PITTSBURGH, _Friday, February 22, 1878_.
The committee met, pursuant to adjournment, in the orphans' court room
at three o'clock, P.M., Mr. Lindsey in the chair.
All members present.
* * * * *
R. L. Hamilton, _sworn_:
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Where do you reside?
A. 810 Penn avenue.
Q. What is your business?
A. I am a clerk for the water-works of the city of Pittsburgh--clerk of
the water-works. I believe it is called, sometimes, clerk of the water
extension committee.
Q. How long have you held that position?
A. I have held the position of clerk of the water-works since February,
1876--February 4, I believe.
Q. Where is your office?
A. City hall. Third floor of the city hall. Municipal hall as it is
called.
Q. State whether you were at or in the vicinity of Twenty-eighth
street, on Saturday the 21st day of July?
A. I was.
Q. When the firing occurred?
A. I was in the vicinity at the time of the firing.
Q. Where were you--what was your position?
A. I can hardly understand the question.
Q. Where were you in relation to where the troops stood--explain the
situation you occupied?
A. At the time of the firing I was running.
Q. Which direction?
A. Well, towards Liberty street and Twenty-ninth street, to get a brick
house between me and the troops.
Q. Go on, and relate what you saw, commencing at the time you arrived
at, or in the vicinity of Twenty-eighth street?
A. To explain the question, there was a meeting of the water committee
called for Monday evening, and some two or three members of the water
committee lived out in that direction. I started at that notice, and at
two o'clock I arrived at Twenty-eighth street. I went up Twenty-eighth
street to the Pennsylvania railroad tracks, and when there, I was
informed that the Philadelphia troops were about to come out, and I
waited to see them until sometime after four o'clock. These troops came
out headed by the sheriff and several citizens of Pittsburgh, and after
they had formed themselves in position, the sheriff commenced speaking
to the crowd, and I couldn't hear what he was saying from where I was
standing, and I got on a coal truck where I thought I could hear what
he was saying. When I was on this truck, one company of the
Philadelphia troops--the troops, at that time, were formed in two lines
facing the hill, that is, the line next me was facing the hill. I
wouldn't say positively about the line nearest the hill. I was near the
round-house. There was one company of the Philadelphia troops brought
up in single rank, they marched up very quietly until they got to the
switch below Twenty-eighth street. They were met by the crowd, that is,
a crowd of men that refused to go any further. There were orders given
very quietly, and another company, with black plumes on their hats,
came up, and this first company was put in double rank. They tried to
force the crowd back, and the order was given to charge bayonets. The
officers of the Philadelphia troops were in the rear of those two
companies, they were charged up on the track, and after sometime, there
was an order given to fire by the different officers of the
Philadelphia troops.
Q. I wish you would now repeat what you said, beginning with the order
which was given to charge bayonets, commencing about there, and repeat
what you said?
A. After the second company had been brought up--the company with dark
plumes on their hats, I cannot tell what the uniform was--after that,
there was an order given to charge bayonets, and it was a very short
time after this order to charge bayonets--that was only given to the
two companies, the other files were standing, the rest of the
Philadelphia troops were standing in two lines on each side of the
railroad track--after that order given to charge bayonets, almost
immediately, I heard the command given by several officers of
Philadelphia companies, that is, I suppose they were from Philadelphia.
I don't know them personally, but from their uniform, and from the
position in which they were. The order to fire was given by several men
in the uniform of officers of that regiment.
Q. Where did you stand during this time?
A. I stood on a truck loaded with coal. The left of the railroad tracks
going out almost immediately in front of the sand-house of the
Pennsylvania railroad, this side of Twenty-eighth street.
Q. How far from the tracks?
A. I could have stooped down and touched three of the militia with my
hands, by stooping.
Q. How far were you from them at the time the order to charge bayonets
was given?
A. I was in the same position. I had not left that position from the
time I got up there to see what was said by the sheriff until I heard
the order given.
Q. What officers gave the order to charge bayonets?
A. I couldn't say. I heard, but I couldn't say how it was given. The
orders at that time were given very low. It was not to the whole
regiment.
Q. From what direction did the order come?
A. Right from the rear of the two companies that were marched up the
track, and they were not charging when the order was given.
Q. How did they have their arms when the order to charge bayonets was
given?
A. The two companies, I think the whole of them, were at carry arms,
from what I know of the present tactics.
Q. Were any of them at arms port?
A. Some of them in the charging parties had their guns at arms
port--some of the charging party.
Q. Did you hear that command given?
A. No, sir; I didn't hear that command given, but I know now that some
of them had their guns at arms port, because I remember the guns being
in the position of arms port--some of them. A party directly in front
of me were at carry arms.
Q. They were standing still?
A. Yes. They were in line. I think they were at a carry, so far as I
can remember. I cannot swear positively as to that.
Q. When you heard the command given to charge bayonets, how close were
those two companies to the mob?
A. Just as close as they could get.
Q. And the mob resisted them?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. When the order was given to charge bayonets, did the two companies
obey the order.
A. Part of them did. I could see them lunge with their bayonets--try to
force them back.
Q. Did the crowd resist that charge?
A. Some of them did; yes, sir.