Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1902 — STRIKERS ARE SHOT. [ARTICLE]

STRIKERS ARE SHOT.

DEPUTIES AND POLICE FIRE ON « MINERS. Mob at Shenandoah Attacks Nonunion Men Rioters, After Victory, Control the’Town —Troops Are Rushed to the Scene. One thousand shots were fired, a merchant was killed, two score strikers and four policemen were shot and a deputy sheriff and two non-union miners were beaten almost to death during a battle at Shenandoah, Pa., between S,(MX) strikers or strike sympathizers and officials who sought to protect non-union miners that had been imported in an effort to break the coal strike. Sheriff Beddall, whose cousin was slain in one skirmish, 4 appealed to the Governor for troops, and the “Eighth and Twelfth regiments were ordered out, together with the Governor’s troop from Harrisburg. The miners' union admitted that the foreign element was beyond control. The rioters took complete control of the town. The United Mine Workers posted a bulletin disowning any connection with the rioting, and calling upon all miners to aid in maintaining peace. Mayor Brown issued a proclamation calling upon the citizens to help preserve the peace. Town in Grasp of Mob. The long pent up anger of the strikers, to control which has teen the continued effort of the leaders of the United Mine Workers, burst all bounds shortly before nightfall Wednesday and a desperate battle raged. The men engaged in the conflicts were largely of tne foreign element of tl)e strikers. These flung the counsel of the leaders to the winds. Shenandoah, a town of 25,000 inhabitants, and the surrounding region during the night underwent a reign of terror. All day the town was in disorder, but the serious trouble did not start until 6 o'clock, when Deputy Sheriff Thomas Beddall. a cousin of the sheriff, attempted to escort two non-tmion workers through the strikers' line of pickets. The workmen were dressed in their street clothes, but one of them carried a bundle under his arm. and this aroused the suspicion of the strikers. The bundle was torn from him. and when it was found to contain a blouse and overalls the' man was taken from the deputy and beaten almost to death. In the meantime Beddall opened fire on the mob, which had gathered by this time, and emptied his revolver. Two of the shots took effect. one man being shot in the leg and the other in the foot. The deputy and the other strike breaker were now compelled to fly for their lives and took refuge in the Philadelphia and Beading Railroad station. The station was soon surrounded by an angry mob of 5,000, which was becoming more threatening and demonstrative every moment. Joseph Beddall. a hardware merchant, and brother of the deputy sheriff, was seen making his way through the crowd in an effort to reach his brother, and the mob, divining that ho was carrying ammunition to those inside the station, seized him and beat him with clubs into insensibility., He died on the way to the Miners' hospital. • The strikers continued to stone the station. and the entire borough police force rushed to the scene and escorted the deputy sheriff and his men to an engine which had been backed into the station for that purpose. When the mob realized that its prey was about to escape, it surrounded the engine, and the engineer was afraid to move. In a few moments the police fired a volley, dispersing the crowd for a brief period. and the engineer turned on full steam and got away with his men. Stones were now thrown thick and fast al»out the heads of the police, whereupon Chief John Fry gave the order to fire. At the first volley the mob fell back and several were seen to fall. Their retreat, however, was but momentary. They turned and with revolvers, stones and a few shotguns charged on the little band of policemen and made them fly for their lives. The policemen turned in their flight at short intervals and fired volley after volley nt their pursuers, but the mob seemed thoroughly infuriated and smoking revolvers seemed to have no terrors for them. When the Lehigh Kailroad crossing was reached a passing freight train blocked the progress of the police, two of whom were caught and beaten. One of them, Stiney Ya copsky. will die. It is estimated that upwards of on* thousand shots were fired, and the wonder is that more fatalities did not result. At least twenty strikers, all of whom were foreigners, wore shot, mid at least two of them will die.