Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 November 1892 — A HOMESTEAD RIOT. [ARTICLE]

A HOMESTEAD RIOT.

Strikers and Negro Non-Union-ists Engage in a Bloody Street Fight. Men, Women And Children Mixed Upln the Etjjit Which Resulted in Itiitt a Score Being Wounded. , . The period of comparative quietness which has prevailed in Homestead, Pa., since the militia joft died oiVSuuduyj and the pent up feelings of Urn strikers -broke out ariedi in' which at least fifty snots were tiiel, but no person was killed, though a score wero hit by flying bullets A party of seven colored non-union laon were on their way to their boarding liouse about 4: 45 o’clock Suiitfay' whori a man, supposed to be a-atr-lker-, attacked two of the negroes, GharierGsrroll tnd Fred LaWH LeuMA was knocked down. This waft a signal for a largo crowd to gather at tlie sceiio of trouieLowis’s.compaaidu eatne to his rcsciie.and a t-Trilde riot took place between ttio colored men on one side, and tlie crowd, Supposed to bo all strikers, on tlie oi lier. The two sides fought desperately and cr with their knives at close quarters fur several minutes, when the negroes made a dash ihrougli the crowd for their boarding house. They Were followed by the booling, bloodll irsty crowd, whicli by this time uiimbeicdut least two thousand men, including many women and children. Tho crowd fired t.nd t.hfoW stones ut the deeine negroes, mid iheyTo-tnen returned the liro on tho crowd, an i how so many escaped instant death is a wonder. When tho colored men reached their house they ran iu and barred the door. I u a minute tlie liouso was surrounde I by an Infuriated crowd, who soon toro down tlie fence and shattered every window with stones. When tfietlcputfes arrived some persons were suggesting that they leave Ihe house, and some begairto yell: “Lot’s lynch the nigger black stieep. This was taken up, and the cries o f “Tlang them:” were heard on all sides. The officers went in to arrest the colore I mem and found, them huddled in one room, terrified :.nd expecting to be killed. One man, bowe.v ;r, was not afraid and sa’d lie would bo the- first to leave. As he was taken out a woman tilt him with a frying pan.eult.ing hit head. The deputies tried iu vain to keep tho crowd away as they took the man to tho locnip, but ho was hit several times. Stones wero also hurl d and deputy Montgomery was struck. The officers then drew their revolvers and announced that if any mure stones were thrown they would have to open lire, A Slav throw a rock which crashed through , a window, lie was arrested, but the authorities seemed powerless, for by this time over two thousand persons were gathered. Several other colorod men were beaten on tlie way to tlie lockup. About this time anotheralarmingreperl was circulated Ihrougli tlie crowd. It was to tlie effect that the colored non-unionists living ou •Shanty Ilill,” hearing of tin assault on their colored brethren, were about to come down to rescue them. Over fifty of tire colorod iden were ready to make an onslaught at a moment's notice, and tlm coal and iron p. l ee had inuclixlifiicuity in ros:raining t iem. Marion Conrad, anotlii r non-unionist,, owni a house above Ann street, on Fourth avenue. During tho shooting a large crowd gathered in runt of his h use, and when lie appeared began to threaten him. Conrad is sworn in as a deputy sheriff, and ho stqod in his door with two revolversapd said he would hoot the first man who entered the gate. Several doputies then arrived, thus keeping tlie crowd back for an Hour, when It dispersed. After all tho colored men had been removed from the boardiug house tlie excitement subsided rapidly. Retiq McFaden, who .first engaged the colored men. id .the light, was shut through, tlie left arm and cut on the head. James Jonas, his friend, who came to liis assist aiicc iu the attack, hud a narrow escape from death. He hud clinched with one of the colored meu and struck him. As he did so tho negro shoved liis revolver in ills assailant’s face and fired. Thu hull hit ones on th o forehead above the eyes and glanced off, cutting a bioody furrow over the left eye. .tones and McFaden wore arrested Sunday night. Mrs. Jones tried tojshiold Her husband and attacked the officers, but wus withheld. Of the eleven colored men locked np 30vcn had cuts on their heads, where thev were, struck with missiles or clubs. John Lewis and Baser Ford were so badfy beaten that a physic.a i was summoned to dross t.hoir wounds. Guards are on duty at tlie lock up and non-miion boarding houses to prevent an attack. Katlve Old Girlish. Du Cha'llu has forgotten or neglected the evidence of language, writes Professor F. A. Marsn in the Epoch. We have abundant written documents in what Is now called Anglo-Saxoa, big books of all sorts, which are certainly known to have been written by natives of England in their nutlve tongue. They reach b ck to an earlier date tuan nny manuscripts of the Northmen. This native old English is as plainly not Norse or other Scandinavian as tlie present English, and it is as plainly German Saxon us the Biglow papers are English. It is incredible that those who spoke it should not be mainly of German Saxon descent. Doubtless notable traits of the Viking are to be seen in tho English speaking peoples. Hut these are easily explain’ed from the well-known mixture of uunish and of Norm n blood in the latter periods. We do not need to deny or forget our Saxon blood to feci the liveliest iuterest In our cousins ol the North. Maud -Ho asked me to marry him but said he had only a broken heart to offer me. Murie’-Did you accept him under those conditions? MaudYes; his batik account is intact. •Briggs -How do you like mv new coat? I not it at the misfit parlor. Griggs-First rate. It’s one of the best misfits I ever saw.