The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1909-08-24
FIVE MEN KILLED
IN STRIKE RIOT
Strikebreakers Shot Down by
McKees' Rocks Strikers.
MANY OTHERS ARE WOUNDED
Women Throw Bombs-Lead Attack
on the Troopers, and Are Not
stopped by a VoIIey Fired Over
Their Heads.

stopped by a VolIey Fired Over
Their Heads.
Pittsburg, Pa.-At least five men
+ are dead, thirteen badly hurt and
scores more or less injured as the re-
suit of desperate fighting at McKees
Rocks between forces Of the State
constabulary, deputy sheriffs and
strikebreakers ON one side and the
striking employees of the Pressed Steel
Car Company and their sympathizers
On the other.
The conflicts were the climax of
day of violence, in which an attempt
was made to blow up the mills, loyal
employees Of the company were badly
beaten and shot, and mob of women
threw bombs at the constabulary and
wrecked company restaurants.
The dead were: Harry Exler, dep
uty sheriff, aged fifty-five, shot and
beaten to death; John L. Williams,
State trooper, Greensburg, riddled
with bullets by strikers; three men,
supposed to be strikebreakers.
The injured were: Lucien W.
Jones, State trooper, beaten and shot;
William O'Donnell, State trooper, of
New Haven, Conn, shot near the
heart; John G. Smith, State trooper,
Of Mt. Carmel, shot six times; George
M. Kitch, State trooper, of Columbia,
Pa, shot in arm and scalp wounds;
Adam Gubernot supposed strike
breaker, shot five times; Mike Tyso-
waski, of Schoenville, striker, shot
! through body by troopers; George
Jernesnki, shot through back, likely
to die; Frank Namet, fatally shot in
shoulder and chest by troopers; John
Suffer-, shot through body.
After darkness the strikers were in
particularly ugly mood, and armed
patrols were out hunting for strike
breakers. The violence began when
Harry Exler was discovered on a
street car going away from the plant.
Exler was formerly Pittsburg po-
liceman, and had been serving as a
| deputy sheriff on duty at the mills.
The strikers were evidently of the
! opinion that he was strikebreaker,
he having admittedly served in this
capacity at different strikes previous
ly. The strikers had been stopping
all cars during the evening, and when
they found Exler on one of them near
| rushed to attack him.
Exler pulled his pistol to defend
himself, but was knocked down with
a rock. Rising on his knees in the
bottom of the car, from which all 9TH
ers but the strikers had fed, he
poured shot after shot into the at
lacking party, but with clubs and
stones they beat him down and half
dozen shots we're fired into his
body.
Hearing the shooting, a detach-
ment of State troopers came dashins
up. The strikers were ordered to dis
perse, but, sighting three strange men
near the bridge, they opened fire and
killed these men.
The troopers at this opened fire,
and several strikers were shot, but
were quickly helped away.s The mob
then turned its attention to the State
troopers, and poured whitening fire
into them. Williams fell from his
horse dead. and Smith, Jones, O'Don-
nell and Kitch also were endorsed.
Then the dozen remaining troopers
| opened fire in earnest, and the real
result of their fusillade will perhaps
never be known. Later, at least
twenty wounded persons were hur-
ried along the streets, and some limp
bodies were also being carried.
The effort to blow up the entire
plant of the Pressed Steel Car Com
pany was made early in the morning,
and would have succeeded except for
the premature explosion of a small
blast which warned the guards and
set them investigating. The big
searchlight on the works was shot
out by the strikers shortly after mid
light, and ander cover of the dark
hess nitroglycerine and dynamite
we're placed on four sides of the mills.
One small quantity exploded too soon,
tearing out part of the wall of the
main Office. This gave warning to
those inside, and armed men were
quickly sent out to investigate. The
work of the dynamiters was inter-
rupted and they fed. Inside an hour
the men who went out secured
enough explosives to blow up the
entire town.
Lieutenant Smith and twenty
troopers of the State constabulary
we're attacked by 500 women near the
company restaurant. The troopers
fred over the heads of the women,
but they did not heed the shots,
pressing only closer in order that they
might throw small bombs. All of
these failed to explode. The men,
finding matters so serious, used the
i butts of their guns and chased the
4 women away. More than dozen Of
the bombs were gathered up and
turned over to the authorities.