The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-10-02
FIXED BY MARTIAL Law And
CITIZENS Are SHOT By
SOLDIERS In AUGUSTA
Runor That Power Plant Was to be
Blown Up Results in Troops seing
Placed to Guard Property, With
Orders to Fire On Anyone Crossing
Decd Line.

troops Governor Brown Friday night
issued a proclamation declaring 1.-THE
city of Augusta to be in state OF In
srrrect:on" and ordering the immedl.
ate enforcement of martial law.
Adjt. Gen. William G. O'BeaT or
de,ed by the Governor to proceed to
Augusta at once from Atlanta and as.
sumo charge OF the situation. An.
other company of militia was ordered
to Augusta from Wynesboro to rein
force the four local companies under
Capt. Levy.
In the interval Of the firing by the
troops on 18th street and the hou:
set for a labor meeting at the Court
House the situation appeared to have
Gained down, but intensity Of feeling
over the shooting Of five people In.
cersed the people generally, largely
because they did not understand that
the city is under martial law.
Efforts to Secure Adjustment.
During the day ceaseless efforts
were made by every business faction
in the city to bring about an adjust
ment of the street car strike, which
8 now but an incident Of the troubled
condition. The Chamber OF Com
merce, the Merchants and Manufac-
tut ers' Association, and the Cotton
Exchange, in joint meeting, demand
ed immediate arbitration by the COM
pany and the strikers, commended
Mayor Barrett's position OF enforc-
ing protection Of property and lives
and the measures taken to hold down
mob rule.
In response to the demands Of the
business interests the striking car
men have unequivocally accepted the
suggestion Of arbitration, but the
company, in an address signed by
General Manager Deal, fatty refused
arbitration, declaring they have moth
ing to arbitrate, and, further, that
the men who left their employ and
whom he declares Joined in the riot
ing Thursday night, have no connec-
tion with or further claim on the
company. He asserts that the COM
pany stands ready to operate all It's
cars so soon as they are given suft1c-
lent protection, which they claim a,
right.
Like Firebrand in Tinder.
This declaration was like fire
brand in a pile Of tinder, and the en-
tire laboring element, particularly In
West End, the mill district, became
even more turbulent than it was
Thursday night. From one end OF
the city to the other the news has
been spread Of the shooting by troops
on 18th St., and besides the thousand
or more people congregated in West
Erd, the 700 block Of Broad street,
in the heart Of the business district,
was crowded.
During the middle Of the day infor-
nation was conveyed to the authori-
ties that the strike sympathizers had
planned to plant a mine under the
powe~ house Friday night. During
the afternoon a military guard was
thrown around 18th street property
Of the company, where one Of the
power plants is located, and dead
line established at each end Of the
property. The troops were given In
structions to challenge anybody at
tempting to pass through the line
aid stop them; to fire II the chal-
lepge should be ignored and any ef-
fort made to pass through the lines
after the challenge. The troops are
provided with riot cartridges and
we're stationed on duty with loaded
pieces.
Citizens Shot to Death.
Robert Christie, a business man
was driving by in an automobile, and
evidently did not hear the Challenge
of the sentry. He had gone but few
feet when he was shot through the
lungs. He is at the Margaret Wright
Hospital. where he will die.
Ben F. Baker and Alfred Dorm
also business men, attempted tc
drive through 18th street few min
utes later. A few blocks from the
power plant some one told Parker, II
whose buggy they were riding, the
soldiers were firing blank cartridges
AS he approached the power plant he
whipped up his horse, and, immedt'
ately after challenging, one sentry
fired, and Immediately others Joined
in the fire. Baker was wounded, but
will probably recover. Dorm was lit
erally shot to pieces and is dead.
An unknown white boy, apparent
ly about 20 years old, attempted tc
| rush the sentry lines on motorcycle
and one handle of his machine was
shct off, but he was uninjured.
Charles Wilson, who operates Z
pool room in one of the local hotels
wa. driving through 18th street II
his automobile with his wife ant
child, and says he was unconscious o:
the fact that the dead lines were be-
ing enforced. He claims not to have
heard any challenge, though he saw
on: Of the soldiers standing by the
driveway. His machine was fired in
to the ball passing through the top
He reached down to toot his horn, he
says, and another guard evidently
niStook the motion as one to react
for a gun Other shots were firec
and Wilson, though escaping without
injury to himself or other occupants
O! the car, drove onto Broad stree'
with four big holes through his ma
chine.
Railroad Bridge Spiked.
Just before dark the West Enc
svn pathizers spiked the long Broad
sti eet bridge, double row Of railway
strikes being driven on each side o
each street car rail the entire length
OF the bridge. At $3.50 labor mas!
NEE ting assembled at the Cour
House, but labor union officials de-