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
A. I was at Union depot when the troops arrived. I went to the outer
depot, two blocks west of Twenty-eighth street. We kept ourselves
advised by wire as to about the time the troops would move from Union
depot to Twenty-eighth street. We were expecting that they would clear
the track, and that then, if possible, we would get the trains started.
We had a crew in readiness to go just as soon as they got protection
enough to start. I remained on some gondolas there until the troops,
with the Gatling gun, passed along up the track. Then I followed up. I
didn't intend to go very close, but got much nearer than I had
intended, and so got near enough to see the movements of the troops. I
saw them form on Twenty-eighth street into what is called a square, and
saw the confusion that Mr. King spoke about. I heard the shots very
soon after that. I thought at first it was blank cartridges, but soon
learned such was not the case.
Q. Have you any idea as to how many were hurt?
A. Seven, eight, or ten--and some killed.
Q. You saw this yourself?
A. I didn't see any myself. I saw them carrying people away very soon
afterwards. I saw afterwards the man that Mr. King mentioned as having
been hit in the face by a stone before the firing. While I was in the
superintendent's office, after the firing, a report came that they were
going to attack the arsenal, and also the superintendent's office. I
afterwards went home and got my supper and returned. When returning,
the mass of people at Twenty-eighth street was enormous. They were
solid on both sides of the track. By the way, some soldiers were there,
enough to keep the men off the track. I had intended to go up and walk
to the superintendent's office, but found I couldn't do it with safety.
I thought they possibly might want me, and I intended to go. I went to
Union depot, and made an arrangement to get to the office. After that,
I learned that the military had charge of everything. I staid at Union
depot until ten o'clock, and left on the last train that went out. That
was on Saturday night. About three or four o'clock in the morning I was
awakened by a great deal of noise and hallowing, and saw a great many
roughs passing my place, and heard wagons passing.
Q. Did they seem to be coming in wagons from a distance?
A. Yes; various wagons went past my house. It was three or four o'clock
in the morning. It was getting daylight; and during all that day the
people were carrying plunder past our house; and those same wagons
returned during the afternoon loaded. I remained at home on Sunday, for
the reason that they said they were going to commence at East Liberty
and burn everything to Pittsburgh, and I thought that possibly my house
might be burned.
Q. If you had succeeded in starting a train from Pittsburgh, would it
have been able to get ten miles away.
A. All the trains that we started previous to, say, nine or nine and a
half o'clock on Thursday, went through--went through all right.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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