CHAPTER XXV.
Anxious Days Elsewhere in Illinois.
At the State Capital—Peoria Strikes—Miners in the Southern Section—The Braidwood Troubles—Troops Sent Down—Matters at Mattoon—Effingham Idlers—The Trainmen at Many Points—Shutting Up Shops in Various Provincial Towns—Peace Restored.
On the 23rd day of July the coal companies shut down their mines at Mount Carbon and Murphysboro. The same evening a mass meeting was called at Murphysboro of all miners, mechanics, and laborers on the Cairo and St. Louis Narrow-gauge. The object of the meeting was to consider whether they should all strike. Some of the miners had been out of work for some weeks, and their cry was for bread. The payment of the miners at Mount Carbon, and of the railroadmen of the Carbondale and Grand Tower road, due the 23rd, was postponed.
The employes of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad made a demand Monday, the 23rd, for ten per cent. increase of wages. The number of men engaged by the road at Quincy was about three hundred; none of them favored a strike.
Other workingmen in the city offered to assist them, in case they struck, but the offer was declined. The Company stopped trains between Quincy and Galesburg, Tuesday, the 24th. Freight cars were sent out to stations along the road and side-tracked. Passenger trains were running regularly. The Wabash road had no trouble at Quincy. The evening passenger train for Toledo was abandoned on the 23rd, and did not run for several days. The morning trains went out as usual. There was no rail communication between Quincy and St. Louis. A number of tramps arrived in the city of Quincy, attracted by prospects of a row. The National Guard and Quincy Guard were on duty at their armories.
A small squad of railroad strikers arrived at Mount Vernon, Illinois, on the evening of the 25th, and caused some commotion in the machine shops of the St. Louis and Southeastern Railway. Three shops give employment to some eighty men, nearly all of whom had families, and sat under their own vines and fig trees, and had never been heard to express dissatisfaction with the wages they received, though this was denied by men on the strike. About nine o’clock in the morning several men, claiming to be acting under the authority of the executive committee of the strikers at East St. Louis, visited the shops for the purpose of explaining the situation to the men, and inducing them to quit work.
This committee was headed by Marion Rupert, an old fireman on the Southeastern Railroad. The committee were met by Mr. L. B. Salisbury, master mechanic, when a pleasant interview relating to the business in hand took place. Mr. Salisbury stated that while the men in the shops were at perfect liberty to quit work, if they so desired, they would be protected in their purposes to continue at work. At noon the men in the shops held a meeting to consider the situation and resolved to quit work at six o’clock in the evening of the 25th.
Six companies of Militia, under Brigadier-General Pavey, were drilled in the Court House yard at Mount Vernon, and held in readiness for any call that might be made upon them. Meanwhile, no freight was received or sent forward. Farmers could find no outlet for their grain. Business of all kinds was stagnant, and a most deplorable state of things existed.
On the 23d of July, all the freight cars on the Springfield division of the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, and all on the Chicago and Alton Railroad were ordered to be sent to Springfield, Illinois. Several freight trains on the latter road arrived at Springfield from the South. A double force of police was ordered on duty. The striking miners, four hundred in number, held a meeting at midnight at Springfield.
The excitement was intense at that place all day. The Governor was in receipt of numerous telegrams from all parts of the State, offering the services of men if needed, to suppress any riot which might occur. The preparations were so complete, that in one hour not less than five thousand men could be embodied under the militia plan, exclusive of the two regiments in Chicago. These men were nearly all veterans, and all under the command of their old commanders. They were chiefly from the country districts, and were armed with breechloaders. A great supply of ammunition for which arms was in the arsenal at Springfield, was well guarded. There were also one thousand Enfields with ammunition and equipments. The Secretary of War offered a supply of muskets and ammunition, and these arrived at designated points that night. The Governor and Adjutant General had hopes that the strikers would not proceed to acts of violence, and had confidence in the ability of the authorities to maintain peace, or in the last resort to suppress violence. Despatches from Chicago gave assurance of the ability to maintain peace there.
