Q. You were right down the railroad among the soldiers?
A. I did see a lot of guns there, said to be Knapp's battery, lying at the watch-house—that was all the trouble. Just as I got away from the mob, I had no trouble at all—I could run away along the hill.
Q. Would it have been any trouble for the crowd to get away when the soldiers came up to ask them to fall back?
A. I think some of them could get away—not all the crowd, because there was cars on the other side of Twenty-eighth street, lying in there, and they got in round the cars, and could not get out.
Q. You said three fourths of the men there were spectators?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What did the other fourth come there for?
A. I have not the least idea, I never go there unless going to the works.
Q. I suppose three fourths went there from mere curiosity, and that the other fourth went for some purpose?
A. Most likely they did, but I could not see that.
By Mr. Dewees:
Q. Did you hear General Pearson say anything else but "fire!"?
A. No, sir; and it was not a minute or a minute and a half after he gave the order to fire, until they did fire.
Q. How far were you from him?
A. I was standing about fifteen or twenty feet up off the railroad track right out to the switch-house.
Q. Would not a man have to have said something before he could have given the word "fire!"—you heard nothing before the word "fire!"?
A. They did not get away fast enough than was given to fire, and just about a minute afterward the firing took place.
William Black, sworn:
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. What is your full name?
A. William Black.
Q. Where do you reside?
A. Out at Millvale borough.
Q. What is your occupation?
A. Boiler-puddler.
Q. Were you present at Twenty-eighth street on the 21st of July, Saturday, at the time of the firing?
A. I was a little while, about the time I seen the Philadelphia troops marching up the railroad four abreast, and they came to a halt just before they got to Twenty-eighth street. Came to a front and open order—rear open order, then the front rank came to about face, and they faced the rear rank. Then a company marched up through the center, right up front to Twenty-eighth street. I was standing outside then and heard the order given to fire.
Q. You were standing where?
A. Just across from Twenty-eighth street, outside the crowd.
Q. You were out behind the crowd?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You say you heard the command to fire?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Do you know who gave the command?
A. No, sir; I do not know who it was gave it.
Q. You just heard the word?
A. The minute the word was given to fire I left.
Q. Did you see anything of the firing? You left then—saw nothing of it?
A. No, sir; I left the place then after they started to fire.
Q. Then you know nothing about the firing, any more than you heard the command given—did it come from an officer?
A. I could not say that.
Q. Or was it from the crowd—did you hear the crowd talk about firing?
A. Not while I was there.
Q. Did you see anything thrown?
A. No, sir.
Q. Was there any disturbance there, any noise or resisting of the soldiers?
A. There was some noise there.
Q. What do you mean by some noise?
A. Some of them hollering "Hold the fort."
Q. What did they mean by holding the fort—holding Twenty-eighth street?
A. I suppose so.
Q. They meant to stay there in spite of the soldiers, was that the idea that you had—to stay there in spite of the soldiers?
A. I suppose that was their idea.
Q. Had you been there any time previous to the firing?
A. No, sir.
Q. You know nothing whatever of the events occurring before that?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you see the soldiers afterwards?
A. No, sir; never saw them any more after that. I never crossed the river again until Monday, I came down to the city again.
Q. Do you know anything about any organization formed to resist the soldiers?
A. No, sir.
Q. Who went with you to the scene of the riot?
A. Saturday?
Q. Yes.
A. There was a friend of mine lives right over here.
Q. Was not there a large crowd of you went over there together?
A. No, sir; there was no crowd.
Q. What mill are you working at?
A. Graff & Bennett's.
Q. Was not there a large number of men from your mill went over there on Saturday just before the firing?
A. If they went over there I didn't know anything about it.
Q. Were the men working at that time—that afternoon?
A. Saturday they generally shut down about two o'clock or three o'clock.
Q. You were not working that day on Saturday?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What time did you leave the mill?
A. We shut down work about one o'clock at the upper end of the mill.
Q. About one o'clock?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Didn't most of the men who were at work in the forenoon come over to Twenty-eighth street?
A. I couldn't say anything about that at all.
Q. Didn't see a great many of them?
A. No, sir; there might have been a good many there, but I didn't see them, the crowd was so big.
Q. Was there any talk about there in the crowd when you were standing there. Did you hear any talk about resisting the soldiers, and not allow them to clear the track?
