CULMINATION OF THE CRISIS.
Soldiers and Strikers—Fears Realized—From Baltimore to
Chicago—Pittsburgh Affected—The Pennsylvania Railway
Embargoed—Intense Excitement Throughout the Country—Successful
Emissaries—Immense Extent of the Labor Movement.
The apprehensions entertained by those who had carefully fully watched
the progress of the uprising among the working classes, were verified by
the developments of the 19th of July. Martinsburg, West Virginia, was
still the center of interest on the morning of that day, but before the
close of the day so many events had occurred; so many movements had been
commenced; so widespread had become the disaffection among the
workingmen in every department of industrial enterprise, that it was
impossible to foretell with any degree of certainty in what direction to
look for the next startling denouement.
General French had arrived at Martinsburg in command of a considerable
body of regular troops at six o’clock in the morning, and had
established his headquarters in a Pullman palace car on the track in
front of the Berkeley House. About fifty men of the Matthews Guard had
come up the road from Cumberland, and were quartered in one of the
machine shops of the Railroad Company, awaiting the arrival of the
regulars from Washington. The night trip of the special train, bearing
General French and his command, was accomplished without any attempt to
interfere with its progress. Great caution, however, was observed, and
the time required to complete the journey was greatly extended. The mass
of strikers and their friends at that place received the regulars
without demonstrations of any kind. The soldiers were drawn up in line.
The order was given to open cartridge boxes. This movement created
something of a sensation among the sullen, ragged assemblage of negroes
and strikers, and the mass shrank back at the revelation of leaden balls
contained in those boxes. The battalion was then marched to one of the
railway machine shops, which they occupied as barracks. Seventy-three
locomotives with their trains were at this time held at Martinsburg. The
strikers manifested no disposition to resist the military forces of the
United States. The Railroad Company undertook to send out a number of
the embargoed trains after the arrival of the military, but experienced
great difficulty in finding men to run them, notwithstanding the
protecting presence of the soldiery. As many as five men were engaged to
fire on one train, and each in succession deserted before the train had
proceeded to the outer limits of the town. The Railway Company found
itself in a position which justified offering any terms which might be
demanded, to men willing to run their trains. But no men were to be
obtained.
About ten o’clock an attempt was made to start a freight train from
Martinsburg toward Baltimore. A locomotive was fired up, while guarded
by the military; a large company of strikers had assembled; the Sheriff
was present with a posse; an engineer named Bedford was found willing to
go, and he mounted to the cab. But he did not run the train out. The
strikers did not menace or threaten, and yet he failed to remain at the
post of duty he had assumed. Just as the train was about to move away
Bedford’s wife rushed from the crowd, mounted the engine, and with
agonizing cries besought him to leave the position. The engineer heeded
the entreaties, and departed from the engine, followed by the fireman,
which conduct elicited prolonged cheers from the strikers and their
sympathizers. Another engineer was found, but he too was entreated to
give up the undertaking and yielded. William M. Clements, General Agent
of the Company at Locust Point, then boarded the engine and proceeded on
the road to Baltimore without interruption, probably due to the fact
that twenty regulars were on board. During the day two other trains, one
bound East, and the other West, were despatched, after much difficulty
experienced in finding men willing to serve as engineers and firemen.
But the blockade was not raised. The Railway Company had all the
military protection that could be desired, but men could not be procured
to operate the trains, for any consideration. Money was powerless to
accomplish the wishes of the managers, at least for the present. It was
easy to guard property; easy to prevent violence by a show of force;
easy to assure protection to willing hands, but there was no law to
compel men to work if they did not choose to do so. Here military force
was a failure.
Early in the day General French caused to be printed a large number of
copies of the President’s proclamation for distribution among the
people. The police and constabulary were entrusted with the duty of
distributing them. But this work seems to have been unproductive of
results.
At two o’clock in the afternoon orders were given to clear the tracks of
the railway at Martinsburg, and a squad of about twenty regulars under
Lieutenant Lewis, proceeded to execute the order. No resistance was
offered. The strikers quietly retired to the high grounds overlooking
the yards and tracks, and good naturedly watched the movements of the
soldiers. During the day a meeting of the strikers was held, at which it
was decided to demand two dollars per day for firemen and brakemen, and
no reduction of the salaries of engineers and conductors. A committee
was appointed consisting of a fireman, brakeman, engineer and conductor,
to confer with similar committees of all other sections.
