. Strikers, communists, tramps and detectives . orward cars, containing passen-gers, to proceed into the city. I The appearance of the mob in such immense numbers,and so unexpectedly, prevented any provision being madeto guard the doors, although Captain Towle himself bravelydefended the front door for some minutes. A rush wasthen made through the rear door, and in less than half aminute between fifty and sixty of the infuriated scoundrelshad filled the aisle and were making the air blue with theirshriekings and cursings while demanding the guns from thetroops. Orders had been given to fire un
. Strikers, communists, tramps and detectives . orward cars, containing passen-gers, to proceed into the city. I The appearance of the mob in such immense numbers,and so unexpectedly, prevented any provision being madeto guard the doors, although Captain Towle himself bravelydefended the front door for some minutes. A rush wasthen made through the rear door, and in less than half aminute between fifty and sixty of the infuriated scoundrelshad filled the aisle and were making the air blue with theirshriekings and cursings while demanding the guns from thetroops. Orders had been given to fire under no circum-stances, or provocation, until a distinct command had beengiven. The Captain refused to yield a gun. The leaders seemed to wish to avoid violence, but tlierabble was utterly beyond control, and soon levolvers weredrawn on the militia, while the hundreds outside set up thecry, Kun them in the lake! Dump them into tliecreek ! together with the vilest expressions of abuse. Afew of the men, not knowing what to do, gave up their guns,. 364 STRIKES AT BUFFALO AND OTHER POINTS. and miscellaTieons firing quickly began. Tjiose who hadcaptured muskets got on the ontside of the cars, jammedthe muzzles through the glass and shutters and then fired,while others of the mob hurled rocks and fired revolversthrough the windows. All this time a hand-to-hand fightwas going on inside the car, the soldiers clubbing the rioterswith the butts of their muskets and firing whenever oppor-tunir3^ offered. At one time four men had Captain Towledown, choking and beating him, but he was rescued intime to save his life, and permit him to go on with hispluckv work of cracking heads. In the meantime the mob had increased to nearly threethousand persons, and were pushing the car violently backand fortb. As it was sheer folly for a company of fiftj^-seven men to cope with a mob of thousands, the troops de-termined to fight their way out of the car and through themob. Those leaving the rear door wen
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectrailroadstrikeus1877
