The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-08-05
1cE WAGON DRIVERS BECOME
INVOLVED in THE PACKING.
HOUSE TROUBLE.
POLICEMEN USE THEIR CLUBS
ABOUT FIFTY RIOTERS KNOCKED
DOWN BEFORE THEY RUN
FROM OFFICERS.

Chicago, Aug. 4.-The threatened
spread of the stockyards strike to out
side industries came Wednesday night
when an order was issued by the
teamsters' union prohibiting drivers
Of ice wagons from making any de-
liveries to retail merchants, who since
the clearinghouse teamsters went on
strike have been hauling meat from
the yards in their own wagons. AS
the refrigerators in the meat markets
do not hold enough ice to last longer
than forty-eight hours, if the order
cutting off the supply of ice can be en-.
forced it means that the majority OF
people in Chicago will be compelled
to go on short rations as far as meat
is concerned. The officials OF the
teamsters' union have appointed pick
cts to watch the meat markets all
over the city and these have been in
structed to see that the boycott is car
ried out to the limit.
Outside of the decision of the strik-
ing unions to extend the strike to the
ice men there was little change in the
situation at the stockyards. With
their new employees n those that
have deserted the unions, the packers
managed to dispose of fully SO per cent
of as much work as is carried on I'M
der normal conditions. Less than 300
new employees arrived at the various
plants Wednesday, the packers claim
ing they are hiring only the
skilled workers and are about through
hiring men.
While admitting that the packers
are doing considerable business, the
.-A-sI-- 1~1J @11o ~o that tho 0".
plOyers are losing money on every
animal that is slaughtered, as the I'M
skilled workers waste all the by
products. It is on this waste that the
strikers base their hopes for final sue
cess, arguing that it is only a matter
Of time until the employers will be-
come tired of losing money and will
eventually make overtures to the
unions for a settlement.
Police and Rioters Clash.
In a riot which broke out at the
yards last night two policemen were
injured, and twenty-eight rioters were
arrested after having been beaten in
to subsection. The trouble started
when five strike breakers from M OF
the machine shops in n of the pack
ing plants were leaving the yards, and
tried to board a street a to go to
their homes. Despite the signals Of
the strike breakers the motormen on
twelve cars refused to stop, n a
crowd standing near by, seeing a good
opportunity to get revenge on the non
union men, commenced hurting stones
at them. Two policemen went to the
assistance of the nonunion men, but
the rioters by this time had grown in
numbers so rapidly that fully 1,00C
angry men were trying to get at the
strike breakers. Retreating back into
the machine shop, the policemen sem
in a riot call for reinforcements.
When the additional policemen ar
rived a charge was made on the riot
ers. The crowd threw bricks ant
stones and two of the policemen
dropped in their tracks, having beef
hit on the head. They were picket
up by their companions and taken in
side the machine shop, where it wa
found that one of the e Patricl
Ryan, was suffering from a fractures
skull. The other policeman was no
SO seriously hurt. Seeing the condi
ton of their companions, the othe
eighteen policemen made anothe
vigorous charge on the crowd, club
bling right and left with all the fore
they could muster. Fully fifty riot
ers were beaten to the pavement bt
fore they showed any signs of scatter
ing. AS soon as the policemen sa,
that they had the mob on the run, the
turned their attention to those VIII
were lying on the ground and ares
ed twenty-eight of them before the
could get away.