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
This determination on the part of the civil authorities, backed by the
citizens, broke the spirit of the mob, and they did not again assemble
in any great number, or commit any further breaches of the peace,
although the citizens' organization was kept up for several days, and a
special force of some fifty men was employed to be on the watch for
some time, and until matters became quiet throughout the State. The
whole number of citizens enrolled was about fifteen hundred, and more
than one thousand were out on a parade at one time. On receiving news
of the uneasiness manifested at Harrisburg, General Latta, then at
Pittsburgh, telegraphed Major General J. K. Sigfried, commanding Fourth
division National Guard, with head-quarters at Pottsville, to put the
City Grays, of Harrisburg, on duty at the arsenal at once, and order
his whole division under arms, and move to Harrisburg. He also received
a similar telegram from Governor Hartranft, from Medicine Bow, Wyoming
Territory. The telegrams were dated July 22d. General Sigfried had, on
the previous day, as a precautionary measure, ordered Captain Maloney,
of the Harrisburg City Grays, to ship his arms and ammunition to the
State arsenal, located just outside of the city, and to stay there and
guard the same, to prevent it from falling into the hands of any mob
that might undertake to capture it. General Sigfried arrived at
Harrisburg with nine companies of the Seventh and Eighth regiments on
the 23d, and was there joined by eight other companies, making a force
under his command of some eight hundred men. These troops were
stationed at the arsenal at the time the mob was dispersed by the
police and sheriff's posse, on the night of the 23d, but were not
called on by the civil authorities, they evidently understanding their
duty, which was to attempt to enforce the law by the means within their
power, before calling on the military for assistance. Had this been
done as promptly in some other places, much expense to the State might
have been saved, and the riot nipped in the bud, instead of being
allowed to become strong and organized, while waiting for troops to
arrive. The mayor testified that when the disturbance first commenced
the citizens were lukewarm, and seemed to have considerable sympathy
with the strikers, but as soon as affairs began to assume a serious
aspect, they came forward and enrolled themselves freely in the law and
order posse, and urged prompt and vigorous action, and by so doing they
no doubt prevented the enacting at this place of the terrible
destruction of life and property which took place in other localities.
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