A. I suppose it is the old Duquesne depot on the point.
Q. At the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. He referred to the Liberty street track?
A. Referred to the Liberty street track to be torn up to satisfy the
citizens.
Q. Who was the man?
A. I can't name him. He was a stranger to me.
Q. Do you know where he belonged?
A. I do not know, but judged from his conversation that he belonged to
the city of Pittsburgh, from the manner in which he used that
expression.
Q. What else did you hear said there?
A. People were commenting about it in general terms. I came down Sunday
night, after the fire had got cooled down somewhat. I went to the Saint
James hotel, opposite the Union depot, to take a look. I went out of
curiosity, and got in over the hot coals, so as to have it said that I
ate a meal in the Saint James while it was hot. I walked all around the
burned district; that is, the elevator, Union depot, and Pan Handle
yard, watched the firemen, went down to where the firemen were playing
on the ruins, and came down then through what is known as the metal
yard, and there I heard a conversation amongst the men. I couldn't tell
you the exact number, but I should think there was a hundred and fifty
congregated around there, some of them dead drunk, and some half drunk,
and some of them drunk enough to go any place. I heard them say: "We
must go to this place. There is no police, and they won't interfere
with us any way."
Q. What place did he refer to?
A. I don't know what place they referred to. I thought it was a rather
dangerous place for me, being without any arms, any more than natural
fists, and I didn't stay any longer.
Q. Did you hear any conversation, while at the city hall, from the
mayor's clerks in reference to the riot and burning?
A. No; I don't know as I did. There was a gentleman came in there, and
inquired for the mayor. Says he: "There is a big lot of miners coming
down here," and, says he, "we don't know what to do." He inquired where
he was, and wanted something done to stop them. No person seemed to
know what to do.
Q. How long did you remain at the city hall?
A. I remained there until Monday evening--at the city hall?
Q. Yes?
A. Probably I was there an hour.
Q. Was the mayor away all the time that you were there?
A. I didn't hear of the mayor coming in while I was there at all. He
might have went to his office while I was in there.
By Mr. Engelbert:
Q. What time were you at the city hall?
A. I should judge about seven o'clock in the morning--Monday morning.
Q. When you went into the tobacco store, and told this man he had
better be moving, what reply did he make?
A. Says he: "I think not. They won't let it come down this far will
they?"
By Mr. Dewees:
Q. How did you happen to be here?
A. I came up on purpose to see it. Heard of it at home, and came up.
Q. On purpose to see the riot?
A. On purpose to see what was going on, like hundreds of others.
By Mr. Means:
Q. This man that was in the city hall that said they would not be
satisfied until the track was torn up down to the point--was he dressed
in citizen's clothes?
A. Yes; I judged by his dress and conversation that he was a resident
of the place.
Q. Did the other men make any reply when he made that remark?
A. No; no reply was made.
Q. You would take him then to be a citizen of Pittsburgh?
A. Yes.
Q. How many men from Beaver county came up?
A. Indeed, I could hardly state--I should judge a hundred or one
hundred and fifty.
Q. At the same time?
A. Yes; and some of them were railroad men down there, and were
interested here.
Q. Were they with you at the time you had the conversation with that
man?
A. No, sir; at that time I was by myself.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. You spoke about some armed men you saw going up the hill--did you
ascertain who they were?
A. No, sir; I did not. I was told they were some Philadelphia men that
had been left in there.
Q. Left in the depot?
A. Left in the depot as a guard.
Q. How were they uniformed?
A. Some had caps on, some pants--I would judge they belonged to the
soldiers, on account of the weapons they had in their hands--they were
breech-loaders.
Q. Did they make any effort to prevent any destruction of property?
A. In what way.
Q. You spoke about marching along the hill, or up the hill?
A. When I spoke about them they were escaping from the Union depot. At
that time the flames were coming in from the shed. They were going over
the hill towards the reservoir.
Q. This man you had the conversation with down at the municipal hall,
at the office of the chief of police, did he appear to be connected
with the office there in any way?
