The Irish standard., 1907-05-11
Fatal STRIKE RIOT
IN SAN FRANCISCO
NoN.UNION CAR CREWS REPLY
TO STONES WITH VOLLEYS
OF BULLETS.
Mobs Frantic with Rage-Eight Men
Are Shot, One of Whom Dies in
the HospltaI-PoIice Are Slow to
Use Force.

the Hospltal-PoIice Are Slow to
: Use Force.
San Francisco, May S.-A pitched
cattle between strike-breakers in the
uniforms of car inspectors and strikers
and their sympathizers was fought
Tuesday afternoon on Turk street for
more than an hour. Eight men were
shot, among them a policeman and
Detective Bell, and one of the Wound
ed men died later in the hospital
The shooting was done by strike.
breakers from car windows. in re-
sponse to showers of paving stones
and bricks hurled at them by the mob
that chased the cars block after block,
picking up their wounded as they ran.
Many squads of police reserves
we're called out, and with clubs and
drawn revolvers they chased and dis.
persed the mob.
Shooting Makes Mob Frantic.
The bloody affray was the outcome
of the first attempt of the United rail-
roads to run passenger cars out of
their Turk and Fillmore street barns
at 2:30 p. m. A reporter who rode on
horseback behind a string of cars saw
four men shot from the car windows.
The first shot was fired at the inter.
section of Turk and Buchanan streets,
by a guard from the rear platform of
the car that headed the string OF
seven. The bullet struck young
81 yrr hn o11vh nd in.
flicted a flesh wound in his arm. The
shot was not fired until most of the
windows of the car had been smashed
with stones, several of which had
struck and severely bruised some OF
the guards on board.
The shooting of this man aroused
the mob to pitch of frenzy. Paving
stones and other distractions were
cast on the track, and in that way
the car was brought to a standstill
block further on. Hurting any missiles
that came easiest to hand. cursing and
screaming for the lives of the strike.
breakers. hundreds of men and boys
surrounded the car. In moment a
fusillade Of shots rang out and the
crowd fell back.
Youth Shot Through Lungs.
At Van Ness avenue a youth OF
perhaps 20 was shot through the
lungs. He pitched forward into the
street, whence he was lifted and
thrown on to mattress in furniture
van. He was hurried to the emergency
hospital at Golden Gate avenue and
Cough street: Still the mob, checked
but not disnaayed by the rain of bull
let's. kept up running pursuit of the
slowly moving cars. stoning them and
cursing the guards.
Just beyond Van Ness avenue the
first squad of police, arrived in pa,
troll wagon. The mob stoned them.
too, but presently desisted on being
impored by union pickets who shout.
ed frantically: Boys. don't hit the
cops; they are our friends
The mob called on the officers to ar
rest the dozen or more guards on the
first three cars Very few of the po
licemen drew their clubs. They tried
to persuade the maddened men and
boys to disperse. but without effect.
Offers Himself as Sacrifice.
One union man, who was loudest in
denunciation of strike breakers, Gre
ated dramatic scene. While the
smoke from the emptied pistols of the
guards still hung over the shattered
cars, he threw off his coat, raised his
arms and wildly offered himself as a
cacrifico fo their hn11nts
At Turk and Hyde streets the
guards again turned loose their
weapons on the following crowd. In
the fusillade policeman was shot in
the back. presumably by accident.
The first two cars succeeded in get,
ting as far as Market street. where
officers from the Central police sta.
tion in Eddy street arrested the
guards and took them to headquarters
where they were booked-under what
charge the police refuse to say. g
Clubs Scatter Crowd.
Second and third relief squads from
the Central station, under command of
Capts. Scott and Duke, raced out Turk
street in carriages and automobiles.
Capt. Scott was the first officer OBJ
served to use actual force in order to
disperse the crazed mob. Leaping
from his buggy, he drew his club and
struck right and left. After he had
knocked down four or five of the
strikers and their sympathizers. the
salutory effect of his manner of treat
ment became apparent; the mob
broke and began to run.
Capt. Duke. arriving few minutes
later, followed Capt. Scott's tactics,
and with half dozen burly patrol
men. beat back \and scattered the
crowd. which retreated jeering toward
the carbarns at Turk and Fillmore
streets.
Competent observers of the rioting
expressed freely the opinion that the