Chapter C: L. Jackson, sworn (3)

The local military and organized citizens, animated by a
determination to quell mobs, are quite sufficient to preserve the
peace and property of this city. Everything is quiet. Our impending
danger is the suspension of general labor and thronging our streets
with idle men. Local traffic for coal and provisions is first
demanded.

Neither you nor labor will surrender, because it involves
humiliation, but you can suggest or agree to a board of arbitration
to present a compromise, which will relieve you and labor without
disturbing the rights or grievances of either. Compromise governs
the daily business of the world. You have it in your power to
restore peace and preserve society. The discontent of many years
against the extravagance of railway management has culminated, and
forms the subject of complaint, as well as the reduction of wages.

I implore you not to assume the ground that military can settle
anything but defiance of law. Have this compromise effected at
once, and the country will owe you a debt of gratitude.

J. P. BARR.

And he says:

PHILADELPHIA, _Wednesday--4, P.M._

To JAMES P. BARR:

I like your suggestion as to the restoration of the local business
of the country, and the giving of employment to mines and
factories. This it has always been a pleasure to me to do, and we
will do it to-morrow, if your people will protect the employés of
the company who are willing and anxious to work and preserve the
interest of the country, as highways like our own are able to do.

My own judgement is that the restoration of law and order can only
be effected by a return to common sense by the people, and by them
refraining from encouraging or connecting themselves with mobs or
violence of any kind, and that the channels of trade and business
will immediately fill up, and give employment to every man that the
depressed condition of the business of the country will permit. I
am sure we shall be glad to aid them, but to do it in any other way
would be but simply temporizing with the worst evil the world has
ever seen; but to effect permanent peace and order, and protection
to life and property, the matter must be settled by the
governmental authorities of the country as they exist, and
independently of the transportation companies of the country, which
have been doing and are anxious to do their full duty.

I believe if our men are protected by you and by other good
citizens, there won't be an hour's delay in opening our roads for
the convenience of traffic. I am sure that nearly the entire force
connected with our road is thoroughly loyal, and that no trouble
will come from them, but that they will do their duty.

THOMAS A. SCOTT.

It is well enough in Scott to say--I think he stated in an independent communication, that ninety per cent. of the Pennsylvania railroad employés were loyal. If there were ten per cent. of them loyal I think it would be nearer the truth, for if on Sunday twenty-five men could have put down that riot--they have three hundred clerks, and three or four hundred more in their machine shops, that could have been sworn in by the mayor--they had a better right to protect them. I suppose it is well enough for Scott to say, that they were not invited by the citizens of Pittsburgh. It was a rebellion on the part of the employés, because of grievances they had, or supposed they had, and when mad riot was inaugurated after that, other people came in to do it. It was not the people of Pittsburgh, the taxpayers or representatives of the people of Pittsburgh, any more than it was in Philadelphia in 1844, while a riot held possession of that city for over a week, notwithstanding the military. It was an unfortunate thing that the military were ever called. They did the very best they could. They supposed they were coming to restore order, by the quickest method. I have no complaints to make in that regard, because if our foresight was as good as our hindsight, I don't think there would have been any trouble in this case.

By Mr. Lindsey:

Q. Did you have any consultation with the sheriff about his calling for militia?

A. No, sir; I did not.

Q. When you learned he had made the call, did you take any steps to see him?

A. I did not.

Q. Didn't you know that he was going to make the call?

A. No; I never heard of any call. I did hear, to some extent, I may say. I knew that the railroad authorities were more perfectly aware of the extent of this trouble than the community generally, and when the strike was made, on Thursday, July 19--when the day for putting the order for double-headers into effect. That when an officer of the railroad was assaulted, and the police were asked to arrest that man, which was done, and immediately communication was made with the State authorities to provide for a military force.

Q. How do you know that?

A. I don't want you to ask me how I know it exactly.

Q. If you can give us any knowledge----

A. As a member of a grand jury, I cannot tell who swore to these facts, although I did make certain facts public. I can state here the facts that came before me--that the general of the Sixth division here was called several hours before the civil authorities were called upon. That he was at the railroad depot, and in communication with the State authorities. That he was called there by the State authorities to consult with them. Under the law, I take it, that the civil authorities must come in as a sort of figure head. It was not intended that the sheriff could get any posse of our citizens to put down the riot, but he had to follow up the requirements of the law. That was after the railroad had called upon the State to do this work, being perfectly aware that we had no police force sufficient. The sheriff did his full duty. It was not the fault of the mayor that there was no police. So I do not think the railroad, if they intended to meet this thing, had anything else to do but to call on the State. I think it is a most dangerous power, and one that will stab the liberties of this country, that by the click of the telegraph they can call for a thousand armed men, instead of exhausting the civil authority, if it takes two weeks to do it. It is a dangerous power to give them.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. You claim that they have the power to compel the Governor to furnish troops?

