The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-10-05
ALHOUN's MEN
At TACK PERSONS
ON THREE CARS
Crew From Geneva Street
Barn Assails Ali Pas
sengers
NO MERCY SHOWN
Women and Children Are
Among Victims of a
Wanton Raid
CAUSE OF TROUBLE
Rufhans Sent Out to Pro-
tect One Car Pounce
Upon Others
CAUSE OF TROUBLE

Called out by a frightened nom
union conductor to subdue obstrep-
erous laborers on one car who had re-
fused to pay their fares, Is of the ruff
fans quartered at the Geneva street
carbarns attacked the passengers of
three Ocean View cars last night
near the branch county Jail in San
Jose avenue. The Calhoun fighters
were armed with coupling bars,
switch irons and revolvers, and they
struck inofensive passengers indis-
crin1inately. Men were beaten, chill
dren were knocked unconscious and
screaming women were iffven for
shelter into neighboring vegetable
gardens and houses. There were no
police within immediate call. and the
tough crew from the carbarns satiated
their thirst for violence. They smashed
the windows and doors of the cars in
their eagerness to get at the unarrned
persons inside, and they kept at the
work until they had driven out of light
all who were able to run for their
lives. Then two policemen arrived and
arrested two Italians who had taken
no part IN the original trouble. When
the carbarn thugs had disappeared a
riot platoon from the Mission police
station appeared.
Laborers returning home from work
in the burned district started the trou-
BILE. They crowded car. directly after
finishing for the day. but the conductor
was unable to collect fares from the
throng. He kept up his efforts until
the car reached Fourteenth and Guer-
rero streets. Meeting failure still and
many threats. he became frightened
and left his car to telephone the car
barns for aid. A wrecker loaded with
the 2Sf1ghting men WHO have figured in
several former displays of brutality
was sent out from the Geneva street
trolley station.
While the frightened conductor was
telephoning, one OF the passengers
gave the motorman the signal to go
ahead, and when the nonunion man
emerged from the telephone booth he
saw his car speeding far UP the street
All the men on tho wrecker who were
not armed with revolvers had heavy
switch and coupling bars for weapons.
They met the conduotorless car near
the old branch prison. Shouting and
yelling they tumb1ed or the wrecker
and rushed upon the crowd of laborers.
Windows were smashed and soon pas
sengers and thugs were mixed In a
fighting, yelling tangle Of men.
While the struggle was on three
other cars OF the same line came up,
and after routing the unarmed men in
the forward car. the carbarn ruffians
rushed upon the others. The passen-
gers on these cars were mostly women.
but the maddened 'wrecker crew did
not hesitate to attack them. When the
frightened passengers closed the doors
and windows which had been opened
on account of the heat they broke them
In. Covering mothers, leaning over
little children to protect them, were
trampled under the feet of the thugs.
The heavy iron weapons were swinging
incessantly, and women and girls
dropped as frequently as men under
the blows. The revoivers also were
used as clubs.
Residents of the neighborhood ran to
the nearest telephone when the attack
was at it's height and two patrolfiaen
first responded They placed Guiseppi
Longono and Antonio Spurza under ar
rest These two men were found in a
ditch where they had sought shelter
from the switch bars of the carbarn
thugs. Ten minutes later a patrol
wagon loaded with riot platoon from
the Mission station arrived, but hay-
ing completed their work the 25 ruff
fans who wrecked the cars they were
sent out to protect had returned to the
shelter of their Geneva street head
quarters.
The police will make an effort today
to arrest some of the men who tool
part in the attack