An attempt was made during the day to arrest ten of the ringleaders of
the strikers, on a charge of inciting to riot. Warrants for their
apprehension were issued and placed in the hands of Sheriff Naderbusch
for service. That officer summoned a posse and procured the services of
a person named Engelrecht to act as a guide, and point out the persons
accused. Going into the throng of strikers, they were quickly surrounded
and Engelrecht, being menaced, refused to designate the men, and the
attempt failed. No personal violence was offered the Sheriff or his men.
Later in the day, the arrest of Richard Zepp, supposed to be the master
spirit among the strikers, was effected by the Sheriff. Zepp was
committed to jail and a strong guard placed about it. He is a native of
Martinsburg, is about twenty-five years old, is regarded as a man of
undoubted courage and determination, and has served as a brakeman on the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad for the last five years. In person, he is
rather below the medium height; is decidedly prepossessing in
appearance, and is a man of more than average intelligence. He is not
addicted to strong drink; is fond of amusement; generally quiet in
demeanor, and is exceedingly popular among his acquaintances. He has a
wife and one child, who reside at Martinsburg. Before night Zepp was
released from confinement by giving bail. He is said to be a man of no
small executive ability, and is reputed to have furnished the
intelligence for the Martinsburg strikers.
An important meeting of unemployed workingmen, was held at Cumberland,
at which more than five hundred persons were present. The proceedings
were quiet and orderly, notwithstanding efforts made by some of the
speakers to arouse the men by inflammatory appeals.
The most noteworthy of these addresses was made by John D. Jones, who
declared that the masses of the people had been plundered and robbed by
the knaves and scoundrels who had grown rich by stealing from the poor
men the produce of their labor. He thought it was time the down-trodden
masses should rise in their majesty and execute vengeance. The ill-timed
speech was not received with favor. Another speech not much less
inflammatory was delivered by Bernard O’Donnell. It was announced that
about twenty families of persons out of employment through no fault of
their own, were actually in a condition verging on starvation.
Information to the effect that citizens of Cumberland had contributed in
money and provisions about one hundred and ten dollars for the relief of
the destitute was laid before the meeting.
The animus of the speeches at this meeting is the feature which renders
a notice of it important in this place. It was a wide spread belief
among a large class of people in the lower ranks of society, who were
reduced almost to starvation, that they had been wronged and oppressed
beyond all endurance, that made the scenes witnessed in so many of the
great cities of the country possible. It was an out-cropping of the
dreadful doctrines of the Commune which subsequently played so important
a part in the great popular commotion accompanying the labor strikes.
At Parkersburg the feeling among the employes had become very bitter
against the Railway Company. They claimed that the Company was in
arrears with the men, and it was unpardonable to cut their wages under
such circumstances. The shops of the Company were closed at that point,
and more than two hundred men connected with the road were thrown out of
employment.
During the day about two hundred canal-boatmen, the most turbulent
strikers who had yet appeared, proceeded from Cumberland to Martinsburg,
and afterward proceeded to Sir John’s Run, twelve miles east of the last
named point, and there established themselves, and proclaimed their
purpose to either stop or wreck all trains that attempted to pass.
At Grafton the number of the strikers was constantly increasing. No
freight trains were allowed to pass East or West. The strikers
established headquarters in Brinkman’s Hall, where an important council
was held between committees representing all the sections of the road.
The firemen and brakemen employed on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, at
Newark, Ohio, numbering one hundred and fifty, struck on account of the
10 per cent. reduction, and proceeded to lay an embargo on all freight
transportation. Officers of the road immediately applied to Governor
Young for protection and assistance. The strikers at this point assumed
an equally determined attitude with their brethren of West Virginia and
Maryland. M. L. Dougherty, master of traffic on the Ohio division, had a
conference with the Newark strikers, and offered to pay the old rates to
such of the men as would volunteer to go out with trains. The offer was
declined.
Governor Matthews having called for volunteers to suppress the rioters,
twelve men who had responded to the call, were sent to Martinsburg with
a militia company. Arrived there they refused to serve against the
strikers, and in disgust returned to their homes.
