A. That was Sunday night at the time of the fire. During the night,
about eleven o'clock, we smelled smoke at the far end of the Fort
Wayne, and a couple of citizens, by the names of Moran and Reed, went
down there and put it out. If it had got started there would have been
quite a fire there.
Q. You are a detective, I understand?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Were you on duty on Thursday?
A. On duty on Thursday; yes, sir, on duty right along.
Q. Did you witness any of the occurrences?
A. No, sir; was not out there at any time. No orders to go out.
Q. You received no instructions about arresting these men. There was a
warrant for some men who were supposed to be leaders?
A. There was a party detailed for that purpose.
Q. You were not in that party?
A. No, sir.
Q. Would it have been possible that night for these men to get hold of
these parties--those officers that had the warrants? Were you out that
night on duty?
A. Not that night--never off duty, you might say--we are always on
duty.
Q. What I want to know is, whether these officers could have arrested
these men they had warrants for?
A. I think it would have been almost an impossibility to have got them,
unless they were got at their homes. To take them out of that crowd
would take twice the force to get one or two men.
Q. You believe that with the force of the mayor, it would have been
impossible to have taken these men?
A. To take these men right in the crowd, it would have been dangerous.
I felt that way. I have had occasion to be where there was something
like a riot at the bolt works, this same summer, and we had about
twenty police there, and I suppose there was some fifteen hundred or
two thousand men. We gave them to understand they could not pass into
the gates, and they did not pass in, and it all passed quiet, and
nobody hurt; but if we had fired one shot, I do not think we would have
been of much use.
Q. As an experienced officer, you would not have made the arrest that
night in that crowd?
A. Not in that crowd.
Q. Do you know whether there was any effort made to shadow these
men--following them to their homes?
A. No, sir.
* * * * *
Charles L. Schriver, _sworn_:
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Where do you reside?
A. Reside in Harrisburg.
Q. What is your occupation?
A. Locomotive fireman.
Q. Were you employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company?
A. I was.
Q. At the time of the strike on the 19th of July?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Were you there on Thursday?
A. I was there on Thursday morning.
Q. Be kind enough to state what occurred?
A. I got to the round-house, I guess, about eight o'clock; stayed in
there awhile. I was reading a dispatch containing an account of the
riot in Martinsburg to three or four other fireman and engineers. There
was a man came into the round-house and said the brakemen were on a
strike. So a couple of us went down to the yard, and the brakemen said
down there that they were not going out on any double-headers. There
was a fellow tried to make a coupling, and a man hit him with a link,
and a little while after that they took out the same train with a yard
engine. They couldn't get any long road engines out--nobody would go. I
went home to dinner and came back. They tried to take out this
double-header. They coupled engine 775 and 473, and it was an
understood thing between the engineers and conductors, that any person
could go out ahead and make a signal to stop, they would stop and get
off. As soon as 775 went down the yard and got the train of thirty-six
cars, and came up into the yard, and 473 coupled ahead and pulled her
out, there was four or five policemen got on each engine, and John
Major, he was on 473, and the engineer of 473, pulled her out. She made
about two exhausts, and a fellow got ahead on the track and threw up
his hands. That stopped her. He reversed, and got off. Then the road
foreman and civil engineer took the train back into the yard and ran
the engines up to the round-house. I went home to supper that evening,
and was going to Allegheny, and parties said, "You better stay around
here at Twenty-eighth street." It was all very quiet. There was no
disturbance or anything. About twelve o'clock, somebody says, there was
a kind of collision in the crowd. Right at Twenty-eighth street, about
three feet on to Twenty-eighth street, there was a car that they used
in loading cinders, and directly a man stepped up--it was Sheriff
Fife--and commenced talking, and said we had better go home, and leave
the company do as they please. It was only making the thing worse. The
company would come out ahead anyhow, and it was no use kicking about
it. General Pearson and Davy Watt was along, and, I guess, they talked
in the neighborhood of ten minutes, perhaps, and some person went to
General Pearson, and asked him about the case of McCall, who had been
arrested. Pearson said if they would be down at the lockup with all
their witnesses, he would defend them, and would not want any money for
it. They thought that was a magnificent offer of General Pearson, and
they would accept it, and I do not know whether they went down or not.
I went home--the sheriff was there--and went to bed and got up about
six o'clock, went down street; bought a paper to read an account of the
strike, and went down town; and going down, there was one hundred cars
of stock that had come to Twenty-fifth street, and asked for them to
have two engines, and some parties volunteered in the crowd that they
could have a dozen if they wanted. I went down to the depot about nine
o'clock, and the engineer requested me to fire one of these trains to
East Liberty. I fired up twice for him. The first trip they had put up
this proclamation purporting to be the Governor's. I read it myself.
There was three of them, I believe, posted up round there somewhere.
This was about eleven o'clock. There was nothing further occurred of
any importance there that night. I heard of the First division being
called out. Knew of the other troops being called out--I heard of it
about eleven o'clock. The First division was called out, and was coming
here at about two o'clock. I heard about the shooting in Baltimore, and
was told that they came to do the same thing here. I stayed there until
General Pearson came. I was acquainted with General Brown. Talked to
Major McDonald, he said his men could not fire, that his men had no
ammunition.
