RIOTS IN AMERICA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 237, 6 October 1877, Page 4

RIOTS IN AMERICA.

Our. American files contain graphic accounts of riots which arose out of a strike of railway employees, which in .the; city of Pittsburgh, State of Pennsylvania, culminated in most diabolical outrages, and the distinction of about £2,000,000 worth of property. : In obedience to instruction,' the Stale soldiers were ordered down from Philadelphia, under the command of Mojor-General Brinton, to clear the lines and' prevent riot and destruction of property. The following extracts from the Pittsburgh papers givs some idea of the extent to which the outrages were carried :— "The soldiers were subjected to jibes and insults continually, after they had gotten, within earshot of the assem-bling-place of the strikes. • General Brinton talked to the people, and begged them, so he says, to keep away or that some of tbem would get hurt. He told them that his men had baen ordered to come to this city to perform an ugly duty, and that they would have to do it) no matter, what the cost. His expostulations were unheeded. The General directed his troops to fix bayonets and clear a passage way. The men in the crowed caught hold of the bayonets and attempted to wrench the guns from the soldiers. It seems as thought it was fated that bloodshed was to follow and that no exertion on the part of the officers or patience by the soldiers would avert it. Finally, a sergeant in Company B of one of the regiment was shot, and several of the privates were struck with car couplings, atones, &c. Then a' soldier, without orders, fired, and his example was imitated by others, and then a general fueilade from the whole division followed. Generals Brinton and Peareon both unite in says, emphatically, that no order to open fire was given. The musketry firs was chiefly directed up the hill, above the railroad track, an<T it was effective both in the way of killing and wounding persons and dispersing the crowd. It waa unfortunate that ao many innocent persons were killed. The hillside was block with people, and the bullets took fearful effect among them. At least eight were killed and twelve or fifteen wounded, somo fatally. The firing of the soldiers dispersed the crowdd an gave them possession of the railroad track. This they held until seven o'clock, when General Pearson ordered General Brinton to retire with his men into the roundhouse of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The populace waa growing .so excited ; threats of executing vengeance on the Philadelphiana were so. .general ; man, unthinking and reckless, and ready for any dead of desperation, were arming in hundreds. With the comiag of darkness the soldiers marched into the round-house, General Pearson accompanying them, together with Captain E. Y. Breck, of Hutchinsoa's battery, two of his guns, and several of his men. It was one of the most deaparata nights, these men ever passed. The offices of the outer depot, on Liberty -street, fronting Twenty-sixth-street, were transformed into headquarters. The round-house above the offices, and the machine-shop and round -housa below them were taken possession of and guardod by the rank and file. The two Gatling guns and the pair of cannons from Hutchinsons battery, the latter loaded with canister, were placed in advantageous positions to sweep all the entrances. The officers iu the headquarters, where the gas was kept lit, where the special targets of riflemen outside who kept pouring bullets inside, but with no other effect then to riddle the windows. By twelve o*clock the rioters who had sacked the gun-shops in the city began to collect about the roand-houso, on which they opened a vigorous and persistent fire. The number of bullets they used in this way was wonderful. The mob made aa attempt to break in the gates, and overwhelmn tho troops by fores of numbers but it was succesf ully resiafced. The riotera resorttd to a ttew and butter dodge, wliieii the good judgmeat and discretion of the commanding officers only rendered unavailing. They got three cars on the tracks of the Aileghany Valley Bailroad which run ia front ot the depot offices and round-houses. Que of these cars waa loaded with grain, one with whiskey, and the ..third with oil, It was the attention to set fire to these cara and then ran them dowo iu front of the quarters, to which they would undoubtedly set Ore. Gatting a line of hose the militiamen attached* it to a plug in ono of the buildings, and