A. Well, indeed I can't say. He was in this office, and I struck up a
conversation with him. I don't know how we got to talking about it. I
spoke to Mr. Carrigan, the only one I knew. He went out, and there was
no other person I had conversation with but him, and he seemed to be at
home.
Q. Do you know where Mr. Carrigan lives?
A. No, sir.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. What is Carrigan's name?
A. I can't tell you that.
Q. Does he live here in Pittsburgh?
A. I believe he does.
Q. Can you give his place of business or residence?
A. No, sir; I can't do that. I met him on special duty at one time--he
appeared to be connected with the detective force at one time here.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Can you name any gentlemen that came up from Beaver with you?
A. Mr. Robinson.
Q. What is his first name?
A. Hugh Robinson.
Q. Any other?
A. Mr. Edgar.
Q. Mr. Edgar--what is his first name?
A. John P.
Q. Who else?
A. Mr. Jagger.
Q. What is his first name?
A. Fred.
Q. All these men were with you on the ground?
A. They were scattered through the crowd. I was separated from them
pretty much all the time. Only just occasionally we would meet.
Q. Are they from the town of Beaver?
A. New Brighton.
Q. Any others?
A. There was Major Henry, from Beaver, and Mr. Macomber, of Beaver
Falls file works.
* * * * *
Doctor Edward Donnelly, being duly _sworn_, testified as follows:
Examined of Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Where do you reside?
A. Reside at 62 Stevenson street. My office is 133 Grand street.
Q. You are a practicing physician in city?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Just go on and make a brief statement of what you saw in relation to
the riots?
A. My first knowledge of the riots was on Saturday, the 21st of July,
about an hour or so previous to the arrival of the troops from the
east. I was induced to go to Twenty-eighth street, hearing that there
was a large concourse of people assemble there, and they were there for
the purpose of preventing any trains leaving the city--any freight
trains, and having the dread of riots before my eyes--I had seen other
riots in Philadelphia, in 1844--I apprehended that there might be some
little difficulty, and as I have some influence with the Irish portion
of the people of the city, I thought it my duty to go there, and try to
induce them to leave the place, and not enter into any measures that
would tend to criminate themselves or break the laws of the country.
That was the reason I went there. When I arrived at the ground--I drove
out in my buggy--when I arrived there, I found about fifteen hundred
people. I presume, assembled--fifteen hundred to two thousand, and
several companies of soldiers--the Fourteenth regiment, Greys, I
believe, some of them, and the Nineteenth. I am not sure that there was
any Greys there--I think it was the Fourteenth and the Nineteenth
regiments. I saw Colonel Grey's command on the side of the hill, and I
inquired of him who had charge of the troops here, as they were in
rather a disorderly condition, I consider, in a military point of view.
They were mingling freely with the crowd in groups here and there, and
seemed to have no order or discipline amongst them. They told me
General Brown had command; and I then went down amongst the crowd on
the railroad track, where Twenty-eighth street intersects the road, and
I met General Brown, and inquired of him if he was in command of the
troops. He said he was. Said I, "you are not in military uniform--you
have no uniform on." He was dressed as a citizen. I thought it was a
very remarkable thing. He then asked me if I would make a speech to the
crowd, so as to disperse them, or induce them to disperse, and leave
the track free for the cars to go out--engines and so on. I told him
that I did not think it was my place, but if it would be of any benefit
I would certainly do so; and he said "yes," he thought it would be
necessary, because there was troops coming from Philadelphia and
Easton; that the railroad company had sent for troops to disperse any
mob that would attempt to interfere with the running of trains; and,
perhaps, it would be best, in order to prevent any disturbance, for me
to address the crowd to that effect. I hesitated somewhat, and inquired
then before I consented. Said I, "who is the leader of the strikers?"
Said he "there he is," pointing to a tall man that was very busy in the
crowd, making motions with his fingers to his companions--that is,
trainmen, firemen, and engineers. Said I "call him here and see what he
says about my addressing this crowd." This man was called, and he also
thought it advisable for me to do so--they did not want any
disturbance, and they would like the crowd to disperse--they could
manage this business themselves without any outsiders; and at this
solicitation of Brown, and this chief man amongst the strikers, I got
up on the steps of a small oil house, that is fronting the
round-house--standing there yet--and I addressed the crowd present, and
what I said on that day to them was published in the afternoon
paper--in the _Leader_--I have a copy of it here. I told them that
it was necessary for them to disperse--if you would like to here the
exact words I would read them for you.