A. Who?

Q. The sheriff or the railroad company?

A. I say it is a power entrusted to him, that Mr. Scott can call on the Governor of the State and furnish transportation, after the sheriff only says so, because the sheriff must conform with the law.

Q. Is that dangerous that he has that right?

A. It is dangerous that any man has a right to ... with a thousand armed troops.

Q. It is dangerous for anyone to have that power?

A. The Governor or any other man. The bill reads: It says that the military shall be subordinate to the civil authorities. It means that the civil power are paramount, and the military should never be called in except to kill--they are not to be degraded into police.

Q. I want to know whether you wish to convey the idea that the railroad company or the sheriff has the power to call out the military, or that he can only make a request, and the Governor has the power?

A. Under the old militia law of the State the sheriff could call them out, or General Pearson, or the major general in command of this division, and he could oblige them to serve as a posse. As it is to-day, he cannot do it.

By Mr. Lindsey:

Q. I understand, from what you have already said, that it was not necessary, in your opinion, to call out the militia in this instance, at the time they were called?

A. I don't exactly mean that, but I do mean to say, it seemed to be the only power at hand, as we have not enough provided in the city or county. It was ill advised and bad judgment when they were called to put them inside of the mob, and not to keep them in reserve. The purpose of a soldier is simply to kill, and it was particularly ill advised on Saturday, in the teeth of protests made by representative citizens. It could effect nothing but what it did effect, and that was violence in every form.

Q. You had not sufficient police force here to cope with a mob of its extent and power?

A. No, sir.

Q. The sheriff had not sufficient force to cope with it?

A. No.

Q. And I understand it would be folly for the sheriff to attempt to raise a posse of citizens to cope with it--then there was nothing left but to call out the military?

A. I do not see anything else--if they intended to do what they supposed they could do. I do not think it was necessary to call out anybody.

Q. You think it was ill advised, to undertake to move trains at the time?

A. They could not have moved a train, because they had not the men to move it, but they could have done there what they did elsewhere. They could have let it exhaust itself. The very presence of the soldiers begat excitement, and if they intended to intimidate the great crowd, I suppose the calling of the soldiers would do that, if they had cool leaders, men who understood what was to be done in an exigency of that sort. They ought not to be thrown into a crowd to be assaulted by stones.

Q. Would the mob have exhausted itself before there would have been great destruction of property?

A. There would not have been any destruction of property whatever.

Q. Would not there not have been a loss of perishable property that was in transit, too?

A. They seemed to be willing to make provision even for that. It seems to me the whole labor movement has failed signally in strikes in coal mines, in mills, and in large places, because it was only local, and the whole community failed to sympathize with them. They failed to get their rights by strikes, because it did not affect the general interests. They discovered, for the first time, where forty millions of people could be stricken as with a blow, by all the people on these roads refusing to work. They found out, for the first time, where the weak point was, as well as the strong point, in this country. They can do it again. When the employés--brakemen, trainmen, conductors, and engineers will agree not to run a railroad in this country, that is the end of traffic, and they can starve out whole communities. They discovered that fact, and then it was on Saturday evening, that labor sympathizing with those people, they partook of the strike, and helped to burn cars and carry on the work of destruction. That is a danger we are subject to, and the Governor, in this city, when he came back from the West, the very first proclamation he issued, was this:

PITTSBURGH, _July 25--1.30, A.M._

_To the people of the State of Pennsylvania_:

WHEREAS, There exists a condition of turbulence and
disorder within the State, extending to many interest, and
threatening all communities, under the impulse of which there has
grown up a spirit of lawlessness, requiring that all law observing
citizens shall organize themselves into armed bodies for the
purpose of self-protection and preserving the peace; therefore,

I, John F. Hartranft, Governor of the State of Pennsylvania,
recommend that all citizens shall organize themselves into
associations, with such arms as they can procure, for the purpose
of maintaining order and suppressing violence, and all good
citizens are warned against appearing in company with any mob or
riotous assembly, and thus giving encouragement to violators of the
law.

(Signed)

J. F. HARTRANFT,
_Governor_.

He did not confine it to Pittsburgh, but called for the whole power of the United States to put it down.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. It was not on railroads?

A. It got into coal and everything. It struck labor. They found when you hit the mills it was only local; but when you struck the railroads it struck everybody. I will furnish you files of the papers. Also the official report of the coroner, and the testimony taken before him, and the number of people killed on Saturday.