Colonel Roe, United States Marshal at Springfield, received a despatch from Judge Drummond, at Chicago, ordering him to proceed at once to East St. Louis, and if there should be an unlawful interference by anyone in the running of the railroads in the possession of James H. Wilson, as receiver of the same by orders of the Circuit Court of the United Slates, for the Southern district of Illinois, he was directed to use his authority, as Marshal of the United States, to put a stop to such interference, and to protect the receiver in the operation of the railroad, and for so doing, the despatch should be his warrant.
The railroad was the St. Louis and Southeastern. United States Marshal Roe, had a conference with the Governor as to the amount of force which could be supplied to support the Marshal, if requested, and it was considered, upon looking over the whole situation, the force could be supplied to protect the line of the road. Marshal Roe, left Springfield for St. Louis, to examine the situation personally before he proceeded to make any movement. He was an officer of experience in the army, of undoubted spirit, and as it happened had already been called upon to suppress riotous proceedings as Marshal. It was not doubted that his conduct would be prudent and effective.
At Waterloo, Ill., July 28th, Charles Frick, Sheriff of Monroe county, received a telegram from F. E. Canada, Superintendent of the Cairo and St. Louis Railroad, to hold the special train from Murphysboro, and to hold all railroad property in Monroe county subject to the order of the Company, and arrest Conductor Adams, one of the ringleaders of the strikers, which was done that evening by Mr. Frick and his armed posse. There were fifteen strikers aboard. No resistance was offered, Adams permitting himself to be quietly taken. Many of the citizens of Waterloo were fearful that the action of the Sheriff would incite a riotous visit from some of the mob in East St. Louis.
The negro miners who were driven from the Braidwood mines were encamped at Washington, at the Coal Companies expense, waiting until the trouble was settled, so they could resume work. On the 28th, the Governor ordered the troops to go to Braidwood, and about eight hundred and fifty men went to that point.
Orders were received for the Aurora Light Guard, Company E. Third Regiment, to hold themselves in readiness for marching orders. Captain Vosburg at once laid in a supply of ammunition, and prepared for duty. On the morning of the 28th, marching orders were received, and the company, numbering about forty, left for Braidwood, via Chicago, reporting to Major-General Ducat. A constant patrol was kept up about Aurora, and especially about the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad yards. A number of strange men were seen in the shop-yard by the guard, and ordered to halt, and give an account of themselves. They ran, firing several shots as they retreated. No one was injured, and only one man was arrested, he being a hard looking customer, who refused to say anything about himself, or his and his pals’ object was in the Company’s yard. It was thought their object was to fire the large shops of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Company, located there. The man was kept in confinement for some days. All was quiet at Aurora. Trainmen and engineers all along the line were at work. The shopmen had given up all idea of striking, and worked ten hours a day.
At Decatur, on the 25th, a committee of strikers visited the different manufacturing establishments, and ordered them to close, saying if they did not, force would be brought to compel them. The order was acceded to. The strikers said they would hold all trains until their demands were complied with. They numbered several hundred.
At Peoria, July 19, the police arrested the ringleaders in the riot of the previous day, and housed them safely in jail, after a desperate hand-to-hand encounter, in which the military took part. Fortunately none of the rioters were hurt. There were additional arrests of the ringleaders the following day. This action seemingly broke the mob, which made no show at all the next day. Passenger trains left on the usual time, guarded by troops, and undisturbed by the mob. The jail was guarded by military, and the Board of Trade guarded the gas-works and water-works.
At Champaign, July 29th, much excitement was occasioned on account of the action of strikers on the Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western road. Intelligence was received that a company of strikers were en-route from Urbana to Champaign, to stop a train on that road. Mayor Trevell promptly put his forces, including militia, in order to prevent riotous demonstrations. The invaders marched through the streets to the depot and found the train gone. They hastened out of town failing of any pretext for a riot. They asserted their purpose to hold out, but their power was broken. Mr. Cooper, foreman of the shops at Urbana, notified all shop hands, except the leaders of the strike, to begin work. Freight engines went out with freight trains.
