The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-02-24

Duty Made the Victims OF Practical
Jokes of Every DescriptIon-Two
! Persons Dead, Three More Dying
and One Thousand Injured the Cas-.
ualty List to Date.
Philadelphia, Feb. 24-Two dead.
three lying at the point Of death in
hospitals and more than q thousand
persons injured is the toll exacted by
the reign Of lawlessness which has
existed in this city for four days as
the result of the efforts Of the Phila-
delphia Rapid Transit company to run.
cars.
The failure of the State Fencibles
to intimidate the strike sympathizers
in the northeastern section Of the city
was the basis of a conference between
Governor Stuart, Adjutant General
Stewart, Brigadier General Bowmand
and Mayor Reyburn, The days de-
velopments and this conference, it was
said, would decide whether the en-.
tire national guard of PENNSYLVANIA
should be called out or whether the
police authorities would be given fur.
ther time in which to demonstrate
ability to cope with the situation. It
was understood that Mayor Reyburn
was anxious to call upon the state
troops, but Director Of Public Safety
Clay was opposed .s5s s 70
The fact that the sympathetic strike
was not declared by President John
J.. Murphy of the Central Labor union
acted as panacea to the tired police
officials of the city, who were antici.
pating a strike of 100000 men. A
move is on foot, however, to have the
sympathizers of the strike of the rail
way employees parade peacefully to
the city hall, 100000 strong, and there.
by show the mayor and other officials
the gigantic proportions of the threat
ened uprising, should it later be de-
cided to call these men out. <sss.
The decision not to have this army
of workers engage in the struggle at
present was due to Organizer Clarence
O. Pratt of the Street Garments union.
He pointed out to Murphy that the
time was not opportune for this move.
The union. leader decided to take the
advice of Pratt and defer calling for
such drastic action by the strike sym
pathizers. - -5s - 'e.- =
Having Fun With Militia.
The placing on guard of the State
Fencibles along Lehigh avenue is now
admitted to have been a mistake. The
members of this organization, which
enjoys the use of city armory, are
mostly very young men, some Of them
mere, boys. They were placed all
along the street and when the resi-
dents of the great mill district Of Ken.
sington heard of the arrival Of the
young soldiers they turned out in
force to greet them. 4
Lehigh avenue was soon filed with
a mob of jeeringe strike sympathizers
and general disorder ensued that
lasted for hours and was only broken
up by the regular police after the mi.
litiamen had been removed to their
armory and number of people had
been wounded by revolvers.
Practical jokes of every description.
were played upon the members of the
Fencibles. Some were partially
stripped of their clothing and after
their arms had been taken from them
were chased up and down the streets
by bands of young roughs. Tin indi-
Gators were stuck on the ends of their
bayonets and the girls Ct the district
collected the brass buttons from the
uniforms as souvenirs. The young
soldiers were not assembled in squads:
but were stationed separately, some
times square apart. One young girl
stuck hatpin in soldiers back and
caused him to jump and the crowd to
laugh.
More than 1000 persons have been
arrested for rioting and thirty-six have
already been indicted by the grand
jury. t
The stock Of window glass here suit
able for car windows has been ex-
hausted and no more broken windows
can be replaced until an additional
supply is procured. More than 1000
windows were broken Tuesday, run.
ming the total smashed during the four
days Of the strike to well over 5000
panes. ~