A. No, sir; I didn't hear anything of the kind.
Q. Was it people there just out of curiosity?
A. I couldn't say what they were there for.
Q. You were there out of curiosity, were you?
A. Yes; just come over to see the soldiers.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Did you hear any abusive or threatening language on the part of the crowd towards the soldiers?
A. No, sir; not at the time I remained there.
By Mr. Means:
Q. In the forenoon of Saturday, while at work, did you hear any of the men say that they were going over there in the afternoon after they quit work?
A. No, sir; I didn't hear the men say anything.
Q. Didn't have any talk about going over to the scene of this riot?
A. No, sir.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Were you there on Sunday?
A. No, sir. Didn't come over this side of the river on Sunday.
Q. Do you know of quite a number of citizens carrying away goods and bringing them over to near your works, in that vicinity?
A. No, sir.
Q. On Sunday?
A. Not that I know of.
Q. Did you see anybody carrying any plunder from the cars?
A. They didn't fetch it across there in the day time. I thought they were watching pretty sharp around there over the other side.
Charles P. Wall, sworn:
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. What is your first name?
A. Charles P.
Q. Where do you reside?
A. Fourteenth ward.
Q. What is your occupation?
A. Plumber.
Q. Were you at Twenty-eighth street on Saturday, the 21st July, the time of the firing?
A. Yes, sir; I was.
Q. Will you be kind enough to state what you saw?
A. I went there out of curiosity, to see what was going on, on Saturday afternoon, and shortly after I was there the Philadelphia soldiers came up with their posse, the sheriff at the head. I was standing on the track and toward the round-house, and General Pearson came round and said he was ordered to clear the track, so I got around and walked up Twenty-eighth and come around on the hill which looks down on the track, and the soldiers formed a hollow square—the soldiers facing the hill as well as facing the round-house—and then the soldiers marched towards Twenty-eighth street, and the command was given to charge bayonets. They charged, I think, but the men there could not or would not move away from Twenty-eighth street. The soldiers came up to them with their bayonets, and they grabbed the guns, and pushed them away from them. Then the order was given to fire. The men, after the order was given them, started to run down Twenty-eighth street. The men that were charging—that were facing Twenty-eighth street—could not fire because they were so close. The moment they started to run they brought their guns to bear on them, and fired on the crowd as they were running. The men facing the hill fired into the party standing on the hill, and I seen them commence to fire, and stayed there for some moments, and thought they were firing blank cartridges, until a party along side of me was shot in the head and dropped down, and I thought it was time to get, and I started.
Q. Where were you standing?
A. Standing right on the hill, looking down on the soldiers.
Q. How far from them?
A. I suppose between twenty and thirty feet.
Q. There is a road that runs up there?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. How far were you from that watch-house?
A. I was about thirty feet from the watch-house, I guess.
Q. Did you see anything thrown at the soldiers?
A. Yes; I saw some stones thrown.
Q. Anything fired at them—see any shots or hear any?
A. No, sir; didn't see or hear any shots.
Q. Were you close enough to tell who gave the order, or whether it was an order to fire?
A. Yes; I was close enough.
Q. Was it given by an officer?
A. Yes; it was.
Q. Do you know who the officer was?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. State his name?
A. General Pearson?
Q. Do you know General Pearson?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Personally?
A. Yes, sir; that is, I don't know the General personally to speak to him.
Q. I mean by sight—if you see General Pearson walking along?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Where was he when he gave the command?
A. He was in the square, a little toward Twenty-eighth—nearer Twenty-eighth street than any other part of the square.
Q. Anybody near him?
A. Yes; Mr. Pitcairn and some of the other officers was handy.
Q. Any of the sheriff's posse?
A. I didn't notice.
Q. They were in front, were not they, when the troops came up?
A. The sheriff marched front; yes, sir.
Q. Did he stop and address the crowd?
A. I suppose he was addressing the crowd when I was going round, but as soon as he gave the command to clear the track, I was walking round to get on the hill.
Q. You are sure you heard General Pearson give the command?
A. Yes; positively.
Q. It was not somebody told you that that was Pearson?
A. No, sir; I know the man.
Q. Did you notice how he was dressed that day?
A. Yes, sir—not particularly. I noticed he had a blouse on, with brass buttons on, buttoned up. I suppose I was as close to him as I am to you when he gave the command to clear the track. He said he had orders to clear the track. As soon as I seen they were going to clear the track, I got off the track and walked around.
