The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-12
STRIKE RIOT IN
SAN FRANCISCO
Police Claim Credit for Shoot
ing Five Non-Union Street
Car Men.
STORY DENIED BY COMPANY
STRIKERS ACCUSED OF FIRING
THE SHOTS.
STORY DENIED BY COMPANY

NAfG OfaO ~
San Francisco, Sept. 11.-Five nom
union street car men were shot at an
early hour this morning, and are now
in St. Lukes hospital. There are COLI
flicting stories as to how they received
their wounds. Three policemen claim
TO have shot them after having been
fired upon On the other hand, the
street railway officials maintain that
the men were set upon by pickets of the
strikers. Following are the names of
the victims:
The injured.
Morris Rendsburg. non-union con-
ductor, bullet wound in the left
chest. The bullet penetrated the pleu-
raj cavity and came out at the back.
Roy Perkins, conductor, flesh wound
in the right chest.
]. J. COtter, mOtorman, bullet wound
in left upper forearm.
Harry Cohrs, conductor, bullet wound
in the right leg.
Frank Smith, conductor, bullet wound
In the right forearm.
The trouble occurred when a wreck
ing car of the United Railroads, on
which were about fifteen men, was ap-
preaching the car barn at the corner of
Utah and Twenty-foUrth streets. As
the car was passing tent occupied by
union pickets. stones were thrown at
IT and shots were fired by some of the
car men, but no one was hit.
Police Used Their Guns.
The car continued on its way to the
barn, where a crowd had assembled.
Some of the men alighted and trouble
began implediately. Policeman r. @.
Wade, J. W. Miller and F. Bigelow ap-
81 81,
men not to shoot. It is said that this
command was disregarded, whereupon
the police used their revolvers. five of
the car men being wounded.
The story told by the police this
morning in a report to Captain of De
tectives Colby. casts all the blame on
the non-union car men. In substance
it is as follows:
Report of the officers,
AT HIS O'Clock last night. a work
car with all the lights extinguished and
carrying a force of twenty-five strike
breakers. left the car barn at Twenty
fourth and Utah streets and ran down
Twenty-fOurth street to a switchback
at Bryant street. When passing the
tent of the union pickets at Twenty
fourth and Potrero. the non-UniOn men
opened fire, directing volleys of shots
at the tent In switching back the car
bryant street. ndll a uOLen VI the
car men were inadvertently left behind
and the work car started at high speed
on it's return to the barn. Police Off
GERS Miller and Bigelow, attracted to
the scene by the noise OF the shooting,
were Joined by Officer Wade, who had
been stationed at the barn. The three
blueeoats encountered at a point about
100 feet from the barn the car men who
were returning afOOt-
Officers Fired Upon.
I'VE were in full uniform" says Of
ficer Wade. "and not more than $50 feet
from the strike breakers when we call
ed out TO them to halt and not to shoot
that we We're officers. Instead of
obeying this command, the men faced
about At Us and the whole bunch of
them opened fire with revOlvers. About
fifty shots were fired at us by them,
but none of us was hit. We returned
the fire promptly and got five of them.
AT the hospital this morning one Of
the men we shot called me over to him
and shook hands with me. I hope
there's no hard feelings he said. We
got ours and you would have got yours
if we had shot better All of the five
wounded men had pistols on them when
We arrested them
Harry Green and John j. Cotter are
under arrest, charged with assault to
commit murder. Frank Smith, Harry
Cohrs. Maurice Rendsberg and Roy
Perkins are charged with carrying con-
cealed weapons and discharging fire
arms within the city limits
Rendsberg May Recover.
L is stated this morning at st. Luke S
hospital that Rendsburg is resting com
fortably and has a chance to recover.
The other four wounded men are get
ting along we'll
Officer Wade. when questioned by
newspaper men this morning admitted
that the union pickets in the tent at
Twenty-fourth and Potrero may have
been stoning cars during the day and
the evening, but he knew nothing of It..
President Patrick Calhoun. of the
United Railroads. and General Manager
Mullaly went to the Utah street car
barns this morning to make a thorough
investigation. They do not accept for
more than its face value the story told
by the police, which exonerates the
strikers and themselves and casts all
the blame for the shooting on the non
union car men.
Managers Statement.
The facts as developed by a search
ing investigation, made by President
Calhoun and General Manager Mullaly.
place the affair in very different light
and are of a color with the frequent
outbreaks of lawlessness and acts of
outrage openly perpetrated by union
men and their sympathizers since the
commencement of the street car strike
Continued on Page 2