Then after I got up here, about one or two o'clock, I received one from
Sheriff Fife. That I have not been able to find; but that I answered.
Q. You have not been able to find the dispatch you received from the
sheriff?
A. No, sir, I think not. But I can get a copy of it here at the office,
if you would like it.
Q. Can you give pretty nearly the contents of it?
A. No, sir; it was a short dispatch, simply asking me if anything was
being done.
Q. Is it published in the Adjutant General's report?
A. No, sir; I think not. I have not got it here. I am sorry, I looked
over all that I had, but I couldn't find it.
Q. I wish you would state now your knowledge of the disturbance at
Reading--any facts that are within your own knowledge, and that you
have obtained through an official capacity?
A. I know nothing about the disturbance of my own personal knowledge,
except from hearsay after I got there. I got there on Tuesday
afternoon--Tuesday evening, I think.
Q. What date?
A. It was the 24th. When we came down from Harrisburg on Tuesday
afternoon, we got here just in time for me to take the two-fifty-seven
train, and go to Reading. I had heard there was a disturbance over
there, and I went over, and when I got there I found the bridge was
burned down. We stopped just this side of the bridge, and had to drive
in over the other bridge, and found considerable excitement in town,
and a great deal of anxiety and uncertainty about the situation of
affairs. General Reeder and his command had left about that time, and
they expected the Federal troops in, and they came in shortly
afterwards while I was there, and there was no further disturbance in
town while I was there. There was a meeting of the citizens called for
that night. It was attended by I should suppose fifteen or twenty, and
some efforts were made to get up a citizens' organization; but it
didn't work. There was not a large amount of cheerful alacrity to go
into the organization.
Q. By whose authority was the citizens' meeting called?
A. They were called together by the mayor. He was there at that time.
He was at the meeting. The sheriff I didn't see.
Q. The sheriff resided in Reading--the sheriff of the county?
A. I think not; but he was in Reading at that time. So I understood,
although I didn't see him.
Q. What is the sheriff's name?
A. His name is Yorgy. Captain Linden and his police were there at that
time. I saw them. They had stayed to guard the railroad property. About
seventeen or eighteen men he had at that time.
Q. Of the city?
A. No, sir; coal and iron police. The police were some twenty or
twenty-two. A number of those were hurt in the fire--about seven of
them were shot.
Q. Shot in this conflict that took place between the rioters and the
troops?
A. Yes. As I understood that matter, Seventh street runs this way,
[indicating,] and at the corner--at Penn street--it was where the
principle crowd was. The cut opens there, and the police were drawn
across Penn street, parallel with Seventh street. When the troops came
out of the cut this volley went through the line.
Q. Of the police?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Any of them killed?
A. No, sir; I think one of them lost his foot. Seven of them,
altogether, were struck.
Q. How many were killed in the conflict that took place that evening?
A. Said to be eleven, those that were killed, and fifty odd were
wounded. When I was there they had torn up the track. I saw that. They
had torn up a rail or two out of the track, and overturned the
watchman's box there, and had stone piled up. There was certainly no
attempt to make a barricade--there was not much of a barricade.
Q. How large a force was assembled there of the rioters when you got
there?
A. There were only a few men standing round.
Q. Were they railroad men that were standing about--railroad employés?
A. That I don't know. Of course there were a great many people on the
streets, and there were crowds walking around.
Q. What night was it that the conflict took place between Reeder's
troops and the rioters?
A. Monday night. The bridge was burned on Sunday, I think--Sunday
night.
Q. Did they gather in any considerable force after your arrival in the
city?
A. No, sir; I saw no mob.
Q. There was no further disturbance nor breach of the peace?
A. None at all. They commenced to arrest people who were engaged in it
immediately.
Q. State what efforts were made by the civil authorities to punish
those that were engaged in rioting, so far as you know of your own
knowledge?
A. They had arrested--they arrested about sixty or seventy. I think
then the next week they were all held for appearance at court. Two of
them pleaded guilty--the two that were engaged in burning the bridge.
Those two were in court, and the others were tried, and so far as I
know of my own personal knowledge, there were about a dozen that I know
of were tried and acquitted, and the others were held for the next term
of court. I don't know whether they have been tried or not. I suppose
they were, but I do not know.
Q. Were those arrests made by the mayor?
A. They were made by the chief of police, assisted by the coal and iron
police, and the police of the city.
Q. This coal and iron police you speak of, is that a police kept up by
the company--a private company?
A. I understand that to be under some act of Assembly, by which the
Governor has power to appoint special policemen. I never looked up the
act of Assembly. I know there are policemen appointed that way--special
policemen.