Q. You have the official report of the coroner in the files?

A. Yes. The first fire there were ten people killed outright, and there were some sixty or seventy wounded--I have the names of all of them. The first fire the people were killed that had no right to be killed--the fire of Saturday night. Anybody that was killed after Saturday night had a right to be killed; but it is a very dangerous doctrine--judges have to charge that--that everybody is constructively a mob that is then around, but that won't do in the United States, to charge that everybody is a mob.

Colonel Gray, re-called:

The witness: When I dismissed my command at the Union depot, at eleven o'clock on Saturday night, just in advance of that I want to say, because I took all the responsibility, General Brown left Twenty-eighth street on that afternoon about one or two o'clock, and came to the Union depot and left me in command, and it is in your testimony that I sent an officer to Colonel Howard, with the purpose in view--that purpose I want to say--I had felt all day that whatever orders they had were not carried out, and I thought it was impossible, so far as I was concerned, that something should be done, and I sent an officer to Colonel Howard, to ask his coöperation, and I would take a different course. I intended to vacate that railroad and prevent any one from coming on it; and I want to say in connection with that, there was some great difficulty--the local trains running in from Walls and East Liberty were coming constantly, and the strikers at all points on the railroad were arriving to and fro. They were getting off these trains and getting on them, so that the military were at a great disadvantage. Hundreds came in on every train, and got off right on the track; and another point I want to say, that after my men assembled--the companies coming at the original call--the men that wanted to come in on the railroad were put off; they couldn't get into the city; they wanted to report to the companies here on duty. They were put off the trains. I was telegraphed to for two or three days, men along the railroads were put off. I re-organized my regiment Monday morning--all the companies--two companies at the request of Mr. King, who was here from the Allegheny Valley railroad. At his request, I left one company in charge of the sheds, and my command was re-assembled, very promptly, to my great astonishment, Monday morning. There was no difficulty in getting the men to the armory and re-assembling, and I had two hundred and forty or two hundred and fifty men, and had two companies outside of the city. My command was in service until the 6th day of December, and did faithful service. My officers are men that don't run away.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. You account for the small turn out of your command, when you first assembled them, from the fact that they were prevented from coming on the trains, some of them?

A. Yes, sir.

At this point the committee adjourned until to-morrow morning, at eight and a half o'clock.

PITTSBURGH, _Tuesday, February 26, 1878_.

The committee met, at half past ten o'clock. Mr. Reyburn in the chair. All members present except Messrs. Larrabee and Lindsey.

* * * * *

Captain J. D. McFarland, _sworn_:

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. What is your full name?

A. John D. McFarland.

Q. Where do you reside?

A. 78 Logan street, Seventh ward.

Q. You were a member of the militia?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. In what capacity?

A. Captain of the Washington infantry.

Q. Were you called out during the late disturbance?

A. Yes, sir; called out--got my orders on Friday morning.

Q. Will you be kind enough to make a statement of what you know in relation to the late riots?

A. On Friday, I believe the 21st of July, I received orders from the adjutant of the regiment to which we are attached, to assemble my command as soon as possible, at the armory. I sent a notice to the sergeants of the company, and about two o'clock in the afternoon, I reported to Colonel Howard, commanding the regiment, at Union depot. We stayed there some time--a short time--I suppose an hour, perhaps an hour and a half. The regiment was ordered out on the street, with two pieces of Breck's battery, to proceed to Twenty-eighth street. We were halted, after marching three or four hundred yards. We had no ammunition, and there was a box opened on the stone wall near the depot, and to the best of my recollection, we there received one hundred and twenty rounds for the company--that was issued to us--to the whole of the command, and we remained on the street some time, I suppose, maybe three quarters of an hour, and then we were ordered back on to the platform of the depot, inside of the railroad company's lines. We remained there all that night, the night of Friday, and until Saturday morning, until about four o'clock. At four o'clock we were ordered to move out along the line of the tracks. Two pieces of Breck's battery was placed on a gondola car, and the regiment I understood had been sent around in the rear on the hill. We were the first company on the track at Twenty-eighth street, and arriving there, we found from twenty-five to thirty men, citizens. There were not over thirty, I think; and to the best of my knowledge, the colonel ordered me to clear the tracks, and put them off the company's property, which we did. We moved up and down the track, and that was repeated, I suppose, a couple of hours. When we would move down the track to clear it, the parties would gather in on our rear and flank, there had been no pickets out, and they would gather in on our rear on the track. We remained there with the command, clearing the tracks, I suppose, until about two o'clock in the afternoon.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. On Saturday?