Q. Did he have a sword on?
A. Not that I could see.
Q. Did you notice whether any of the other officers had swords on?
A. No, sir; I did not notice particularly.
Q. How would you distinguish an officer?
A. Well, I would distinguish him by his clothes, of course.
Q. If there were a number of men there, how did you distinguish it was General Pearson gave the command?
A. I could not help to distinguish him, because I knew him personally—knew him to be what they call a general. He had a blouse on.
Q. Did he order them to load, or anything preliminary—he just said fire?
A. Just gave the command to fire?
Q. Did he give that directly to the men themselves?
A. I could not say whether it was direct to the men, because immediately after he gave the command to fire, they commenced to fire—whether it was passed down the line or not, I could not say.
Q. Did you see any of the soldiers struck with stones?
A. No, sir; I did not.
Q. How many stones were there thrown?
A. Oh, a good many.
Q. Quite a volley?
A. Quite a volley of stones thrown. They seemed to all come from one place, though. On the hillside, where I was standing, there was not a stone thrown.
Q. Any stones thrown from below where you were standing?
A. From towards the hospital, there was. That seemed to be the only place there was any stones coming from.
Q. What became of General Pearson after he gave this order?
A. I didn't wait to see what became of him. I seen him start towards the round-house. Then I started myself, and ran up the hill some three hundred or four hundred yards, and then I stopped.
Q. From what point did the stones appear to come?
A. From the direction of the hospital.
Q. In front of you?
A. No, sir; from the rear.
Q. Could you see who threw the stones?
A. No, sir; I did not.
Q. Did General Pearson have anything about him, or his uniform, that would indicate his rank?
A. He had a blouse on with brass buttons I think he had epaulets on his shoulders, I could not say positively. I knew the man, knew him to be a general.
Q. What kind of a hat did he wear?
A. He wore a slouch hat—a soft hat.
Q. Did you see any other officers there that wore hats?
A. No, I couldn't say that I did. I didn't take notice of the officers particularly. In fact I did not take notice of any of them.
Q. Did you see the troops after they came out of the round-house on Sunday?
A. No, sir; I didn't.
Q. Were you there during Saturday night?
A. No, sir; I left there as soon as they went into the round-house; then I left and went home; didn't go there until the next morning. I went over on the hill and stayed a while, then I went home again.
Q. Did you hear them talk in the crowd about resisting the soldiers?
A. No, sir; heard nothing said. The crowd seemed to be very orderly up to the time the Philadelphia soldiers came. I was among the crowd until past one o'clock or two o'clock, and the Fourteenth regiment had charge of the track, and the shifting engine was going backwards and forwards. Of course, there was a big crowd there; but they didn't interfere in any way that I saw.
By Mr. Means:
Q. Did you hear the crowd say what they would do when the Philadelphia soldiers came in?
A. No, sir; I didn't hear them say anything.
Q. They were looking for them, were they not?
A. Not that I know of; didn't hear them say so.
Q. Was it possible for you to be mistaken in the man that gave the command "fire?" Might it not have been somebody else?
A. I don't think so. I knew the general, and was close enough to hear distinctly.
Q. You knew the command really came from him?
A. Yes, sir.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Was General Pearson facing towards Liberty street, or up the hill?
A. He was facing kind of towards Twenty-eighth street. Twenty-eighth crosses Liberty. That is where the most excitement was. The soldiers were trying to force them off the track. The crowd had gathered up the track, and they were trying to force them down. I suppose the men in front would have got out of that if they could, because I don't think any man would stand up to a bayonet.
Q. Facing towards Twenty-eighth and Liberty streets?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did the firing commence from that direction?
A. No; not just exactly. They fired into the car where they threw the stones first. When they started, the men that were standing on Twenty-eighth started to run.
Q. The crowd?
A. Then the soldiers brought their guns up and fired on them as they ran down Twenty-eighth street. Then the soldiers that was fronting the hill fired into the parties on the hill.
Q. Then the firing commenced on the line that were on Twenty-eighth street—lying parallel with Twenty-eighth street—facing up the track?
A. Yes; facing up the track.
Q. How long after that fire did the troops commence firing that were standing to their right, facing up the hill?
A. I suppose it was not more than ten or twelve seconds.
Q. Did those that were facing down towards Liberty street fire at that time?
A. No, sir; they did not.
Q. Did they fire at any time?
A. Not that I seen.
William J. McKay, sworn:
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Give your full name.
A. William J. McKay.
Q. Where do you reside?
A. Thirtieth and Penn street.
Q. What is your occupation?
A. Work in the Western air brake shop, on Twenty-fifth street.
Q. Were you present during Saturday, the 21st July, at Twenty-eighth street?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Be kind enough to state what came under your observation.
