Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878 — John Shaqi
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
At 3.50, P.M., of that day, J. E. Wootten, general manager of the
Reading Railroad Company, telegraphed General Bolton, that they were in
need of protection at Reading, and asked that General Reeder be sent to
that place with his command, which request was complied with, and
General Reeder ordered to proceed to Reading at once. General Reeder,
with the Fourth regiment, Colonel Good, arrived at Reading about seven
o'clock, P.M., of the 23d, and instead of finding the mob in possession
of the depot of the Philadelphia and Reading railroad, as he expected,
found it in possession of a squad of the coal and iron police. The mob
had had pretty much its own way all day, and had stopped the running of
all freight trains, and interfered with the passenger trains. The
sheriff of the county, George R. Yorgey, who was out of the city, had
been telegraphed to by the chief of police, in regard to the trouble,
and having been furnished an extra train, arrived in the city about
five, A.M., of the 23d.
On his arrival, he refused to take any steps to raise a posse, although
men were offered him by the railroad officials, and the only step taken
by him to disperse the rioters, and preserve order during the troubles,
was to issue a proclamation at night, on the 23d, requesting all good
citizens to remain at their homes. When the chief executive officer of
the county, so fails in his duty, it is no wonder that mobs become
defiant and destroy life and property.
The mayor was absent from the city, and the chief of police, Peter
Cullen, was the only civil officer who did any thing to preserve order.
He, with the police force of twenty-seven men, did all that men could
do under the circumstances. On Sunday night, with a few police, he
tried to prevent the burning of the cars, and stopped it after a short
time. On Monday, with his force he cleared the crossing at Seventh and
Penn streets, so that the street cars and people could pass, although
the crowd numbered several thousands. He also sent out his men to raise
a posse of two hundred men among the citizens, but they all refused,
and laughed at the police, and he did not consider that he had the
authority to summon them or order them out.
The police force was still at the Penn street crossing when General
Reeder arrived at the depot. The railroad officials requested General
Reeder to move into the railroad cut to release a train that was in the
hands of the mob, and as that was on the direct route to Penn street
crossing, the point to which he wished to go with his force, he
commenced his march through the cut. The cut is some three squares
long; the banks about thirty feet high at the highest place, and at the
ends tapering down to nothing, with streets crossing it by bridges in
two places, and walks at each side near the top of the bank, with a
stone wall down the face of the bank, and a parapet three or four feet
high to protect the walks.
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