A. Yes; on Saturday, perhaps later than that. I am not certain about the time. At that time I came in, had permission to come in and attend to some private business, and I was not there during the firing. As soon as I heard there was such a thing, I hastened out, and found that the Philadelphia troops had been put in the round-house, and it was reported that the Fourteenth and Nineteenth regiments, which constitute our division, that the Eighteenth had been sent to the Union depot. I learned this at the hospital. There was then a great mob making such a noise, as a mob usually does. I hastened to the Union depot, and met the sergeant, who informed me that our regiment was out at the transfer office. I went out there, and found General Brown and Colonel Howard with a portion of the command in a shed surrounded by cars. I asked Colonel Howard--he was the first officer I saw--asked him what he was doing there. He said he was there by orders, and asked me the state of affairs in the city. I told him the condition in the neighborhood of the Union depot. There was a large mob upon the street--from the Union depot to Twenty-eighth street was crowded with a mob, and they were hooting, yelling, and threatening what they would do. I heard them shouting, they would break into the armories and gun stores--that was the common threat that was used by the mob on the street. That afternoon, Colonel Howard said to me, that he would see General Brown, who was up stairs in the transfer office. General Brown came down. He asked me the condition. I made to him the same statement I had made to Colonel Howard, and I advised him to take another position than that--he had first asked me what my advice would have been. I told him that I thought he might get a better place for the men than that. I then came down to the city, to the armory, and found the mob there who had broken in and taken all the arms that had been left in the armory, with the exception of those that had been concealed. They got the arms and left.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Where is your armory?

A. It is on Market street. It is in the city property, over one of the market-houses. All of the regiments are quartered there in the city property. I suppose I had been there fifteen or twenty minutes when the balance of the officers, and the men of the regiment, came down into the armory. There was nothing more done that night. I was on the streets, I suppose, until twelve o'clock, until an alarm from the box at Twenty-eighth street sounded for fire, and, in company with several other persons, we started on the hill above the hospital, or near the hospital, not quite so far out, and there saw what I took to be the first car that was burned that had been set on fire. It was running down near the round-house. I remained on the hill a good portion of that evening--it was then morning.

Q. Sunday morning?

A. Sunday morning; yes, sir. Sunday morning I came home and laid down awhile, and got breakfast, and started to the city to see if anything had been done to gather the battalion together. I saw none of the officers on the street at all, I believe, with the exception of the assistant adjutant general, Colonel Moore, of our division, and one officer of General Pearson's staff. There was nothing done that day until afternoon. A citizen came up to the house--I had gone home. He said to me, says he, "The citizens are going to put this thing down. They would like to get your arms." I said, "No; if the citizens will back us up, we will find a gun for every man. We have got all ours. All we want is ammunition and backing." I sent out and I had as many men of my company who lived near me come to a room in my own house, and I there ordered those men to go out, and order the balance of the company to take their accoutrements, which they had so thrown off, and come to the mayor's office. I did not want to go to my own armory. In fact, I was afraid to go there, from the fact that it was a place that could not have been defended at all. It could easily be set fire to. Went to the mayor, and asked him if I could have one of the rooms in which to assemble men. He said, "Certainly." He was glad I had come. I sent one of my officers out--my first lieutenant, Mr. Brown--out to our colonel's house. I sent my lieutenant out to notify Colonel Howard what I had done--I had ordered the company to assemble at the mayor's office--and asking if he would procure us more ammunition than what I had. He came in--General Brown came in--and General Brown gave me an order on Major Buffington, and Mayor McCarthy furnished us with a wagon in which to go out and get ammunition. Major Buffington returned word that they had scarcely sufficient ammunition to give to their own guard. I stated the case to Mayor McCarthy, and Mayor McCarthy, about eleven o'clock, started out, and, in the course of a half or three quarters of an hour, he came back and handed me two hundred and forty rounds which he had got. He asked me if I would remain with him during the night, and put down any disturbance. I said I would, subject to the orders of my superior officers. On Monday morning, about half past eight or nine o'clock, I had left the men go to get something to eat, and the mayor said to me, "I don't want you to let the men go away from here unless under orders, and I will see that they receive provisions; that I should take my men around to a saloon near there; they would be attended to there." Shortly after breakfast he notified me there was a boat load of miners coming down on the packet from Elizabeth. He had received information that they had come down, and expected a pretty rough time, and asked me to go with them. I assembled the men, and General Brown went down with us. There was a squad of police. As I recollect the line of march, there was a squad of police in front. There was my company, and then there was a company of citizens, armed with shot-guns, rifles, and carbines, under the command of General Negley. General Negley and Mayor McCarthy and General Joe Brown were with us. We went down to Smithfield street, and we learned that the men, in place of coming down on the packet as far as its regular landing, had got off about half a mile above the landing, and come down that way; I suppose, so as to get in the city without any trouble. I threw my company across Grant street, and blocked up the passage. Ordered the men to load, and I saw then, while standing in front of the command, General Negley and Mayor McCarthy and others, making addresses to this band of miners--they were all reputed to be miners--I do not know whether they were or not. The crowd was dispersed. We marched down to Water street. There were no shots fired--no disturbance of any kind. They seemed to be pacified by the remarks made by the officers. We then went back to city hall, to the mayor's office, and were quartered there until the afternoon, when I received orders to report to my colonel. I reported to him on First avenue, and after supper we were sent to our armory again. During the night, between ten and eleven o'clock, I was ordered out again to support another detachment of the police. It seems that a party of roughs from Cumberland had taken a train, and taken possession of it, and the mayor was notified, and he sent down a detail of police, and we were sent down to support the police. The police had men under arrest before we got there, and the next day we escorted these men and the police over to Allegheny, to take the cars for Claremont. That was about all the trouble--all the duty we really did, with the exception of some ordinary patrolling--marching around. There was nothing of any importance.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. You came from the transfer station to your armory in the city--this was on Saturday night?