Q. Is it lengthy?
A. No, sir; it is very short. It was so to the point at the time that I
thought it best to preserve it, and this is copied from the _Leader_ of
the 21st, the afternoon of the-day of the occurrence, and this address
was delivered about one hour before the arrival of the troops. The
reporter says he addressed--that is. Doctor Donnelly--addressed the
strikers as his fellow-countrymen. I did so because I have been in the
habit of addressing Irishmen in public meetings, and it was more of a
habit than anything else. Instead of saying "fellow-citizens," I said
countrymen; not because they were all Irish, but because it is a habit
I had in using that term, and exhorted them not to resort to violence.
"No striker," he said, "had ever yet succeeded where violence was
resorted to. Violence was invariably met with violence, and ended in
the discomfiture of the strikers. It was opposed and contrary to the
fundamental laws of the land. He entreated them to maintain law and
order. To reflect before taking any rash step, and to remember that
law-breakers must, in the natural course of things, suffer. He urged
them to be prudent upon the arrival of the troops from the east. The
troops from Philadelphia, said he, and the troops from Easton and
elsewhere are not to you like the Duquesne Greys or the Fourteenth
regiment or the Nineteenth regiment. They are not, I might say, your
brothers. You cannot go to them and take their hands and say to them,
'how are you, Jim?' or 'how are you, Tom' or 'how is it with you,
Patrick?' These men will come here strangers to you, and they will come
here regarding you as we regarded the rebels during the rebellion, and
there will be no friendly feeling between you and them. For this
reason, I implore you, for God's sake, to stand back when they arrive.
To stand off and allow your leaders, who hold the throttle of this
movement, to deal with them. For this reason I implore those of you who
have no business here to go home to your families. It is your duty to
do so. It is your duty to them, to your country, and to the laws of
your country. Leave the matter in the hands of your leaders, who know
what is for the best, better than you do, and you will leave it in good
hands. I have been assured of this. I have been informed by the men who
are leading this strike that they will exercise the greatest caution
and forbearance when the soldiers arrive, and I entreat you to stand
back, and let them manage the thing in their own way." That was the
import of it.
Q. Were you near Twenty-eighth street when you made that?
A. I was right amongst them, sir.
Q. At Twenty-eighth street?
A. At Twenty-eighth street and the round-house. The crowd was between
the round-house and myself--some fifteen hundred or two thousand,
including; soldiers and all.
By Mr. Yutzy:
Q. It was on the steps of the watch-box?
A. I was on the steps of a small building where oil is kept. The steps
are high up, and I had a good location and a good view of the
surroundings. They listened very patiently, and as there was a great
number of women and children among them, I deemed it my duty to warn
them.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Before you go on, state to us what effect this address had upon
them?
A. It seemed to have a good effect upon them as far as the women and
children, and a great number of men retired and went away; and there
was a kindly feeling apparent amongst the people and amongst the
soldiers that were there. There was no evidence of violence, nor none
apprehended, except when the troops would arrive from the cast. The
only fear that appeared to exist amongst the bystanders and those I
conversed with, was a conflict between the eastern troops and the
people.
Q. Were the troops--the soldiers of the Fourteenth and Nineteenth
regiments--mixed up with the crowd at that time?
A. Yes; there was neither order nor discipline amongst them.
Q. Did they have their arms with them?
A. They had some arms on the ground. Some had them with them and some
were stacked in different places along the side of the hill and at the
bottom of the hill.
Q. Were they dressed in uniform?
A. Yes; with the exception of General Brown, who was in citizen's
dress, and he was the commander-in-chief. I inquired for General
Pearson. I understood he was with the Philadelphia troops.
