Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
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Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878
Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
Q. How large was the crowd at that time?
A. I should judge in the neighborhood of two hundred men. The sheriff
then went back to the superintendent's office, and entered into
communication with Harrisburg and other points, sending the telegrams
as described by Mr. Scott. There was no other attempt made that night
to move anything, except stock to the stockyard from the connecting
lines.
Q. What occurred on Friday morning?
A. We had crews brought in from Derry--that is the train-masters. They
came in as passengers, ready to take the trains east. The majority of
the engineers, up to this time, had professed their entire willingness
to run at any and all times, but the crowd, on Friday, had increased to
such an extent that it was not deemed prudent to attempt to start the
trains without some protection afforded to the men running them, at
least through the crowd. Very little was done during Friday, except the
movement of stock. Friday night the troops were moved, the Fourteenth
and Nineteenth regiments, I believe, to the neighborhood of
Twenty-eighth street. I expected on Saturday morning that we would
start our trains without much trouble. I believe they took almost
complete and entire possession of Twenty-eighth street and the switches
that we needed to get our trains out.
Q. That is the troops took possession?
A. Yes; they had full possession of Twenty-eighth street on Saturday
morning.
Q. And all the switches you needed to get your trains out?
A. Yes. But the crowd assembled in very large numbers, and it was not
long before the crowd had possession of them, and all the ground.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Driving the troops off?
A. There was no conflict at all. The troops were stationed, one
regiment on the hillside, probably some two hundred feet back from the
line of the railroad, with their arms stacked, and another regiment was
stationed on the road leading up to the hospital grounds, east of
Twenty-eighth street, with their arms stacked, and a few men were on
the crossing.
By Mr. Means:
Q. I want to know if those troops left their arms stacked while the
crowd was still accumulating?
A. The crowd was in and about there. Do you mean whether or not the
crowd could have taken possession of any of those arms without
interference?
Q. No; but whether while the crowd was still accumulating the troops
had their arms stacked?
A. The crowd was accumulating, and continued accumulating up to the
time of the firing.
Q. And the arms were still stacked?
A. Yes, sir; while I was there.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. That is Friday evening?
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