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. He did not. He and a number of the others had considerable influence
over the men, and no violence was to be used at all. It seemed that the
men not in the strike were in sympathy with those that were, and that
no trains would be run out.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. When was this?
A. It was after Mr. Watt was struck.
Q. Did he take any part with them?
A. No, sir.
Q. How many men were arrested in that crowd on Thursday in the vicinity
of the trouble?
A. McCall was the only one I arrested. I left about three o'clock.
While I was there no other act was committed by any person in the
party, and no effort was made by the railroad to run out trains, and we
were simply there under the instruction of the railroad men.
Q. You do not know of any others being arrested that day in that
vicinity?
A. I do not.
Q. Nor on Friday in that vicinity to your knowledge?
A. On Friday morning, I think, the military was out with the sheriff
and his posse.
Q. But answer my question?
A. No.
Q. On Saturday?
A. On Saturday, no, not on Saturday. The military were in charge of the
railroad property on Saturday.
Q. Did you or any other officer that you know of have a warrant in his
hands for the arrest of some ten or twelve men?
A. Yes; I had a warrant for the arrest of ten or twelve men that were
interfering with the railroad employés.
Q. You had the names of those parties?
A. Before the warrants were served they were re-called from me.
Q. By whom?
A. The information was taken away by the attorneys of the railroad
company.
Q. Did they recall them?
A. Yes.
Q. From you?
A. Not the warrants; but I was notified by the mayor that the
information was taken from the office, and that the matter was placed
in the hands of the sheriff.
Q. Did he instruct you to return the warrants?
A. The warrants were null and void then when the information was taken
away. The warrants were transferred to the sheriff.
By Mr. Means:
Q. Did you hear anybody make any threats against the railroad officers?
A. Well, Davis jumped on the switch, and swore that no trains should go
out, that he would die in his tracks first. Those were the only threats
I heard on Thursday.
Q. Were those directed against the railroad officers or any of their
employés?
A. The threats were against the running out of the trains.
Q. Do you know anybody going to the officers of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, and advising them to leave the city for fear that
they would suffer violence?
A. Not to my own knowledge.
Q. You did not hear anybody make such threats?
A. No.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. When did you first get the warrants for the arrest of those
men--what day was it?
A. It seems to me the warrants were issued on Thursday afternoon or
Friday morning, but I am not positive about that. I can refer to the
warrants and see.
Q. How long did you hold them before you got notice that the
information was withdrawn.
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