Q. For the city?
A. No, sir; for the protection of corporate property. I don't know
whether it specially applies to corporate property or not.
Q. Is that a general act?
A. Indeed, sir, I never looked at the act. I don't know. I really don't
know where the authority comes from, except I know these appointments
are made.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Confined to the coal regions?
A. They call them coal and iron police. I don't know under what act of
Assembly.
Q. How are they paid?
A. I suppose they are paid by the companies, I don't know though.
Q. How many of these were there in the city of Reading?
A. I don't know of my own knowledge. I heard there were seventeen or
eighteen. There is one correction I want to make. I don't know whether
I have stated that I know of my own personal knowledge that Mayor
McCarthy came to the room, or whether I said I understood he was sent
for. I don't remember him as coming to the room.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. That was at Pittsburgh?
A. At Pittsburgh. I learned afterwards he had been sent for, and did
come. I was not introduced then, and had no conversation myself, and
didn't enter into the conversation.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Do you know whether he was sent for?
A. That I do not know of my own personal knowledge.
* * * * *
James W. Latta, _sworn_:
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. State to the committee where you were on the 19th of July last, or
when the news first reached you of the disturbance on the Pennsylvania
railroad at Pittsburgh, and what action was taken by you with reference
thereto?
A. On the evening of the 19th of July, 1877, I was sitting in the room
of Post No. 2, Grand Army Republic, at one of its regular weekly
sessions, at the corner of Spring Garden and Thirteenth streets,
Philadelphia. About nine-thirty o'clock, there was a rap came at the
door, and the messenger announced that I was wanted outside. I went
outside and found a gentleman in a carriage, who announced himself as
an official of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He told me there was
some difficulty upon the railway, and that they would like to see me if
I could go down to the West Philadelphia depot. I went back and left
word it was doubtful whether I would be back again that night, and I
went with him to the depot. I there met Mr. Lockhart, superintendent of
the Philadelphia division, and went with two others, whom I do not now
recollect by name. They told me all the circumstances that had occurred
at Pittsburgh. They produced a number of dispatches, described the
action that had been taken by the strikers during that day of Thursday,
pulling off men from their trains, and pounding some of their officials
when they attempted to run them, and the fact that the mayor had been
called on, and had been found to have gone to Castle Shannon. This
further fact I am not positive whether it appeared in the dispatches,
or whether I simply recollect from having learned it subsequently. My
impression is it appeared in the dispatches that the fact was that an
effort had been made by the mayor, with some thirteen or fifteen
policemen, to assist the railroad people in getting the train out, and
it had failed. I have endeavored to get those dispatches, but have not
been able to do so.
Q. Was this information communicated to you by the railroad officials
at Philadelphia, or was it contained in the dispatches that you
received from Pittsburgh?
A. It was communicated to me by them. They showed me the dispatches
that contained the information to them, and I read them there in the
office. Colonel Scott, it appears, had been sent for. He was somewheres
out in the country, and they then said to me, we want troops. I told
them they would have to take some other steps to secure the calling for
troops before any troops could be ordered. I said, it appears the mayor
has been doing something and you must look to the sheriff. They then
showed me a dispatch that had been addressed by Mr. Cassatt to the
Lieutenant Governor. I was satisfied the Lieutenant Governor had no
power in the premises, but, fearing that there might be some question
as to whether he had or not, I got the Constitution, and they had
Smull's hand-book. I made up my mind conclusively, that he had not, and
I telegraphed to the Attorney General. In the meantime, however, Mr.
Scott came in, and they, I believe, started off some requests to other
people about getting the sheriff on the ground, and I telegraphed to
Pearson at the same time, to know something about it myself, and
believing it was going to be a serious affair, I went immediately back
to my home and took a carriage and drove to the eleven o'clock train,
and found Mr. Gardner, who was on a special train. We jumped on his
train and came to Harrisburg.
Q. Who is Mr. Gardner?
A. He is general superintendent of the railway. He was going to his
home in Altoona.
Q. Pennsylvania railway?
A. Pennsylvania railway. My impression is that is all that occurred at
the depot. I got on his train at Lancaster. We had a pretty slow run,
we were stopped a good deal, and at Lancaster I got a dispatch from the
sheriff which appears in my report and appears in all the official
documents.
Q. Sheriff, Allegheny county?
A. Yes, sir; it was addressed to me. It was stating that he had
addressed one to the Governor.
Q. That is the one dated July 20, 1877, at one-fourteen, P.M.?
A. That is the only one.
Q. Contained on page No. 1 of your report?
The dispatch referred to, is as follows: