The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-01-30
.GNE DEAD, TWELVE
INJURED IN RIOTS
Deputy Sheriffs and Strikers in
Bloody Fights.
BABY AND WOMEN ARE HURT
Officers Fire Into Crowd Without
Provocation, Woundins Many--in'
turiated People Attack Shoot
ers With Bricks and Stones.

Rankin, Pa, Jan. 29.-In two bloody
fights between deputy sheriffs. armed
with revolvers and rifles, and strikers
armed with stones from the Rankin
plant of the American Steel and Wire
company, subsidiary of the United
States Steel corporation, last night,
one man was killed, two fatally
wounded and ten seriously injured.
All the wounded, with the exception
OF two deputy sheriffs, were specta-
tors Not a striker was injured so far
as known. A six.months' old child
and several women were among the
injured.
Officers Fire Without Cause.
Hawkins square, where the trouble
occurred, was bloody battle-ground
for over an hour and the fight ended
only when the deputy sheriffs, led by
Sheriff Bruff, retreated within the
fence of the big wire mills. Accord
Ing to witnesses of the trouble. the
deputy sheriffs were to blame, as
there was little provocation for the
firing on the crowd.
Three hundred strikers emerged
from a public hall in Fourth street
after having held big mass meeting
and gathered in front of the hall to
pose for a newspaper picture.
At about the same time eighty dep
uty sheriffs, led by Sheriff Bruff, Bur
CESS Milligan and Chief OF Police
Barnett, left the wire mill and
marched up the hill towards Hawkins
avenue.
Deputies Shoot into Crowd.
The picture finished. the strikers
dispersed and were starting for their
homes when they were met by the
big file of deputy sheriffs marching in
military order. A dead silence fol.
lowed Suddenly some one picked a
lump OF coal on loaded coal wagon
and threw It into the ranks OF the
strikers. In a trice the battle was
on Coal, bricks and miscellaneous
missiles few through the air, mingled
with the whistle of bullets and the
rafting discharge OF magazine guns
and automatic revolyers. Screams
and yells of rage filed the air while
men and women fell to the ground.
In some places the pavements were
torn up by the strikers in their fran
tic efforts to secure bricks with which
to protect themselves. Apparently
beaten, the deputies retreated down
the hill to the mill.
Fifteen minutes later the deputies
appeared again. This time 1t is said
they were supplied with shells loaded
with buckshot.
Battle Is Renewed.
Soon the battle was on again. Near
ly every window in Hawkins square
was broken and several persons m
nearby houses were injured The
crash of musketry, the rattle of heavy
buckshot against the buildings and
the cries OF men and women contin.
ued for a quarter of an hour. Having
exhausted their ammunition the dep
uties again retired to safety behind
the high walls OF the mills.
The scene OF the riot is 1000 feet
from the mill where 300 struck last
Saturday morning and is part of the
main business and residential sections
OF Rankin.
George Kozley who was killed, was
a spectator and In no way identified
with the strikers. Michael Katchmer.
proprietor OF the Katchmer hotel,
said that he and his wife had escaped
death by lying fiat on the floor. The
big hotel is riddled with shot II was
directly in the line of the deputies
fire and not window is whole.