Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 May 1895 — STRIKERS IN A RIOT. POLICE CLEARING THE STREET. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STRIKERS IN A RIOT.

POLICE CLEARING THE STREET.

SAVAGE BATTLE FOUGHT AT SOUTH CHICAGO. Striking Furnace Men in the Illinois Steel Company’s Mills Attack Fellow Employes—Charged by the PoliceSevere Battle Follows. • * Rioters Are Routed. Four hundred striking employes of the Illinois Steel Company at South Chicago created one of the most serious riots in the history of the town Tuesday afternoon, when they broke down the gates and attempted to drive all the workmen from the rail mills, blast furnace and machine shops. A series of hard fights ensued in each of the buildings. A riot call was turned in. Capt. Jenkins with nine policemen arrived on the scene in a few minutes. The handful of policemen attacked the rioters, who were armed with iron bars, coupling pins, clubs and stones. Although outnumbered, the police drove the rioters outside the main gate, whore a savage fight occurred, in which all the police officers were more or less injured. Probably 100 of the rioters

had their heads cracked. Twenty-six, their number were arrested, all of whom were more or less hurt. Many wounded rioters were carried off by the crowd. But for the determined fight made by the gallant little band of policemen, the officials of the company believe the mob would have destroyed thousands of dollars’ worth of property as soon as the men who remained at work were driven away. The entire works is shut down, with the exception of the plate mill, which employs (500 men. Three*thousand men are out of employment. The company's plant in Joliet is also affected, about 1,500 men being out there. After the riot at the mills nnd the arrest of twenty-six of the ringleaders, another mob of about 1,000 gathered about the police station, aud the police were confronted with the possibility of an effort on the part of the friends of the strikers to rescue the pen who were under arrest. Sergeant Van Pelt, who had just returned from the scene of the riot with a small detachment of men, took in this situation at a glance and ordered his men to disperse the mob, which they did without meeting with any groat resistance. Additional men were ai once sent for, and at midnight a strong cordon of police guarded the approaches to the statfon at Eighty-

ninth street and Exchange place, while 125 bluecoats stood guard over the mills. The trouble all started over the strike of about thirty barrow men, or ore wheelers, who work at what are known ns the south furnaces. These furnaces, two in number, are used to reduce the crude ore to the form off pig iron and are tvholly independent of the steel mills. These men struck Monday afternoon because the company refused to grant them a raise of wages. Tuesday morning they made their appearance in the yards, aud, going to the four furnaces at the north end of the works, drove away all the men 1 there, about 400 in number. These men, the officers of the company claim, did not wish to strike, but quit work through fear of personal violence. This shut down all the furnaces, throwing about 700 men out of employment. The men who are avowedly on strike did not number more than 120 at most; the rest who were forced to quit perform other duties about the furnaces and are more skilled and better paid than the wheelers.

STRIKERS DRIVE FURNACE MEN AWAY.