soon had a stream of water playing on the cars. They extinguiaed the fife in a faw minutes, greatly to fcha dissapointment of those who had arranged this scheme, who could do nothing but look on and curse whioh they did liberally. The handling of the hose and the placing of obstructions on the track was attended with great danger. The outsiders kept peppering away at the soldiers, but none of the latter was hit. But the greatest danger of all waa yet to come, and that was the flamiog car of petroleum. Had the riotera succeeded in getting it where they did the others, water would have baen of no account in qaencbing it. It has been often demonstrated in this city that in an-oil conflagration of any extent but little reliance can be placed upon water. The soldiers saw the car approaching ; but oh ! thanks to a kind fate, it jumped Jhe track before it had got close enough to endanger the safety of the military quarters. General Brinton didn't apprehsnd a particle of. trouble from anything else than fire. He knew that be could hold (he round-house againßt any unorganised force that could be brought against him. He was also well aware of tho fact that nothing but flame could dislodge him. His fearb of fire were well founded, for wheu he finally retreated from the outer depot, it wbb only when compelled to do ao by ihe inauffdrabla heat. Tha hurniog-aar ruse was followed about 2 o'clock iu the morning by an attempt to bombard the rounJ-house. The rioters had obtained a cannon from soraa place, it is supposed from Knapp's battery, and stationed it in Liberty-street, so as to sweep the headquarters and one of the round-houses. It was loaded with railroad spikes and coupling irons, and had it ever been discharged, would have had an effect terrible to contemplate. General Brinton could see 'a commotion in the crowd, but was unable to at first ascertain what ifc was about. Finally the riotera parted, and looking from among them he saw the yawning mouth of a cannon. This was an enemy he had hardly thought of. It was an emergency where the loss of a . moment might have brought down great destruction on their heads. The mob was within speaking distance. Stepping to a window, he hailed the crowd (this is the general's own story) and said he would shoot the first man that attempted to fire it. He warned them away and told them he was in earnest. It was a case of either death to them or death to him and hia men. Stationing twenty men at the window, he gave them orders to shoot at the first attempt to fire that cannon. He told them to aim low and well and to waste no ammunition. The General's warnings were disregarded. . A crowd of the rioters stepped up to discharge the weapon and the soldiers fired. They had obeyed orders and aimed low. Several of the mob were killed and a and a number wounded. The rioters fell back out of sight at this display of determination on the part of the military. A few of the killed were .carried _ away, after which with a desperation and bravery ucgurpassed, another dive was made toward ■ the gun, with the intention of sending its contents into the round-house, but again the troops fired, and the rioters, appalled at the slaughter of their comrades, fell back without having accomplished their purpose. It° was not long until a third waa made but ifc, too, failed. Towards daylight the rioters ignited oil cars on the Pennsylvania Jiaiiroad and pushed them down so that the flames would reach the round-house. In this incendiary attempt they were successful. The round-house caught fire. The troops stood the he.it as long as they could but it evidently became apparent that they would have to vacate the building although it was fleeing from one enemy to face another. The soldiers were all called together,aud the ammunition in their posses3iou was redistributed, each man being given an equal number of rounds. Both guna of Hutchinaon's battery were spiked, and General Brinton ordered his men take up the line of retreat. The First Brigade had the right and the Second Brigade the left of the line,. The Sixth llegiment, which suffered so severely iu killed and wounded, brought up the rear. Draging their Gratlings guns with them, the troops got some distance up Vennstreet before riotera discovered that a retreat had been effected. Then the tndb took after the military, which marched in solid column and never once faltered, notwithstanding the thousand dangers that threatened them

on every side. Ifc vras General Brioton's purpose to go as far as the TJnited States Arsenal, on Butler-atreefc, and there encamp Upon arrival there he knocked at the gate, but waa refused admittance. On this,march fivo soldiers > were killed, and one of the Gatling guna were twice fired into the pursuing rioters, each time with awful effect, as men fell before it like grain before the mower." During this outbreak depredations were carried on to a greafc extent, and order was not restored, notwithstanding the exertions of the citizens, headed by the Bishop of Pittsburg and and the Mayor, who endeavored to effect a compromise, until an immense extent of property was destroyed, and great num- , bers of live3 were lost. By latest ac- | counts we learn that order was at length restored, but not until the fair fame of the city was destroyed and its resources nearly ruined, for although the railway companies are the present losers, their loss must be made good by Allegheny County. These scenes were repeated at Chicago, where in an enaouutcr with the troops three riotera were killed and about fifty wounded.