A. I was up there when the Philadelphia soldiers came. One of them got sun struck, and they had to carry him down to the office, Twenty-sixth street. That is all I have got to say.
Q. That is all you know about what occurred?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Were you in the telegraph office there?
A. I was in the superintendent's office.
Q. You know nothing of what occurred at the time the soldiers fired?
A. No, sir; didn't hear them fire at all.
Q. Did any of the officers come to the telegraph office while you were there?
A. One soldier, and some other men came down, I don't know who they were.
Q. Was he an officer?
A. I took him to be an officer.
Q. Did you know the man?
A. No, sir.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. What do you do at the Western air brake?
A. Chip brass castings.
Q. Where did you carry this man that was sick?
A. Carried him into the office—the left second door.
Q. What office?
A. The office under the superintendent's office; I don't know whose office it was.
Q. Was it a telegraph office?
A. I didn't take notice.
Q. Were you in the telegraph office at any time after you carried this man down?
A. No, sir; I was never in the office before in my life.
Q. It was not a telegraph office you carried this man to?
A. I didn't notice what office it was.
Q. It was the superintendent's office, you say?
A. No, sir; the superintendent's office is up stairs.
Q. Whom did you see there in this office, where you carried this soldier?
A. There was no person there.
Q. No one there at all?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you know where the telegraph was of the railroad company?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Where is it?
A. Twenty-sixth street—it was, before it was burned down, I don't know where it is now.
Q. Isn't there a telegraph office at the superintendent's office?
A. I don't know anything about that. I passed the office often, but I was never in it.
Q. What was this office used for that you carried the man to?
A. I don't know what it was for.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Were there any officers of the militia there when you went there with this man, except the one that helped?
A. No, sir; there was no other person in the room at all.
Q. Did you stay there with those men, or put him down?
A. We laid him down on two chairs, and there was a man came in and told us there was shooting up there, and I went up and left him there. The other two stayed there.
Q. Said they were shooting up there?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Is that all he said about it?
A. That is all.
Q. Did he say anything about an order having been given to fire on the crowd?
A. No, sir; he just wheeled round and started back out again.
Q. Did you know this man?
A. No, sir.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. You say there was no one in this office at all, when you carried this soldier there?
A. No, sir; there was no person in when we went in.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. Did you see General Pearson about there?
A. I don't know the man. Never saw him.
Q. Did you see whether there was any other offices right there, close by this—that is, where you carried this soldier?
A. How do you mean?
Q. In the same building?
A. I didn't see any.
Q. The rooms close by these are used as offices?
A. Yes; there several rooms in this office. There may have been a thousand in there, but I didn't see them.
Q. On which side of the track, going down towards the Union depot?
A. It is on the right, coming down this way.
Q. Was it between the two tracks, between the Allegheny Valley and the Pennsylvania Central track?
A. Yes; it is right along side of the Allegheny track.
Q. Did you carry this man down the Allegheny track, or the Pennsylvania track?
A. Down the Pennsylvania.
Q. And then turned to the right?
A. Yes; where the engines come out of the round-house—carried him down across there, and went into the office.
Q. Is that the only building standing between these two tracks—the Allegheny Valley track and the Pennsylvania Central, in that vicinity?
A. No, sir; there is two or three dozen buildings.
Q. What were they?
A. There is a square shop, and the round-houses, and this shop, and then there is small buildings. I don't know what they are used for.
Q. There are offices in some of those buildings, are there not—machine shops for instance?
A. There is an office between the two round-houses—Shafer's office. That is the only one I know there.
Q. You are positive it was not the superintendent's office?
A. Yes, sir; the superintendent's office is up stairs.
Q. How many rooms were there down stairs?
A. I don't know how many; I was never in only this one.
Q. Were you there on Thursday or Friday previous to this?
A. Yes; I was up there.
Q. Do you know anything about the causes leading to this riot?
A. No, sir; only the double-headers. That is all I know.
Q. Did you hear any talk of resisting the troops if they attempted to clear the track?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you see any stones or anything thrown at the soldiers?
A. No, sir; I was not there when they came up. This man fainted, and I helped to carry him down.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. Did you notice whether there were any doors leading out of this office to any other rooms, or from the hall you went into to other rooms?
A. Yes, sir; as you go into the door there is a door leads to the left, past the stairs. There is one under the stairs.
Q. Did you go in the first door?
A. No, sir; the second.
Q. To the left?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was the first door open on the left as you went in the hall?
