Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-05-02
Brutal Barbarism
Rules In San Diego

that Thursday was visiting day and
that they could not see them that
day as it was Wednesday. Well,
the boys tried every means Of get
ting to see, them, but it was useless,
so they sent them message to
cheer them up, after which, the COM
mittee got a notice from the Mayor
that they could hold a meeting in
the main street. Well, about 1880.
twenty of us proceeded up town to
hold street meeting. Arriving there
we sang two or three songs and by
that time we had quite nice crowd
around. Then our chairman opened
the meeting. It was then that we
all got a huge and pleasant surprise,
as lady in the audience volunteered
to speak for us. We did not know
that Santa Anna had any l. w. WIS
except the boys in jail. But we dis
covered that Mrs. Irene Smith was
cd and active member Of the 1.
W. WIS and that she had lived in
Santa Anna for some time The way
she talked to the natives there would
have done you good, could you have
heard her as we did. Well, fellow
worker, Mrs. Smith took up collec.
ton for us and we got seven dol
lars and some cents for which we
gave papers away. That was a pretty
good collection for a small burg like
Santa Anna Well, we left $3.50 with
the sheriff, to buy tobacco for the
boys in Jail, and then we went back
to the camp where wee waited for a
train that would take US to San
Diego About eleven o'clock p. m. a
freight train came in and we got
aboard flat car again. When we
were on, the sheriff of Santa Anna
came down to us and talked very
nice to us. He wanted to know why
we did not take a box car, as that
would be much nicer and warmer
Off us. But we told him that we
preferred flat car just then. While
he was talking to u.s. there were
between twenty and twenty-five big,
well dressed. fellows with their peck
cts bullying and overcoats on passing
by him and I took look down the
train to see where they were all
going and I was not bit surprised
to see them climb in the caboose.
Well, when those fellows had all got
in the caboose and the train was
about to start, the sheriff gave us a
fond farewell and wished us good
luck and told US he would remember
us to the boys in jail. II
"Well, we were on the last stage
of our Journey at last, and we expect
ed to reach Oceanside that night, a
distance Of IS miles from Los Ange-
les. We had determined to stick in
a bunch and if the bunch in the ca
bose or any of the armed thugs or
dered us off, that we would not obey
until we reached Oceanside, which
was our objective point for the night.
Well, fellow worker, we had reached
the point called San Onofueo, which
is is miles from Oceanside and 80
from Santa Anna and here is where
the numbering commenced.
'All along the line were armed
guards on both sides Of the railroad
track and they. were tsrung out for
three or four hundred yards or more,
And SO you can see where we got
off at. When the train stopped, the
bunch of thugs who were close to the
car we were on hollered to the rest
to come up, which they did on the
run. They all had whit handkerchiefs
around their arm and they had a rifle
apiece<which they pointed full at US.
They also had a revolver and a club
apiece. There must have been 200
Of these brave fellows and in awful
language they told us to get off the
car, but We refused and toio tnen
to 60 ahead and shoot US if they
liked.
"Well, fellow worker. we were just
wondering what to do next when we
were attacked from an unexpected
quarter. The thugs from the ca
boose came aloig and climbed on, top
Of the. box car next to our flat car
and started to club the boys off.
Well. the boys stood that as long as
they could, but their heads not be-
ing made of iron, and not having
anything to defend themselves with,
we had to get off.
"As soon as we were off, we had
.as many as three guards apiece, all
armed in the same manner, lining us
up they first pointed their guns At
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