Q. Who told you that?
A. Major McDonald, of the Fourteenth regiment. I talked to General
Pearson a while, and he got up and said there was no damn use of the
boys going around there, he was going out with a double-header, and was
going to ride on the pilot. Some of the boys allowed that he was not. I
stayed there until ten o'clock, and I knew the Philadelphia troops
ought to be there pretty soon. I left and went home; went to bed. I
slept then until evening, and didn't know anything about the shooting,
until I was awaked up about six o'clock. I went up to Twenty-eighth
street. Didn't see any dead men. Seen some blood around. Stayed around
Twenty-eighth street and Penn, and saw parties marching out with guns,
flags, drums, &c. Went home and slept until half-past three o'clock
that morning. I got awake by seeing the fire out of my bed. Waited
until daylight. As I got to the Twelfth ward lockup the black maria
came. They took down a whole gang for stealing up there that night.
Just as I crossed Twenty-sixth street, an engineer of the road
says, "The Philadelphia troops fired at us." I got up to Twenty-eighth
street again, and was told they were going to leave the round-house. I
stayed there at the corner of Twenty-eighth and Liberty, and I saw them
marching down Twenty-fifth street. Then I stayed at Twenty eighth
street until they passed. I saw they had all their arms cocked, and
ready to fire.
Q. Did you see anybody fire?
A. No, sir. I went up to the hospital grounds with a lady friend of
mine, stayed around Twenty-eighth street. She thought it would be the
least danger. As soon as they got to Thirty-third street, I heard a
volley. I guess it must have been a hundred pieces went off.
Q. You said it was understood that if any man came in front of the
engines, any engineers and firemen were all to get off?
A. It was an understood thing between the crew of this train. The
conductor, by the name of Franze--he formerly run from Pittsburgh to
Connemaugh, and then from Derry to Altoona. He came from Johnstown that
morning. He didn't want to go out, and he came to where there was a
crowd standing, and he said if any person would tell me not to turn the
switch, I wouldn't do it. He only wanted an excuse not to go out. He
wanted to keep himself solid with the company, and keep his job. He
went down to the transfer, and coupled up thirty-six cars, and
Woodward, the engineer of 473, he said the same. All he wanted was some
one to go and signal to stop, and then they would have an excuse that
they couldn't go out. They would be solid with the company and men
also. When they coupled these engines, 473 and 775, a man by the name
of David Davis, he was the first man to swing, and they understood what
he wanted, and he reversed, and stopped. That is what I say, it was an
understood thing between the crowd and that train crew.
Q. Was there any understanding among the men generally?
A. No; there was no understanding among the men generally. I think every
person said they wouldn't go out on double-headers.
Q. They had all agreed on that?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What were the causes leading to the strike?
A. When the reduction become known it was decided on a strike. Then
there was to be a strike, and they sent a committee of engineers to see
Mr. Scott; but they couldn't get any satisfaction. I understood then
that the 27th, I believe, was set for another strike, and that fell
through; but this strike, it was not a pre-arranged thing, until it was
known, until the first eight-forty train that morning. When I came to
the round-house--everything was double-headers. On Monday there had
been an order posted on the telegraph that all trains were
double-headers, and a new line would ran to Altoona. That would have
taken a great deal of work from some men. There would be a good many
discharged. They suspended two or three of their oldest engineers.
Every man refused to give up. They all talked of it, and went on with
the strike, all the other roads striking. On Friday a telegram came
from the Erie that all of them were on a strike.
Q. Telegraph came from the Erie?
A. Came from Hornersville, New York.
Q. To the Trainmen's Union.
A. It come to the master of the Firemen's Brotherhood of this division?
Q. It was an understood thing they were going to strike on Friday?
A. No, sir; you misunderstood me. It was an understood thing that a
strike was to occur on the 19th of July, but after the Baltimore and
Ohio went out first, and then, when the men on the Pennsylvania struck,
then the rest of them followed suit. The Fort Wayne, Pan Handle, and
all over the country, all followed after the B. and 0. and
Pennsylvania.
Q. That was not double-headers?
A. The rest of them followed--that was going against their ten per
cent.
Q. What was the cause?
A. The ten per cent. and abuse and double-headers was the main cause of
the strike. If a man didn't make himself solid with these petty
officials, they were abused.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Was it understood that there was to be a strike all over the country
when the Pennsylvania Central men struck?
A. No; as far as I know I don't think it was. After the Pennsylvania
went out, the other men had their cause to strike, too, and they
followed suit, right after the Pennsylvania, because they had the two
big trunk lines striking, and these other little roads, that they would
follow suit.
Q. You were speaking of the Firemen's Brotherhood. Is that the same
thing as the Trainmen's Union?
A. It is just the same as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
Q. That is separate from the Trainmen's Union?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Are you a member of the Firemen's Brotherhood?
A. No, sir; I don't belong.
Q. A member of the Trainmen's Union.
A. No, sir.
Q. Were you a member of any organization?
A. No, sir; I attended one meeting the firemen had. Engineers had their
meeting, and firemen had their meeting, and trainmen had their meeting.
Q. Do you know whether there was a man selected to start this strike in
any way?
A. To tell the truth, there was not one man in Pittsburgh knew this
strike was to occur on the 19th of July.