Q. Go on, now, Doctor.
A. My address seemed to have considerable influence with the strikers
and trainmen and others; and they had their meeting-place on Penn
street, near Twenty-eighth. I think it was over a segar store; and I
was requested to meet them that afternoon. I did so, and they delegated
me to wait on the officials of the road to make terms, to put an end to
any further disturbances. They requested me to see Mr. Thaw. I think he
is an official of the road, one of the vice presidents, if I am not
mistaken--William Thaw, I think his name is, and Mr. McCullough and Mr.
Layng. I went to Mr. Thaw's house two or three times, but was unable to
find him. I then went to Allegheny, and met Mr. Layng and Colonel
McCullough, and told them what the strikers wanted, and endeavored to
persuade them to meet the strikers or to make some promise that would
put an end to further difficulty and trouble, or the shooting of people
or destruction of property. They were both together, and I conversed
with them, and I gave them the terms the strikers had authorized me to
make. I took it from the strikers and wrote it down in pencil at the
time, and it is here--the terms they wished me to propose to the
officers of the road, to Mr. Thaw and Colonel Scott, if he was in town.
After informing these gentlemen what the strikers demanded, they told
me they could do nothing in the matter whatever--it was above their
power to do anything.
Q. You may read what the strikers demanded.
A. This is what they demanded: "Authorized by strikers to visit Colonel
McCullough and Mr. Layng to effect a compromise on the basis of taking
off double-headers; same wages as prior to June 1, 1877; each man to
receive his position prior to strike."
Q. Retain his position prior to strike--receive or retain?
A. They said receive at that time--"classification of engines done away
with; each engineer to receive first-class wages, same as prior to June
1, 1877; each engine, road or shifting, to have own fireman"--that was
the conditions on which they wished to make a compromise with the
officials of the road, and by all means to endeavor to have them meet
them, so as to make some kind of a compromise. Their great object
seemed to be to have a conference with the officials.
Q. What time did you get that proposition?
A. It was in the afternoon of Saturday.
Q. Before the collision with the troops?
A. It was after the collision. I had not heard of the collision at that
time. I had been hunting Mr. Thaw in the afternoon, and then had gone
to Allegheny, and I had to procure the aid of a gentleman to go with me
to learn where Mr. McCullough and Mr. Layng lived.
Q. Did you get the proposition before the collision from the strikers?
A. The strikers gave me the proposition previous to the collision, I
think.
Q. What time did you present it?
A. I presented it--it must have been, perhaps, four o'clock or five--it
was in the afternoon.
Q. What response did you get--reply?
A. They told me they could do nothing at all in the matter, nor did
they seemed disposed to do anything. They conversed about the matter as
indifferently as if it was a thing on the other side of the
Atlantic--took no interest in it, but referred me to President Scott.
Q. Did you return to Twenty-eighth street that night again--Saturday
night?
A. I did, sir; went there several times. I reported the interview, and
they said they would try to meet the officers--they would meet the
officers at East Liberty, and that they had sent out word to some of
the officers--I think Mr. Pitcairn and some other officers--to meet
them at East Liberty, and they had gone out there. This was late in the
evening. They had gone out to East Liberty, but they could get no
satisfaction out of the officers there; and they had also telegraphed
to Mr. Scott, president of the road, and had received no answer, and
that they had used every means in their power to make some compromise
with the officers of the road, but had failed.
Q. Were you present when the fire occurred and the first car was fired?
A. No, sir; I was not present at any firing. I was pretty late that
evening out at Twenty-eighth street, and there was an immense concourse
of people all along Liberty street for several squares, but, as I had
my horse with me I did not go amongst them at all on the tracks. I
merely reported my interview between myself and Colonel McCullough and
Mr. Layng, and I then went home.
Q. Your effort was particularly confined to adjusting the compromise
and difficulty between the strikers and the railroad?
A. Railroad officials at that time.
Q. Did you have any negotiations with the mayor about additional
policemen?
A. That Saturday I had not. On Saturday I had not, but on the next
morning, Sunday morning, I was very active, indeed, to endeavor to
raise and organize a vigilance committee for the purpose of suppressing
the riot and saving the property of the railroad company, and other
property; dreading that the city would be set on fire and plundered by
mobs.
