Rock Island Daily Argus

DETROITERS WALK
Much Turmoil Over a Street Railway Strike.

MOBS OF STRIKERS STOP THE CARS
The Mayor's Own Employes Quit Work to Assist in the Scrimmage—A Sympathizer Comes to Grief—The Mob Severely Clubbed by the Police and Many Arrests Made—Tearing Up the Railway Track—More Bloodshed in the Coke Region—A Woman Again the Victim.

DETROIT, April 24.—This city is having an experience of the inevitable rioting incident to a strike on the street railways. The strike began Tuesday and was precipitated by the company discharging a number of employes who were organizing the men for the purpose of striking at a later date. This taking of a strike by the forelock, as it were, was met by the men leaving their cars almost en masse, and since then the street car companies, as well as the police force, have had a hard road to travel. Riotous demonstrations were begun as soon as the company put new men to work. Cars were thrown from the track, mobs collected about the barns, and Wednesday night the track itself was torn up in several places. Six hundred stove moulders quit work yesterday to help the strikers prevent railway travel, and succeeded admirably.

The Mayor's Own Employes Quit Work.

The climax was capped, however, when the 1,500 employees of the mayor quit the big shot factory and marched to the city hall, headed by their own band, to inform his honor that they would not do another stroke of work until the railway company gave in. These bodies of men marched about the city all day, cheered by the men and women who thronged the sidewalks.

Futile Attempt to Start.

The street car officials decided yesterday afternoon to start running cars for the evening service on Woodward avenue. The first car got away all right, followed by a patrol wagon containing a number of officers. A second car started immediately after without the protection of the officers, and after proceeding a short distance was thrown on its side and across the track by the strikers. The attempt to run cars was then given up, but the first car continued on its course, and finally reached the river front in safety. On the return trip a man in a buggy drove directly in front of the street car. His buggy was smashed and he was thrown to the ground. After a brief struggle he was arrested and taken to the station.

Drew a Big Revolver.

The car kept on its way and reached its starting point without being further molested. A car which had been lying at the river front all day was then started at breakneck speed up the hill. A mob composed of at least 10,000 people closed about the car and finally succeeded in stopping it. Hendrie, the treasurer of the company, got up on the platform with the driver and pulling a big revolver from his pocket pointed it threateningly at the crowd. This caused intense excitement. Bricks began to fly through the car windows and it looked as if the car driver, policemen and Hendrie would be torn to pieces.

Clubs Were Trumps This Time.

Hendrie's discretion got the better of his valor and the car was started back to the river. The crowd pursued it and unhitching the horses tried to run the car into the river. At this moment a large force of police came up and charging the crowd clubbed them unmercifully, and arrested a number of the ringleaders. No more attempts were made to run cars and the crowd dispersed.

A Threat of the Militia.

Late in the afternoon the mayor issued a proclamation calling upon all citizens to keep order, and reciting the statute empowering him to call out the militia in case of necessity. Last night small gangs of strikers in various parts of the city were tearing up the street-car tracks and building barricades. The police did not seem able to stop the strikers, who moved from place to place very rapidly. Late at night the officials of the street-car company decided not to attempt to run any cars to-day.