By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. State where you reside, Mr. Bortree?
A. I reside in the Ninth ward of the city of Scranton.
Q. What is your business?
A. I am going to be a farmer on Tuesday next. I am not doing anything
now.
Q. What were you doing on the 1st August last?
A. Special policeman.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Of the city of Scranton--of the mayor?
A. Yes, sir; under the mayor.
Q. State where you were on the morning of the 1st August, when the men
came from the silk-works into the shops, driving the employés out of
the shops?
A. Allow me to state it as it was.
Q. In brief?
A. I was here on duty on the upper end of this avenue during the night
of the last of July or the 1st of August. I had permission of the chief
of police to leave here at five o'clock. Well, I did. During this time
there was a fire at what was said to be the Pennsylvania railroad, No.
5. I went out and returned about ten o'clock. I called in to the coal
and iron company's store up here, to get a rubber overcoat, with the
intention of going home. While I was there, Mr. W. W. Scranton, says to
me--I used to be deputy sheriff, was deputy sheriff for the past twelve
years, off and on, at this end of the county. I had nothing else from
the 24th of November, 1871, till the 12th April, 1878.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Just come to the facts?
A. I stopped there and I went up and looked through a field-piece, and
saw a large quantity of men.
Q. Field-glass?
A. Field-glass. I came down, just at the time I came from the building,
some one said, that the mayor had sent for his posse. I supposed I was
one, as I was a special police. W. W. Scranton gives me a gun, and he
said, "Let's form this line." Well, I did. I said to him, "Scranton, I
am as well known in this city as you are, and you take one end of the
line and I will take the other." I fell back in the rear of the line,
and Mr. Carl McKinney was my comrade. We started out of that store and
came down, probably, two or three hundred feet, and I saw a man whom I
thought I knew, on the opposite side.
Q. Come down where?
A. Come down this way.
Q. Lackawanna avenue?
A. Yes, sir; from the company's store. I was in the street railroad that
passes here, on the opposite side of the track from here, and I saw
this man drawing a revolver, and, I think, it was a four-barreled
revolver, and he emptied that at me, at least I think he did. I carried
my gun in that hand--my left hand--and taking this right hand I says,
"For God's sake keep quiet." I came on a little further, about a
hundred feet. Before we struck Washington avenue, stones and clubs were
thrown. Bear in mind, I was in the rear end, and when we passed that
there was some----
Q. Passed what?
A. Passed the avenue, on the edge of it--the upper edge. Say for
instance, that was the first edge of Washington avenue, [illustrating.]
this man McKinney was close by me. Sometimes I was ten feet from him,
sometimes twelve. Just as I struck Washington avenue, there was a man
asked me--came up to me and he says, "You son of a bitch, give me that
gun." I says, "You can't have my gun." He fell back in the crowd and I
heard some one--who it was I don't know--say, "Let's rally on them," or
something to that effect. "They have nothing but blank cartridges."
Another man, whom I knew, came up within ten or twelve feet of me, and
he called me, "Sheriff, you son of a bitch, give me that gun." I says,
"No, you can't have my gun; for God's sake get your people off these
streets." Previous to this there was three or four shots from these
men, who was a hundred feet before you strike Washington avenue. When
we struck Washington avenue, there was one, two, or three--anyway that
I know--I am sure of one that was shot.
Q. One man shot?