A. This was on Saturday night.

Q. What time in the night?

A. I should judge it would be about eleven o'clock.

Q. Bring your command down to the armory?

A. No, sir.

Q. Did you leave your command there?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. And never went back to the regiment after that, that night?

A. That night. No, sir. The regiment was disbanded, as I understood it.

Q. You understood that next day?

A. Yes, sir; well, I knew of the fact within half an hour afterwards as I stated. The balance of the officers came there while I was still in the armory.

Q. What was your object in going to the armory?

A. My object in going there was to save any property that could possibly be saved. We had considerable property there of ours independent of the State's.

Q. Were you in uniform when you came down to the armory?

A. No, sir.

Q. Citizen's dress?

A. Plain clothes.

Q. Were you in citizen's dress during the time you were in command?

A. No, sir.

Q. You changed your uniform?

A. It would be impossible, in my own opinion, for any man to have gone through that mob in uniform.

Q. You rallied your men on Sunday and went to the mayor's office--did you remain there during all of Sunday?

A. All of Sunday evening and Sunday night and up until Monday, until we went with the mayor to stop the progress of these miners.

Q. Where was the balance of your regiment?

A. I do not know, sir. I know they were assembled on Monday--I do this from hearsay, which, of course, is not evidence--I know that there were two of the companies in Allegheny who were doing duty of one kind or other over there.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. There was no organization of the regiment--you received no orders from the colonel?

A. No, sir.

Q. You were acting independently?

A. Yes; I was acting independently in support of the mayor.

* * * * *

Thomas Graham, _sworn_:

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Give your full name and address?

A. Thomas C. Graham.

Q. Where do you reside?

A. I reside in the Fifteenth ward of Pittsburgh.

Q. What is your occupation?

A. I am janitor of the city hall.

Q. Have you any information concerning the riots of July, the subject which we are investigating?

A. I was present at Twenty-eighth street, at the side of the hill, at the time the firing was done.

Q. Be good enough to state, then, what you know about it?

A. I was on my way home about a quarter past four o'clock, I think, to the best of my knowledge, and General Brown was in the car with me; the car was pretty well crowded; we were standing up. When we arrived at Twenty-eighth street he said to me, Come along up and see the military; come up along. I said I didn't care about going up, and I didn't think that any one outside of the railroad employés had any business there; but he said he was not going to stop, and rather insisted, and I got off the car, and went up there. We crossed over the track, and away from the crowd altogether, on the south side of the track, beside of the hill, and we walked up that way, leading along the public road--it is used as a public thoroughfare, to a certain extent--and there halted. I thought by going up there we could have a good view of everything that was going on, and get out of danger. I found out my mistake afterwards, though. When the military came up I was standing right about seventy-five or one hundred feet from the tracks, on the side of the hill. Was elevated a considerable distance, and had a good view over all that was going on. I kept moving my head, or rather my eyes rolling, from one point to the other, taking all in that was going on, and when the troops came up and cleared the track on both sides, the battery came up and across, through Twenty-eighth street; they could not get through, but part of them came to support the battery; came up, and when they got up to the crowd--there is a watch-box stationed on the side of the hill, by the side of the hospital gate, and there was a crowd of half grown boys congregated around that box. I seen, as soon as they came up by the boys, they stooped down and picked up stones, there was like to be trouble, but I concluded I would be safe where I was, and remained there. As soon as the troops came up to Twenty-eighth street crossing, the boys commenced to throw at the troops, and some missiles were thrown from the corner of the hospital grounds. Then the firing began, and continued for quite a length of time. I stayed where I was, until I saw two men fall, one of them as close as to that window, the other one further down, towards the track. There was a ravine in the rear of where I was standing, and I made the remark to a gentleman standing by me that it appeared to be getting very warm here, we had better get out of this, and I leaped right into the ravine, and there remained until the firing was over, and then came down and went home. I didn't come out of my house down the street, as I live eight squares further from there out. I didn't come in till that night. That was about what I saw of the occurrence.

