Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 May 1891 — IN THE COKE REGION. [ARTICLE]

IN THE COKE REGION.

The Authorities Are Having- More than They Can Do. A serious riot occurred at Monarch, Pa. Though the riot resulted in the probable fatal wounding of one man and the serious injury of a woman, tho Sheriff of Fayette County, with his deputies, has been defied and the Sheriff himself assaulted —shot in the hand and beaten and cut with an ax wt the hands of an infuriated Hungarian woman. Since the ugly Morewood affair the. women have taken the principal part in defying deputies, the men either preferring to obey the orders of their leaders and remain inactive or thinking the Sheriff and troops would not be so severe where women led the attacks. Sheriff McCormick and his deputies went to evict ten families of striking Slavs, and they had a bloody battle with an infuriated mob of men and women. In order to reach the houses tho Sheriff and his deputies had to march several hundred yards up a steep road, at which point he ordered the militia, which came up with him from Trotter, to remain until they were needed. It was about 11 o’clock when the sheriff and his deputies leached house No. 105, oecupnd by Thomas Tar.. A efrowd of three or four hundred men and women had collected in front of the premises Tarr, with an oath, declined to evacuate, and, seizing an ax, stood in the doorway and defied tho sheriff to enter. Then the troubles commenced. Men and women, in broken English, yelled defiance and beratDd the sheriff and his deputies in the strongest language they could command. The sheriff tried to reason with them, but without avaH. Their blood was up,and nothing but a first-ciass battle would satisfy them. Andy Biashko s wife, spying the sheriff, made a dive for him, pistol in hand, .lust as she was about to fire he struck the pistol a downward blow and at the same time fired. The two pistols went off simultaneously. Tho sheriff had shot the woman in the fiesh part of tho left thigh, and she had shot him in the left ankle. By this time the sheriff’s blood was up, and with a cocked revolver, 44-caliber, in either hand, stood with his back against the end of the house, and informed the mob that th-i first one who made a move toward him he would shoot, and shoot to kill. Martin Scroupka left the crowd and rushed at the Sheriff with a huge club uplifted. The Sheriff waited until Scroupka got within five feet of him and then fired The shot took effect, the bullet striking Scroupka in the mouth, knocking out two of his tooth and lodgiug somewhere in the back of his mouth. The wounded Slav wheeled and started to run and the Sheriff followed him. Some one shouted to the Sheriff to look out, and turning he saw Tarr, the man on whom he had served the writ, coming toward him with an ax. Tho Sheriff pointed both his revolvers at him and Tarr retreated. By this time Capt. Frasher, of Company C, hearing the shots and the uproar, bad brought the soldiers up the road on double quick, and their presence at once quelled the rioters. Tarr is now in jail. Gov. Hogg, of Texas, named one of his daughters Ima Hogg. Her reproach to her father must be, “you’re another. ”