The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-02-24
100 PERSONS HURT
IN STRIKE RIOTS
Philadelphia Street Car Employ
ees in WaIkout.
ONE GIRL IS FATALLY SHOT
Cars Are Smashed, Crews and Police.
men Roughly HandIed-State
constabuIary May be
as Called Out.

Philadelphia, Feb. 21.-More than a
them seriously, in the strike which
was suddenly declared against the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
by the Amalgamated Association of
Street and Electric Railway EN-
ployes.
One little girl was shot in the alb
domen by a policeman and will prob
ably die. Four thousand extra police
men are to be recruited to cope with
the situation and it is rumored that
the state constabulary will be called
out.
General Strike Is Threatened.
A general strike of union men af.
fecting 100000 workers is threatened
and the Rapid Transit Company de-
clares it will spend every cent in it's
treasury rather than give an inch to
the striking men. c. o. Pratt, for the
strikers, declares there will be no
compromise.
Not car is running in the city.
A dozen riots, two of them of big
proportions, marked the progress of
the strike in South Philadelphia. AS a
result nearly every car that the COM
pany operated was battered and
smashed. Their crews and guardian
policemen were roughly handled while
one car was set on fire.
Boy Fatally Hurt.
One boy, a passenger in a car that
was mobbed, sustained fractured
skull and will probably die, while
number of persons were less serious
ly injured, several of them being TAX
en- to hospitals. In every case riot
calls were turned in and the streets
were filled with thousands of strike
sympathizers and struggling blue
coats. Dozens of arrests were made,
many of the prisoners being boys,
while in two instances girls were
taken into custody.
The riGs in which the car was
burned took place at Twenty-sixth
and Wharton streets and lasted for
fully an hour.
A mob of several thousand persons
showed a freight car from the railroad
tracks, across the trolley tracks, COM
pletely blocking traffic. The first car
that approached on Wharton street
found this barrier confronting it. On
the car were two policemen and sew
eral passengers. The mob charged
the policemen. Both of the latter
drew their revolvers and fired over
the heads of the crowd. The police
men were easily overpowered and
they and the crew chased away. The
mob then piled lot of rubbish
around the car and set it afire.
Crowd Stones the Police.
In an instant the car was ablaZe.
In the meantime the policemen had
sent in a riot call and squads of Off
GERS began to arrive. A fire engine
put out the fire. The crowd which
had swelled to 5000 persons began
at first to stone the police but after
the first charge it changed it's tactics
and submitted to standing by quietly
while the wrecked car was hauled
away to the barns. Several arrests
were made here.
The storm center of the other big
riot was on Eighth street, from Tas-
ker street to Snyder avenue, dis
lance of five squares.
Crowds gathred on the roofs of the
houses along Eighth street and stoned
the cars as they passed, breaking win
dows and doing other damages.
Brick Injuries Passenger.
The mob tore an iron inlet grating
loose and placed it across the tracks
on Eighth street The first car was
men were guarding it. The mob
charged the car and the police fred
several shots into the air. A bI Tex
struck 11-year-old Simpson Sklenow
q passenger on this car, fracturing his
skull. He will probably die.
A mob of thousand persons
formed at Twelfth and Morris streets
and stoned a car. On this car was
James Wolf, a fireman detailed for
police duty. A flying brick struck
him in the face and he fell uncon,
scious. He was taken to a hospital.
Several others were less seriously in
jured.
AS the climax to the disorder which
extended upon and down Girard ave-
nue. and to the neighboring streets
for several hours, 13year-old Violet
Besan was shot by policeman from
the platform of car and was so seri.
onsly injured that she will probably
die. n.
During the riot which preceded her
injury another man who slipped away
in the crowd was wounded in the foot
by bullet, also fired from the revolt
yer of policeman. Eight other per
sons, one policeman and another a
fireman, were hurt by flying bricks
and one car at Ninth street and Gil
rard avenue was burned
While Kensington. the mill district
was the center of the riot wave, near.
ly every section Of the city except
West Philadelphia and the northwest
saw violence done by the turbulent
mobs.
The order to take all cars into tho
barns before night fall probably pre-
vented more serious trouble IN this
district. A s st,