Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-10-13
GREEK LAB0RERS
GET TO RI0TING
Kill Their Forsman's Wife and
Hold Up Train-Ali Are
Arrested.

riot occurred Friday night at tn,
railroad camp near Glenbrook, fiv,
miles north of Riddle, where a gang o,
Greeks is employed by the s Poo. ii
making a fill, that resulted in tn,
death of Mrs. John A. Petersen, wifi,
OF the foreman and the woundipg of q
Greek.
The Greeks had become angered the
previous Sunday at their foreman
John A. Petersen, because they were
not allowed to work that day. as had
been their CO tom, and on previous
occasions they had made dire threats
against freight train crews for
heavily jolting the cars in which they
slept by being bumped by freight
trains that were being switched.
That night the south. bound freight in
taking the Glenbrook siding to allow
the second section of No. l6 passengt +
train to pass. The freight train gave
the cars occupied by the Greeks a
heavy jolt, so Foreman PETERSEN
reports, he car occupied by himself
and wife being coupled to the bunk
cars. In moment the Greeks
swarmed out with guns and began to
shoot at the freight train crew which
consisted of Engineer ]. L. Woodson,
Fireman Jesse MoCulloch, Conductor
Fred Ceilings and Brakes men c. E.
Johnston and +. ]. Birmingham.
Woodson and McCulloch were driven
from the engine ~ fusillade of
bullets, which riddled the cab. Coll
ings, Birmingham and Johnston, not
having any weapon, were also obliged
to flee for safety. Johnston, however,
according TO reliable reports, ran to
the nearby house of a trackwalker
and, securing rife, returned to his
train and gave battle TO the Greeks.
He fired the only four shots in the
weapon, so the story goes, wounding
one Of the Greeks and causing the
rest to disperse. About this time,
Foreman PETERSEN and his wife, at
tracted bv the shooting. went to the
doorway of their car and peered out
into the darkness. AT the same time,
the other foreman Thos. Scott, who
occupied the next car, Joined them,
standing on the ground below. Sud
denly three shots rang ont in quick
succession. Two of them barely
missed Scott's head and the third
struck Mrs. Peterseia in the right eye,
piercing her brain and killing her in.
stantly. Then all was quiet. The
identity of the person who fired those
three shots is mystery They were
fired at very narrow angle as the
first section of the passenger train
was standing on the opposite track at
the time.
The belief prevails that the bullet
which ended Mrs. Petersein's life was
intended for her husband and that it
was fired by one of the Greeks. 1t is
reported that the Greeks had threat.
ened to kill Petersen, and that on
Monday he had sent to the X. h.
company his resignation as foreman.
A message was sent to Rosehurg for
assistance, where posse of 2S men,
headed by Deputy Sheriff Bogard
and Marshal Jarvis, left for the scene
oil a special train.
when the officers arrived they found
that the passenger train and the
freight train had both passed aud the
Greeks had retired to their buuks.
The Greeks were taken to Roseburg
and the militia company ordered out
to guard them, pending the investiga-
ton of the affair, which was begun
Thursday by the coroner of Douglas
county. The body of Mrs. PETERSEN
was tai en- to Roseburg for interment.