Q. How many people were engaged in this throwing?

A. Well, as I said, the starting point of the throwing came from the side of the watch-box--the watch-box of the man who tends switch. There was about a dozen of them around there, and that was where the throwing commenced.

Q. Did you see any of the troops struck with stones?

A. No; I didn't see anyone struck particularly, but I would consider it would be impossible most to throw into that crowd without striking some one. I didn't see any missiles.

Q. Were you close enough to hear any command given by the officers?

A. I was about seventy-five or one hundred feet when the throwing begun; I heard the word "fire" very distinctly.

Q. Where did it come from?

A. It appeared to come from the head of the column.

Q. Was it in the crowd?

A. I should say, that it came from the head of the military column--there was not more than a space of, I suppose, thirty feet, and it might have been a little more, it could not have been much more than that from the head of the column to Twenty-eighth street, where the crowd was.

Q. From the head of the column?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Which column do you mean?

A. I am not a military man.

Q. You mean the company marched up?

A. No, sir; the company that marched up was then as close as I am to the other side of the table, with their arms at a charge.

Q. Close to what?

A. To the crowd at Twenty-eighth street.

Q. Trying to press the crowd back?

A. Trying to press the crowd or make their way through them--was not thrusting or anything of that kind.

Q. You don't know who gave this command, or was it an exclamation you heard in the crowd?

A. I am under the impression that it was a command or a military order, but I would not swear who it was that gave it. I could not do that.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. Did it appear to be in front of the command--the head of the column where the command came from to fire?

A. I was standing immediately opposite the head of the column, and the sound of that command appeared to come directly opposite to me, down at the head of the column.

Q. Did you see any officers in advance of that command?

A. When the military marched up?

Q. At that time, when you heard this command, were any officers in advance of the column?

A. I seen several officers. The most of the officers were strangers. I don't know who they were. I could see they were officers, by their uniform.

Q. Were they in front of the men?

A. They were in front of them at the head of the column. The troops were formed in a hollow square. They marched up, and then got the command front. They marched to the side of the hill, to clear the track of any that might be there, and those who were standing on the track got up on the side of the hill. There were very few on that side. The rear rank got the command, To the rear, open order, march.

Q. You heard these commands?

A. Yes; very distinctly. They got the command to about, and then they marched to the north side, which left an interval of two or three tracks clear--formed a hollow square.

Q. This company marched down between these two lines?

A. This company appeared to be at the head of the column, and they marched through up the lines. There was a portion of them came away to let them in, and they marched up.

Q. Was there a company marched up between those two lines, after the open order?

A. The company appeared to come from the head of the column.

Q. Wheeled out from the head of the column?

A. I don't think--I am not positive, but I am under the impression it was separated from the column. I would not swear positively. They were dressed in blue.

Q. How did they march up--company front--in line of battle?

A. They marched up, I think, in sections of about four--I am not positive about that.

Q. Until they reached----

A. Nearly to Twenty-eighth street, then they halted.

Q. And saw them open order, and one rank faced about, and they took positions on two sides of the track, which left a place between?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Then was there a company marched up between these two?

A. I am not positive, but I think this company was taken from the head, or a portion of it--it was not a full company, it was what you might term a squad--there was not, I suppose, over twenty-five.

Q. It was taken from the head of the column?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Was there a company marched up between those two ranks?

A. I think a battery. I think this company, as I said, was taken from the head of the column, and marched up to support the battery, in order to get through the crowd at Twenty-eighth street.

Q. Did this company turn around and face the crowd--how did they face? This crowd, you said, they marched up and tried to press the crowd back, and they wheeled out from the column and marched up against the crowd, or did they go down between the two lines, and march up against the crowd?

A. I stated that they appeared to be reserved for the purpose of supporting that battery, as they were not brought from the rear in front rank at all.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Did you see the sheriff and his posse?

A. I did.

Q. Where were they?

A. They were at the head, coming up--the head of the column.

Q. All of them?

A. All of them. I recognized Sheriff Fife, Mr. Pitcairn, superintendent of the Pennsylvania railroad, and General Pearson at the head. When they came up, the sheriff attempted to say something to the crowd, and there was such jeering and hallooing, it was impossible to be heard from where I was standing.

Q. You are positive about hearing this command to fire--was not this jeering----

A. That jeering and hooting was not at that particular time. There appeared to be a little confusion when that portion of the company came up, the jeering only began during the speaking of the sheriff. I don't know whether he was reading the riot act or not. I don't know what he was doing; of course I could not hear it.

* * * * *

E. F. A. Hastings, _sworn_:

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. What is your full name?

