People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 June 1893 — THE CANAL RIOTS. [ARTICLE]

THE CANAL RIOTS.

IHlnot* State Troop* Ready to Prevent * Further Trouble at Lemost—Gov. Altgeld Visit* the Scene, and After an LnTMtiration Declares That the Shooting of Striker! Was Unwarranted. Lemont, IIL, June 12.—Nearly 1,000 state militiamen are scattered along the route between this town and Lockport, in command of CoL Judd, of Chicago, and CoL Bennett, of Joliet. It is not likely their services will be needed. The soldiers are patrolling the right of way of the canaL Gov. Altgeld arrived here at 3:30 o’clock Saturday afternoon from Springfield and at once began a personal inquiry into labor troubles existing along the drainage canal and which resulted in Friday’s flow ■of blood. The governor listened attentively to the stories of twenty or more persons who were either witnesses to Friday’s battle or were among those who were wounded. The investigation lasted nearly three hours, and at its conclusion the governor made the following statement: “I received a message late Friday night signed by the sheriff of Will county, the sheriff of Du Page county and by Mr. Gilbert, the sheriff of Cook county, evidently sent from Gilbert's office in Chicago, stating that there was a riot here, that a number of men had been killed, that sheriff's deputies were not able to maintain peace and order and protect life and property, and that a mob of about 5,000 strikers was threatening violence, and that they called on me to order out the militia to protect life and property. I telegraphed tp the sheriff of Will county and to Gilbert asking how many deputies they had sworn in and whether any one had been hurt other than the strikers. The sheriff of Will county replied that he had about 120. I got no response from Mr. Gilbert until Saturday. Believing the telegram signed by the three sheriffs stated the facts correctly I ordered out the Second and Third regiments and one company from another, and at the same time Adjt Gen. Orendorf, with an aide, started for Joliet. This was about midnight and by 2 o'clock Saturday most of the troops were on the ground, and I will say responded with remarkable promptness.

“I arrived here about 3:3oSaturday afternoon and have been malting inquiries. I learned from the deputy sheriff of Cook county that in fact up to ’he time the telegram was sent there were no deputies for Cook county and that the sheriff sent down twelve special and eleven regular deputies. I have talked with men who claimed to represent the contractors and sent word to each that I would like to meet him and get his version. I went down to the scene of the shooting and talked with a number of men not interested and especially some railroad men working on the tracks of the Santa Fe railroad, who saw what took place and gave me a full account of the affair. One .of their number was shot.

“The information I get thus far tends to show thdt there has been no rioting or serious disturbance here for a week until Friday, and the only violence used was by a number of men, both colored and white, who had been brought here by one of the contractors from the south and who were armed by him with rifles and who opened fire upon some strikers who were walking along the towpath of the old canal, and were not making any demonstration, and were not going in the direction in which the new work is being done. The moment the firing began the men on the towpath began to run northward and were followed by these men with rifles for the distance of about, a mile, and they kept shooting the entire distance, killing and wounding from fifteen to twenty men, as is claimed. These men were shot all the way along this distance of a mile. Among others mortally wounded was a laborer on the Santa Fe railroad, who was quietly eating his dinner when he was shot by the side of fee track nearly a mile north of and away from the point where the shooting first began. “In .short, the only men who seem to have violated the law Friday, and that in cold blood, were the men who had been armed by this contractor and who did the shooting. I have been told by some gentlemen, claiming to give the other side of the story, that the contractors claim that some of the strikers had fired over at them. This is not in harmony with the statement made by the railroad people, and as I am now advised, that no contractor claims there was any necessity of following the men who were running and shooting them down after they had ran a mile. I expect to make further inquiry, and will do what I think the law requires at my hand. If, after looking more fully into the situation, 1 conclude that the law requires me to keep troops here I shall do so; if not they will be taken off.” Gov. Altgeld went to Joliet, where he summoned the various contractors, arid a conference was held on Sunday with a view to gutting at the bottom of the trouble. A committee of the strikers was also present. The contractors all said that their men had made no demand for an increase in wages and were willing to work if the quarry strilters could be kept awav. The strikers asserted that the contractors discriminated against local men in giving employment. This the contractors all denied and said they had favored the local men.

Four men are reported dead and three others will probably die. Gregor Kilka, a married man who came to this place a week ago, died at 8 a. m. at his home on Stevens street. Kilka had done no work here. Friday he was forced to accompany the strikers against his will. A bullet of large caliber struck him in the head and he was brought to Lemont in a dying condition. It was learned at noon that another body had been found near McCormick’s camp. The party of Poles who the corpse say that it is the body of Ignatz Ast, aged 20. and a resident of Lemont. Ast was shot through the head. The are positive that the body of an unknown man is lying in the canal near Romeo. This man, with Kilka, Ast and the unknown man killed near Romeo Friday, completed! the list of those known to be dead. Supervisor Weimer has made preparations to send three of the badly wounded men to the Cook county hospital, where they can receive better attention than here. These three men are: Michael Beyer, shot through the liver; Michael Jaslaski, shot in left lung, and Thomas Mereleski, shot in lungs. Aside from the dangerously wounded men above mentioned the injured are resting easily and the doctors fear no more fatalities among- the-list.