President John W. Garrett, of the Baltimore and Ohio Railway Company,
forwarded to President Hayes a rather singular document. In this he has
“the honor to urge” the President to comply with the formal request of
the Governor of West Virginia. The document is sufficiently remarkable
to justify the transfer of a copious extract from it to these pages. The
Railway King wrote to the President of the United States:
“I am informed that Governor Matthews, of West Virginia, has telegraphed
your excellency that, owing to unlawful combinations and domestic
violence now existing at Martinsburg and at other points along the line
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, it is impossible for any force at
his command to execute the laws of the State, and has therefore called
upon the government for the assistance of the United States military in
this great and serious emergency. I have the honor to urge that the
application of Governor Matthews be immediately granted. It is
impossible for the Company to move any freight train because of the open
intimidation of the strikers, and the attacks that they have made upon
the men in the service of the Company who are willing to work. Unless
this difficulty is immediately stopped I apprehend the gravest
consequences, not only upon our line, but upon all lines in the country,
which, like ourselves, have been obliged to introduce measures of
economy in these trying times, for the preservation of the effectiveness
of railway property. May I ask your excellency, if the application of
Governor Matthews be granted, to have me immediately advised, through
the Secretary of War, of the points from which troops will be sent, in
order that no delay may occur in their transportation. If I may be
permitted to suggest, Fort McHenry and Washington are the points nearest
to the scenes of disturbance, and from which a movement can be made with
the greatest promptness and rapidity. It is proper to add that from full
information on the subject, I am aware that the Governor of West
Virginia has exerted all means at his command to suppress this
insurrection, and that this great national highway can only be restored
for public use by the interposition of United States forces. From an
imperative sense of duty I am impelled to join in asking immediate
action in order to prevent the rapid increase of difficulties in the use
of the lines between Washington city and Baltimore and the Ohio river.”
A meeting of miners in the Piedmont district was held on the 19th, at
which strong resolutions of sympathy with the railroad strikers were
adopted. The miners promised support and substantial assistance to the
railroad men.
At Baltimore, no important demonstration took place. The strikers were
comparatively quiet, apparently awaiting the turn of events in other
parts of the country.
July 19th, 1877, will long be remembered by the students of American
history as being the day in which the opening events in a tragic episode
of destruction and death took place at Pittsburgh. During the day not a
train of freight cars was moved on the line of the Pennsylvania Central
Railway. The strike had extended to the employes of that great
thoroughfare. But the story of events connected with it must be reserved
for a future chapter of these annals.
The Great Strike at the close of the fourth day of its existence
extended from Baltimore to Chicago, and the general alarm was becoming
more intense with the flight of every hour.
The situation was becoming extremely critical. It was now evident that
other elements than railroad employes were destined to take part in the
conflict. Mechanics, artisans and laborers in every department of human
industry began to show symptoms of restlessness and discontent that
boded no good to the country. All day, the 19th, committees and
representatives of workingmen’s associations and unions, and societies,
were holding meetings for conference at Baltimore, at Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia, Reading, Scranton, Grafton, Wheeling, Columbus,
Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, in fact in every center of population
and seat of commerce from the Atlantic shores to the base of the Rocky
Mountains. What did these semi-mysterious conferences mean? There is not
in existence a particle of evidence that there was concert of action
between the different branches of the wage-receiving classes, previous
to the strike on the Baltimore and Ohio Railway. It appears then, that
the careful preparations going on to engage in general strikes was a
spontaneous movement, generated of wide spread and deep seated
discontent among the entire laboring classes of the United States.
To complicate matters still further, the speeches and addresses made at
meetings and conferences held during this day, fore-shadowed the
appearance on the scene of an element of all others, the most to be
dreaded—the Internationalists, and Communistic Societies. It was evident
before the close of the fourth day of the strike, that the mobs in every
large city in the land were preparing for action; that they were
desperate, and that they would not hesitate to inaugurate a reign of
terror more dreadful than that which appalled the civilized world in
France. There had been no conflict of arms during the day, but the
smouldering volcano gave token of an eruption. It was the quiet that
precedes the devastation of the tornado. Before another day closed the
storm had burst in all its fury, and the American people entered upon
their eight days experience of a reign of terror.