A. E. F. A., not quite the whole alphabet.

Q. Where do you reside, Mr. Hastings?

A. I live between Twenty-second and Twenty-third now.

Q. What is your occupation?

A. Machinist.

Q. Were you present during the disturbance last July?

A. Yes, I was.

Q. State what came under your observation?

A. I was there on Twenty-eighth street, on the side of the hill, when the troops were coming up, and I waited there until they came pretty well up the track, then I came down the hill, and I looked for my boy.

Q. What time was this?

A. On Saturday afternoon, when I seen the troops come up--and they came in regular--I think it was four deep. They came up and stopped and halted. They turned around in open order, formed in a hollow square, and I turned around and came away with the young man, and I took him off the track, and started him down towards Penn street. I turned around and looked for my boy, and I could not see him. Walked in towards the cars, and stood by the side of the sand-house--the cars extended up a little ways beyond the sand-house--and I got right in to the end of the car. Then came orders to charge bayonets. I turned to get back, and the crowd was behind, and I could not get back. I got a bayonet right in behind here. [Indicating.] Just at that time Pearson stood in about that direction.

Q. Who do you mean by Pearson?

A. General Pearson, or Pierson, or whatever you call him. He was looking in the direction towards the watch-box. There was some stones being thrown over there--it would fly all to pieces, it appeared to be like clay. There was only one stone I could distinguish, about that large, [indicating,] the shape of an oyster shell. It came from there. Then there was a couple of old shoes--I didn't see anybody struck with them. Pearson turned around, when he was standing there he was looking about this--he turned around towards the men, and his officer standing here--I don't know whether they belonged to Pittsburgh, or where they belonged, and I don't know whether they were officers. Monkey jackets it was, I think. He says, "Order your men to fire." He repeated the word fire louder than he did the others, and turned around, and walked right down the track after that. I did not see them commence firing, and I dropped right down. They fired on that corner, on the side of the hill first--these men in front with the black plumes in their hat. I don't know one from the other. They wheeled round, and fired down Twenty-eighth street. They walked over the top of me. I laid there. I don't know where Pearson or any of the rest went after that. I got up, and helped this man in front of me, that was killed--I helped him back.

Q. What man do you mean?

A. Some say it was Dearmot, I don't know his name.

Q. Killed by the cars?

A. No; killed by the firing. A gun was right up against his breast when he was shot.

Q. Where did this fire come from--those men standing by the cars?

A. The military all around that hollow-square, except the lower end. I laid there; I was right underneath them; could see the whole thing that was going on. Some of the men fired right up in the air. I don't know whether they belonged to Philadelphia or not.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. From what part of the line of this hollow-square did the firing commence?

A. I will show you in just about a minute.

[Witness illustrates on paper, the situation of the troops during the firing.]

Q. Just say where the first fire commenced in that hollow square, so that the reporter can take it down.

A. It was near the corner, on the side of the track next to the hill.

Q. Near the corner of the square of troops, next to the hill?

A. There was no square there. It was round.

Q. It came from the right, next towards the hill?

A. Next towards the hill.

Q. How many shots were fired at first?

A. They shot like a little fellow would throw a lot of shooting crackers out.

Q. How long after you heard the command to fire did this shooting commence?

A. It was right by those other fellows standing over on this side--right by them. I guess there was four or five of them repeated it. I took them to be officers.

Q. Dressed differently?

A. Yes, sir.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Were they in front of their men when they gave the order?

A. They were in this hollow square.

Q. Did they turn round to fire?

A. They were facing the crowd to fire. Pearson turned and gave these men the command.

Q. It was General Pearson that gave the command?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. You are positive it was General Pearson?

A. I am positive. I was standing close enough to hear him.

Q. Did he give the command to fire, or was he cautioning the men?

A. He gave the command to fire, and repeated the word fire louder than he did all the others.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. Were there any other officers in that hollow square, that you knew, besides General Pearson?

A. None to my knowledge, that I knew. There were some men that I knew, coming up ahead of them. Mr. Pitcairn and Mr. Watt came up ahead of them. I know some of them, beside, but don't know their names.

Q. Do you know Colonel Brown or Moore?

A. I don't know him by name.

Q. Did General Pearson give this command to an officer standing close by him?

A. Yes; called them officers.

Q. You saw him when he gave the command?

A. The men that had swords, I think.

Q. You saw General Pearson when he gave this order?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. How close was he to the men he gave the order to?

A. He was standing looking towards the switch box, where these were coming from. Right in front there were some men had a bayonet in another, and he wanted to get it away. He wheeled round this way and gave the orders for these men to fire, and then walked right down the track, but wherever he went to I could not say.

Q. Was he standing close to where the men commenced firing when he gave the order to those men? You say he wheeled around; those he gave the command to must have been behind him?

