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. For carrying away property, and stuff, and various things, and
disorderly conduct. One thing and another of that kind.
Q. For larceny and disorderly conduct?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Before whom were they taken?
A. Before Deputy Mayor Butler.
Q. What was done with those persons?
A. Some were fined, and some were held for court, and some were
discharged. A great many were discharged, as one of the officers came
down with the report that the jailor said that he could not hold them
or keep them.
Q. What persons were they who were arrested?
A. I cannot say. Most of those names are fictitious.
Q. Did you get their residences?
A. No; the residences were not taken.
Q. How many did you hold for court?
A. That I cannot say.
Q. Did you keep a record of it?
A. Yes; there is a record of it.
Q. Have you the record now in your office?
A. I do not know whether it is there now. I passed the record out of my
hands to the comptroller of the city.
Q. How many were fined?
A. Quite a number.
Q. Did they pay their fines?
A. Some of them did and some went to jail.
Q. How many went to jail?
A. That I cannot say.
Q. Can't you make an estimate?
A. I really could not, because you can imagine that morning I had not
much stomach for anything to keep facts and figures. It is just a
general idea. Everything was in such terrible confusion.
Q. How large were the fines?
A. From three to five dollars.
Q. You say you cannot tell who those men were, or where they resided?
A. No; they were people I never saw before.
Q. Those who were committed to jail. Did you ever ascertain afterward
who they were and where they came from?
A. I did not.
Q. Did you ever make any effort?
A. I never did. The police made efforts afterwards to try to ascertain,
I believe, who they were, but I do not know what they did, or whether
they did anything or not.
Q. Can't you tell something about what class of people they were from
their dress?
A. They all looked to be of the poorer class of people, but what they
were or who they were I cannot say.
Q. Can't you tell whether they were tramps or railroad men or people of
the poorer class?
A. Some were tramps--I know that. I have a recollection of that. I
don't think there were any railroad men. There may have been a few, but
a very few, though. They were generally of the poorer class of people,
picking up plunder.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Were they Pittsburghers?
A. That I cannot say. I never saw them before, and have never seen them
since.
By Mr. Means:
Q. When those policemen were sent out there, was there any arrangement
made by Mr. Watt, or any other person, to keep the time of the men
while in service?
A. I had nothing to do with that. That was a matter for the clerk of
the chief of police to attend to. I know that Mr. Watt, or somebody,
sent down a check to pay them.
Q. Have you any recollection of a party of eighty sent to the
work-house?
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