The governor was notified that the Illinois Central Railroad Company was in possession of its property at Chicago, and proposed to put on freight trains but that the road was blockaded at Mattoon, Effingham, Decatur and Carbondale, and the officers of the road wanted the Governor to give them protection. The Governor at once ordered the Sheriffs of the counties in which these blockades were maintained to call out their posses and break the blockades. The Harris Guards of Petersburg were brought to Springfield, and went on duty at the State Arsenal, relieving the Governor’s Guards, which were sent to Decatur. The Governor’s Guards occupied the Junction at Decatur, thus protecting the Illinois Central, the Wabash and the St. Louis branch at that point.
Major Bluford Wilson telegraphed from St. Louis, that upon taking the proper steps, there was no doubt a sufficient United States force could be thrown into East St. Louis to take control of the town. The Governor was anxious before calling for any further aid from the United States, to try other measures, which he hoped would be effectual.
A number of the leading citizens of Southern Illinois having consented to act as deputy United States Marshals for the purpose of restoring order and protecting property along the line of the St. Louis and Southeastern Railway, the following appointments were made by telegraph: M. K. Lawler and J. J. Cassels of Equality, and J. M. Crebs of Carmi. Mike Lawler is the old Colonel of the Eighteenth Illinois, who won his stars and lost his leg at the battle of the Big Black. Crebs is a lawyer and a democratic politician, and Cassels is equally well known as a leading republican of that part of the State.
The representatives of all the roads at East St. Louis asked the Governor to allow General Jeff. C. Davis, U. S. A., to occupy East St. Louis and the Governor replied in the affirmative.
Governor Shelby M. Cullem, of Illinois issued a proclamation on the 27th, in which he recited the story told by other Governors before, that certain persons, active in violation of law had assumed to interfere and prevent the movement of railroad trains in that State, and had sought to intimidate honest workingmen engaged in the avocations by which they earned their bread, and to compel them to cease from their labor; and that such condition of affairs continued, and was intolerable, entailing disastrous consequences, the nature and extent of which was impossible to foresee, he therefore commanded all such riotous and disorderly persons to desist and return to their homes, and called upon all Sheriffs, Mayors and other officers charged with the execution of the laws to break up all conspiracies against the rights of property and persons, and to that end to employ every lawful means in their power, and to enjoin upon all citizens to assist in bringing about restoration of order, resumption of business, moving of trains and revival of manufactures.
He further gave notice that the entire military force at his disposal as commander-in-chief of military, would be employed for the support of the civil authorities in the endeavor, and that orders would be given to troops to use whatever amount of force might be necessary to compel obedience to law.
The most serious trouble which occurred in the State of Illinois, outside of Chicago, was experienced at Braidwood, a small mining town in the northern central part of the State. Sometime before the general labor uprising, the coal miners employed in mines at that place, had struck for better wages. The company operating the mines refused to acceed to the demands of the miners, and imported a large number of colored miners, to take the places vacated by the striking miners. This greatly exasperated the white miners, and the company experienced no little trouble in protecting their new employes from the vengeance of the old miners. However, they managed to keep the colored men at work until the general uprising, when the striking miners rose en-mass and expelled the colored miners from the village. Indeed, they were fortunate to escape with their lives. General Ducat, with a strong force of State troops, was sent to Braidwood to restore order. For a time it appeared that very serious trouble would follow the advent of the militia. The striking miners were bold, defiant, and reckless in bearing. On several occasions collisions seemed inevitable. But by careful management on the part of General Ducat, bloodshed was avoided. The colored miners returned on the 29th, and quietly resumed work in the pits. The state of feeling entertained against them by the strikers, however, was such that it was necessary for a guard to remain at Braidwood for several days, in order to protect them.