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
History
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. A little after eleven o'clock on Thursday, the 19th day of July, Mr.
Watt came to the mayor's office and had a conversation with the mayor,
and after he was through the mayor called me in. It was my week in the
office. We took our turns in the office. He instructed me to gather
what men I could find and go out to Twenty-eighth street--that there
was some trouble with the railroad employés out there on account of a
strike. The week before that our police force had been reduced from two
hundred and thirty-six men to one hundred and twenty, I think. That
left us without any men in the day time at all, except six men that
were employed in the office as detectives, and one man on Fifth street,
and two specials, I believe; but on this day it happened that the men
that had been dropped from the rolls were in the City hall for the
purpose of getting their money. I told the mayor that I could not get a
sufficient number of men to go out there to amount to anything, if
there was any serious trouble, but that a number of these men were
there, and that I could raise a squad from them if necessary. So
failing to find the necessary number of our men--who were in bed at
this time because they were on duty at night--I gathered ten men
belonging to the force that had been dropped, and started out to the
Union depot. Mr. Watt met us there and took us out to the crossing at
Twenty-eighth street. He had some two or three of his own men there.
When I got out there he told me what we were brought there for--that
there was a strike in progress, and he anticipated some trouble with
the employés--that is they would likely resist the running of trains.
We were moved out to Twenty-eighth street, and at Twenty-eighth street,
or a little this side of the street--that is, west--there is a switch.
He told me he was going to move the trains, and I sent the men to
protect those switches, and to see they were not interfered with by the
strikers. I divided the men into two squads, and sent one squad to the
western switch and took charge of the other myself.
Q. How many men were there in a squad?
A. Five; I had ten men and myself. Quite a number of the people there
were boys, and there didn't appear to be much excitement just then.
Q. What time was that?
A. A little before twelve o'clock.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. What were they, railroad men?
A. Yes; a number of them. Some I knew.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Could you mention their names?
A. One I recollect now. I knew him to be a railroad man. I had a
conversation with him. It was Samuel Muckle. I talked with him. The
leading men of them seemed to be disposed to keep the peace. They
didn't want any trouble with the police. We didn't anticipate much
trouble then.
Q. How many were there?
A. One hundred were there, but a number of those were spectators, who
had just come from curiosity.
Q. How many were engaged in the strike?
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