairs We're being made under po-
nee protection. An EFFORT was made, also.
TO blockade Archer avenue, where 1t was
apparently believed cars would be run to-
day. Quantities OF rocks were found to
on the tracks
Five trains were put in operation on
State-street cable. A serious riot occurred
trains arrived at that point. Many shots
were hred by the police. The cars en-
countered obstacles all along the line.
After removing spikes from the cable slots
at Fffty-seventh and Fifty-first streets,
the train was blocked at Forty-first street
by iron rails placed across the tracks. The
crews began to remove the obstructions
when from behind fences came a yolley
Of stones. The police charged the rioters
sued. In which the police fired upon the
mob BY this time a crowd had collected
about the cars and another charge by the
police was made upon them before the OBJ
struction could be removed.
During the thick of the fight at Forty
first street Mrs. Charles Lett, a passenger
on the first car, jumped from the car and
Drawing the revolver shots and all sorts of
missiles, ran. thoroughly frightened to a
place Of safety. Windows had been broken
near where she sat and her face was cut
by glass. Conductor j. p. PREMIER in
charge OF the first car. drew a big magazine
revolver and fired shot after shot in the
direction or the fleeing mob until his Wea-
pom was empty. At Thirty ninth street the
police resorted to strategy and drove a
crowd of men into a saloon. They then
surrounded the building and allowed no one
to leave until the trains had proceeded.
More trouble was encountered by the
State-street cable trains on the return trip
near Forthy-th third street. While the trains
were down town the mob systematically
blocked the cables with stones and scrap
iron and blockaded the tracks with heavy
steel rails. Hundreds of men, women and
boys then awaited the return Of the police
with rocks ready 10 heave at the trains.
Men and women reported to have
been knocked down In their own doorways.
Scores of rioters and bystanders were
wounded by, the clubs of the police
Police Inspector LAWN was forced to &c
TO the hospital tonight. During the figh
this morning at Fortieth and State street.
he was hit on the forehead with a stone
He did not regard the injury serious
but was compelled TO give up tonight Hs
will be able TO resume duty Tomorrow oil
next day.