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. I have no idea how many. A good many of them were about there just
at the time that Mr. Watt came in and said he wanted some. We might
have gotten thirty then. More went out afterwards.
Q. Who sent them out?
A. I do not know. But I understood, however, more men were wanted, and
they were sent out.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. These men that were picked up--these men that had been dropped from
the rolls, did they go out on the ground in uniform, or did they go out
in citizen's dress?
A. I guess some in uniform and some in citizen's dress. I cannot say
whether they were in uniform or not.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Were they armed as usual with maces?
A. I cannot say that.
By Mr. Engelbert:
Q. Usually when you send out a squad, don't you arm them with maces?
A. Yes; but these men were not on the rolls, and I just gathered them
up, and sent them out as quickly as possible.
Q. If not armed, they would not have been of much use?
A. No; not of much use, if there was much disturbance, without arms.
Q. You do not know whether they were armed or not?
A. I do not, because I did not go out with them.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Was there any call made on the night force for it?
A. I do not think there was that night.
Q. They were on duty regularly on Thursday evening, I suppose?
A. Throughout the city, yes.
Q. The one hundred and one men were on service throughout the city
proper?
A. On Thursday night, yes.
Q. None of them went to the scene of this disturbance?
A. Not to my knowledge, except the men on in that district.
Q. How many men were regularly stationed in that district?
A. I suppose about ten men were on in that district--the third
district--from the Union depot to Twenty-eighth street. The lieutenant
in charge of the district may have had his men there.
Q. Who had charge of that district?
A. Henry Coates, I think. I think he had charge of it.
Q. Were any of them sent out there on Friday morning--any of the night
force?
A. I do not think they were, to my knowledge.
Q. Or during the day Friday, at any time?
A. I do not know that they were.
By Mr. Larrabee:
Q. Were you at the scene of the disturbance at any time during the
trouble?
A. I was out there on Sunday morning early, along the line on Liberty
street. There was a good deal of trouble about the city, and we were
gathering the police in and sending them out throughout the city. We
were afraid that the mob would break into the gun shops. The excitement
was so great that I thought they might attempt to break into places,
and so I gathered the men up and sent them to different places.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. If the mayor had made a call for policemen on Thursday afternoon,
how many men could he have raised?
A. I do not know. I have no idea.
Q. Would there have been any difficulty in raising any number of
policemen, do you think?
A. There might have been some. That call was made through the Sunday
papers, and a good many responded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account