A. Here is where he stood. [Illustrating.] He wheeled around to the officers to the rear, and they passed the command to the officers in front. They repeated the order to fire.

By Mr. Means:

Q. Did the officers who repeated that command repeat it in a distinct, loud tone of voice?

A. Yes; they repeated it distinctly.

Q. How many of them?

A. There were some three or four, I could not say exactly. I am positive there was three or four, if not more--positive of three.

Q. And then the firing was done--it was not a volley of musketry--it was just done at random, was it?

A. The first squad that fired there, I don't believe there was more than about half a second between them, and the squads, as soon as this squad fired on this side first, then these other fellows here fired, [indicating,] and the crowd broke away and run down. I laid there. They wheeled right down over me, and fired down Twenty-eighth street.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Did the crowd scatter when they fired?

A. The crowd scattered.

By Mr. Means:

Q. How many of the soldiers fired at that time--at the first command?

A. The first fire?

Q. When General Pearson gave the command to fire, then his officers under him repeated the command. Now how many soldiers fired when these officers repeated that command?

A. It looked about like a platoon--about twenty-five, I suppose, if not more.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Were the crowd resisting these men? What were they doing when the soldiers came up?

A. They were on Twenty-eighth street crossing--the railroad crosses Twenty-eighth street--they were on there. They were talking and hollering. Some man called Pearson--that was the man I took away--called Pearson a son of a bitch, and these men took Pearson's part. Says he: "Don't call Al a son of a bitch; he is a friend of mine!" I thought there was going to be a fight between them, too, and a man called me over and told me to get him away. I took him away with me across the track towards the round-house, and he started on down. There was nobody in front of me at all, and I had hardly got in there until the crowd was right at my heels.

By Mr. Means:

Q. You say there was about twenty-five men fired? How many men fired after that?

A. They appeared to be firing in squads all over the line.

Q. How long did this firing last?

A. I don't suppose it lasted more than about two and a half or three minutes--could not have lasted any longer, I think.

Q. What were the officers doing?

A. Some of them went down the track flying--running over the other side.

Q. They were hunting their quarters?

A. They were hunting their quarters.

By Mr. Dewees:

Q. Did you hear the order to load?

A. No, sir; they were all loaded before they got there. They could not have loaded in that time. After the first volley was fired, then I seen them loading--those men in front.

Q. Don't you know who gave the order to load?

A. I didn't hear anybody give the order to load.

Q. They loaded without orders?

A. I suppose so, after the first fire.

By Senator Reyburn:

Q. Did you see them load afterwards?

A. Yes; breech loaders.

Q. Did you see the operation?

A. I saw them pull the cock back--that part that turns back--and put in a cartridge. I was lying right underneath them when they were doing it. The parties in front fired the last shot down Twenty-eighth street. I don't know who they were. They were men with black plumes in their hats.

Q. You say the parties next to Twenty-eighth street were the last to fire?

A. They wheeled right round----

Q. That was the party that fired first?

A. No; the party that fired first was over here. [Illustrating.]

Q. The party facing down Liberty street?

A. Yes; they fired. There was some that was against a car that could not do anything.

Q. Did they fire before the front line fired?

A. They fired about the same time. There was a car stood in here when they fired, so that you could do nothing. Some of them fired up like.

Q. Fired in the air, did they?

A. They appeared to fire in the air.

Q. How did these men of this side? You say they turned and fired the other way?

A. No, sir; those men in front wheeled round this way, and fired down Twenty-eighth. Fired up first and then----

Q. Where did they deliver their first fire--the men on that north side of the track?

A. They fired some of them right up square--down below the car. I could not see on account of the cars.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. You are positive that the firing did not come from that side of the line next towards Liberty street first?

A. I am positive it did not, for the first firing commenced along the side of the hill--that part I saw.

By Mr. Dewees:

Q. How far was General Pearson out from the military when this command to fire was given?

A. He was in the hollow square.

Q. How far from the men?

A. It would appear to be in the center, about Twenty-eighth street. You know this line went round on Twenty-eighth, and covered over part of Twenty-eighth street towards the hill.

Q. Did you see the fire during the night?

A. I was down on Penn street when the fire started. I do not know anything about that. I went up there to see it, and stood on Liberty street, watching the fire.

Q. Did you see the troops come out of the round-house?

A. No, sir; I did not. I was not there at that time.

By Senator Yutzy:

Q. You said General Pearson--he repeated the word fire louder than the balance of his order. Are you right positive what the balance of the order was?

A. Order your men to fire.

Q. That was the exact language?

A. That is the very words.

Q. You are positive you heard the words, "order your men?"

A. Right in that way: "Order your men to fire."

Q. Were any of the soldiers struck?