By Mr. Yutzy:
Q. These railroad officials you called to see in Allegheny--General
McCullough and Thaw and Layng--what railroad company are they connected
with? Pennsylvania Central?
A. They are all connected with the same company. I presume they
represent the Cleveland and Cincinnati--that western part of the
Pennsylvania Central.
Q. Pennsylvania Company--not the Pennsylvania Central?
A. I didn't know that there was any difference. Mr. Thaw is certainly
connected with the Pennsylvania Central. I think he is one of the vice
presidents.
Q. The Pennsylvania Company managed the road west of Pittsburgh?
A. I don't really know what their positions were. I was solicited by
these men to interview them, supposing that they were the proper
authorities in the matter. Mr. Thaw was proper authority in the absence
of Colonel Scott or other officials that could not be found.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. What success did you meet with in trying to organize a force on
Sunday morning?
A. On Sunday morning the citizens met near the old city hall and formed
a kind of organization there, and finally adjourned to the new city
hall, and there we organized a committee of safety, composed of
citizens, to take measures to assist the mayor--employ a force of
policemen, as he was very deficient in a police force at the time, and
had but a few men on duty; and the object was to organize a strong
police force to aid and assist the mayor in suppressing the riot, which
then had become very alarming. We were all day nearly in doing a very
little. The citizens seemed to be panic stricken, and there seemed to
be no head at all in the city amongst the officials or amongst the
people. The mayor seemed to be powerless. The sheriff, I believe, had
ran away, and, in fact, we seemed to have no city government for the
protection of the city or the people.
Q. What did the mayor do in the way of assisting in this organization?
A. The mayor--he didn't do a great deal, he seemed to be running around
at one thing and another, and he seemed to be so confused and incapable
of organizing anything, that he really did do nothing. I understood
there was two companies of troops come down from up the Monongahela in
charge of an old army companion of mine. I suggested that he had better
try to get those two companies, and take them down where the riot was
going on, and do something. We found that these troops had returned
again, and they were not there, and we came back again, and, finding
that the riot was still going on and nothing being done, he authorized
me to collect as many citizens as I possibly could, and go down there
and see if we could suppress the disturbance, and I organized about
sixty men, composed partly of lawyers, a few physicians, and other
gentlemen, who were determined to use every effort to suppress the
disturbance; and we first armed ourselves with axe handles, which a
gentleman on Wood street procured for us out of his store. I considered
that didn't look very military, and somebody suggested that there were
rifles at the Western University, up on Diamond street, and we
concluded to make a raid on the university. We did so, with the
sanction of the mayor, and we got the rifles, and then there was no
ammunition, and we put the bayonets on them, and with a company of
sixty men, and myself as the colonel--I had been commissioned by the
mayor to act as such--we marched down to the scene of the riot and
arson, each gentleman had a white handkerchief tied on his arm to
distinguish them from the rest of the crowd that was there
assembled--it may look very ludicrous just now, but it was a very
serious matter then. We marched down amongst them, and the crowd sort
of stood to one side and let us pass through. I arranged the men on
each side of Liberty street, where I supposed they were going to set
lire to the large stores. At that time the grain elevator had been
destroyed, and the property adjoining the metal yard, adjoining this
large ware-house, was also on fire. There was a fence running from the
middle yard up to one of the stores, I proposed to some of the rioters
present to tear that fence down and save that property, two or three of
them said, well, what do you want, I said we didn't want private
property destroyed, so a gang of them went over and tore the fence
down, and the flames didn't extend any further in that direction. After
staying there some time, and seeing that there was no evidence of
breaking into stores or setting fire to private property, we retired;
that is, we retreated to the city hall, and stacked our arms in the
building, and dispersed for the night. The next morning we were not
organized again, the city seemed pretty quiet, and the crowd had
understood that the citizens were taking an active part in protecting
the city.
Q. Let me ask you a question there. Supposing you had arrived with your
regiment--you say you were a commissioned colonel--suppose you had
arrived on the ground before the fire reached the Union depot, do you
think that you could have kept the mob back and prevented the firing of
the Union depot with that body?
