The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-03
NIGHT OF RIOTINC
A Policeman Is Shot and Scores
Are Injured
As Result of Street Car Strike
in Philadelphia.
FIVE CARS BURNED.
The Strikers Are Not RESPONSE
BILE for the Trouble.
They Were Kept at Headquar-
ters by the Leaders.

Philadelphia, June 3-There was a
sensation this morning when the
| news spread that the subway and
elevated system had been tied up by
a strike. This proved untrue, how
ever. an accident putting the system
out of business for time. All of
| those injured in last nights rioting
will recover. About 100 are under
treatment in hospitals. The station
houses were filled to overf1owing with
persons arrested for rioting
AS Illustrating the ugly feeling en-
| gendered by last nights rioting
this morning. probably than at any
time since the strike began The
strike sympathizers devoted their
energies to the harassment of the
strikebreakers and others who are
running the comparatively few cars
that are on the street. Each car car
ries one or more policemen, but few
passengers. the public evidently be-
ing afraid to ride. Thousands walked
from choice, however, as means of
getting even'' with the transit COM
pany for its recent increase in the
rate of fare.
Four hundred additional substitute
policemen were sworn in this morn
ing. Timothy O'Leary, assistant
superintendent of police, who has
| been in active charge of policing the
city since the strike began, said to-
day that if necessary to preserve or
der 1000 extra men would be en-
rolled for police duty.
Last Nights Rioting.
One policeman shot and probably
fatally injured, nearly a hundred
persons bruised and battered either
by policemen or strike sym pathiZerS,
and five cars wrecked and then
burned. is the result of an attempt on
of loI,
Transit company to operate cars last
night by imported strike breakers.
The point at which the most ser
ious rioting occurred is known as the
section of the city there lives nearly
every nationality, the foreign ele-
ment predominating. When the
traction company announced that
cars would be run last night nearly
all storekeepers in the Kensington
residents there, closed their stores
promptly at o'clock.
AS one car after another left the
car barns, crowds stood on the
street corners in sullen silence Fin
ally boy cried "Scab!" and, i'm
mediately he was pursued by
policeman who was riding on a car.
AS the officer started for the boy,
the crowd closed in upon him and so
quickly was this done that he was
Unable to draw his revolver. His
weapon was taken from him and 1t
is believed to have been the same re-
volyer with which Policeman Levy
was shot few minutes later.
In less than half an hour seven
cars were wrecked, five being com
pletely demolished and burned. The
police officials were powerless at the
moment to combat the mob, but
riot call brought half hundred blue
coats to the scene and the crowd
was driven back. But the damage
had been done and there was little
need of the preservers of the peace so
Hong as no attempt was made to run
cars from the barn.
Policeman Is Ducked.
There were also incipient riots at the
car barn at Sixteenth and Jackson
streets in the down town dist" Ct
and at Forty-ninth street and Wood
lawn avenue and Forty-first street and
| Haveford avenue in the west Ph1la-
delphia district. The crowd grew men
! acing when an attempt was made to
run cars from the down town barns A
| policernan who endeavored to quell the
| disturbance was ducked in water
| trough. twenty-five plain clothes men
and policemen were rusned TO the scene
| on a special trolley and after the cars
| were run back into the barn there was
no further trouble.
In West Philadelphia several arrests
were made, but in many instances the
policemen were unable to get their
! prisoners to the station houses on ac-
/ count of the crowds.
| In West Philadelphia, dynamite caps
were placed on the tracks and crowds
stoned the strike breakers when they
/ attempted to bring out cars, fore. ns
| them to return to the barn. In the
down town section conductors and
motorrnen were pulled from their cars
/ and their clothes torn from their backs
bv rnobs of strike sympathizers. In
| some cases the terrified strike breakers
had to be taken to private houses and
guarded by police to save them from
| bodily harm.
Five Big Riots.
In Kensington there We're five big
| riots and all evening kensinStoa ave-
nue. the main thoroughfare. was lined
with a bowling mob.
| So far as can be learned the striking
street car men themselves did not take
mart ir tee rioting. They ware Eept
confined by their leaders IN their vari-
| Gus meeting places
The imported strike breakers proved
IN he a disappointment TO he company.
| MANY of them deser.e1 their cars at
the fi-st sign of trouble and left them
standing in the street at the mercy of
the mob Several of them applied to
the strikers for aid 10 return to New
York. saying that they had been
brought here under Misrepresentation.
At least one hundred persons have
been more or less seriously injured
| Strike Extends to the ''L.''
Philadelphia, June AT 10 o'clock
| this morning the elevated and subway
| system of the Philadelphia Rapid
| Transit company which had been a
| bulwark of strength for the company
| since the strike began became tied up
| by a partial strike of its employees. The
! trouble started when westbound
| train reached the F'orty-sixth street
station. Here the crew deserted and
the train was run to the xtyninth
street terminal by men sent out from
that point. Subsequently other crews