A. I do think that if I had been authorized and given me fifty or sixty
good men, that understood their duty, and were obedient to orders and
had loaded rifles before that depot burned, it could have been saved. I
went there and tried to save that depot, and took Bishop Tuigg with me
to go out there, thinking that there might be a number of our
countrymen there engaged in that, and that he would have some influence
with them, to save the property of the company, and save the building.
I stood on the platform of a car with the bishop, and he first
addressed them, and in looking over the crowd, I found that the crowd
were not Irishmen. As we soon discovered, they began throwing iron ore
and other missiles at the bishop's head, which no good Catholic would
do, unless he was an Orangeman. I also addressed them, and a burly
fellow came up and said, get down from here, Doctor, we are going to
set fire to this, and I considered it most prudent to get down. With
fifty good men, I would have cleared that place in a very few minutes.
By Mr. Means:
Q. Do you know that man that came up to you?
A. I would know him if I ever saw him. I felt very vindictive towards
him at that moment. I did try to save an engine by pulling a fellow off
who would not allow the engineer to try to run it off. I pulled him off
and said let that man take the engine off. He was drunk at the time,
and he said something to me, but anyhow they kept the engine there
until it was burned. If the officials even of the depot--if the
officials of the road, or the employés of the road, had any courage at
all on Monday, they could have saved that building. There was no
trouble about it, because the outside people were perfectly
indifferent, looking on and affording no resistance.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Supposing the officials connected with the road there had made an
effort to have driven them back, what effect would that have had upon
the crowd?
A. The crowd that was there at that time could have been easily driven
away.
Q. Would it have excited them worse?
A. I think not. I think the citizens were all disposed at that time to
aid to enforce law and order. It was the feeling. That was on Sunday,
mind you. On Sunday afternoon at that time I believe every citizen was
disposed to enforce law and order, and that the rioting element would
not have had any chance whatever, and they would not have been
supported.
Q. How many were actually engaged in the arson and rioting at that
time?
A. From my looking at them and looking amongst them, and as they were
assembled together to listen to what we had to say, I don't think there
was fifty men really.
Q. Engaged in the riot?
A. I don't think there was that many, because they were dispersed
amongst the crowd of people, and you could only tell the bad element
amongst them by their appearance, and by their dress, and by their half
drunken condition.
Q. Had you any talk with the mayor during the day, Sunday, about
sending out a posse of policemen there?
A. I had talked with the mayor on several occasions. I urged him to try
to organize a force, and I asked him several times very plainly why he
had not arrested these rioters, I mean the strikers, the head of them,
that were inciting riot, and he said that he had done his duty in that
respect, but that he had been superseded Ivy Mr. Hampton and Dalzell,
and other persons connected with the railroad, in taking it out of his
hands, and placing the authority in the hands of the sheriff, and that
he would let them manage the matter--something to that effect--and that
seemed to be his principal reason for not having acted more
energetically--that the officers of the road had taken the matter out
of his hands.
Q. He was out there during the day Sunday looking over the crowd?
A. I didn't see him out there, I think, unless he was there, and I
didn't see him. I was going to say that these are some of the strikers
who sent the communication [indicating a paper] to the mayor and
myself. This is addressed to the Honorable Mr. McCarthy and Doctor
Donnelly. Metzgar was chief clerk of the mayor at that time, and this
communication was sent. I had been soliciting these strikers to aid us
in suppressing the riot, to enter in with us, and make their appearance
amongst us, to show that they were not in favor of pillaging, burning,
&c. This is addressed to the Honorable M. J. McCarthy: "Have gone to
the Twenty-sixth street, with Cunningham, of the strikers, with McKeon.
Say they will try to go down at once to new city hall to join you, and
will do my best." That is underlined: "Will do my very best. Tell
Donnelly, if they come, see that they get instructions." That is, I was
to go down with the force, at that time, with proper instructions. That
is the name of the gentleman, I can hardly make it out, it is very
peculiar writing, "W. N. Riddle," I should think it was. He was to aid
and assist us, with his strikers, to suppress these disturbances.