A. I didn't notice; I know there is a door there, because I took notice to it as we went in—we went on to a second door. The other fellow helping to carry him seemed to know where to take him to, and I went along.
Q. Did you see anybody in the room—the first room—the front room—to which this door led to, through the windows or door?
A. No, sir; I could see no person.
D. L. Reynolds, sworn:
By Mr. Reyburn:
Q. What is your full name?
A. D. Leach Reynolds.
Q. Where do you reside?
A. At the time of this trouble I resided in the Twelfth ward, on Thirtieth street.
Q. What is your occupation?
A. I was conductor on the road at that time.
Q. Do you know anything of the causes leading to this strike?
A. Yes, sir; the more important cause of it was the abuse of the men by the petted officials, such as despatchers, and so forth, and the double-headers.
Q. What do you mean by the petted parties?
A. It is just this way: They have a set of men that are posted, not only in Pittsburgh, but at the principal stations, whose duty it is to give the conductors orders, what they shall do with the cars, what cars they shall set off and take on, and they can either give a man a nice train or a train where there is no work to do, or they can give all the work to one man—one man they give all the work to do, and one man they let go behind with nothing to do. It caused a great deal of dissatisfaction, and a great deal of growling. As sure as a man did any growling, that man would be discharged the next trip.
Q. Are you employed by the railroad now?
A. No, sir; I left the road on the 16th August.
Q. Were you present on Saturday, the time the troops came in collision with the crowd?
A. I was.
Q. State what you saw?
A. I went up there about half-past one or two o'clock in the afternoon, and saw the crowd that was standing on Twenty-eighth street, and didn't like the looks of it. There was some rather rough characters there. I do not know who they were, and where they belonged. I then took up a position in the hospital grounds, about one hundred yards from the track, one side of a tree that stands by the fence, so that I could fully see and observe all that was going on. The report was that they were going to send a train out, with lots of militia, and General Pearson on the cow-catcher. I was waiting to see if the train succeeded in getting through the crowd. The Philadelphia troops, as I was going up Twenty-eighth street, came in. I believe the second section was coming in at the time I was going up. I remained up there, I presume, all of two hours before the Philadelphia troops came up the track. I was looking in so many different directions that I could not tell you whether General Pearson and Pitcairn, and the sheriff, was in front of the soldiers or not. I saw the entire body of them as they came up. I do not remember of any persons or citizens of the Commonwealth in front of the militia when they came up and formed their hollow square. Then I saw Mr. Pitcairn plainly, and, also, General Pearson. Sheriff Fife I did not see. At the time they formed their hollow square, they threw out a platoon, as has been described, but across the front end of the square. That platoon undertook to chase the crowd back off the railroad tracks, off Twenty-eighth street. They refused to go back, and, of course, that is where the riots began. The soldiers tried to drive them back by shoving them back with their breasts. They refused to be pushed back. Then they undertook to charge them back with their bayonets. After that they fell back a step or two, and I heard the order to fire, and they did fire with good effect. About that time I took up over the hill, and came down the other way, a few minutes after the fire. I presume I was about fifty feet from the front end of the soldiers. They were then moving around somewhat, and I asked one of the railroad boys if he had seen any of our boys fall. He said there was three or four. I asked him if any of the soldiers were killed. About that time there was a gun went off—I think it went off in the air—and just then I seen one of the conductors coming down with his arm resting on his coat. He had taken his coat off, and I went over to and asked him how bad he was hurt. He said his arm was weak, so that he could not hold it up. I assisted him down to Penn street, and put him in a grocer's wagon, and took him to Doctor Clark's, and went to my own house and told my wife I was not hurt. I didn't find her there, I found her on Penn street. I put her in a baker shop, and then went off to look for some more friends. About this time they threw the platoon of soldiers across Twenty-eighth street, and I supposed they were going to fire, and I got into a hotel where I heard there was some wounded, to hear who they were. There had been some there, but they had been removed. I afterwards saw them bringing down an old gentleman, Mr. Stockel. I went home that evening, got my supper and remained at home until, I presume, it was three o'clock. Then I took my wife and started down to see. At Twenty-eighth street the crowd had got so dense that I went into a drug store, and while I was in there, a whole party went by, with a drum beating in front of them. They were whooping and hollering. I don't remember that there was any firearms in the party, but I know they had a big drum, and were pounding on that. As soon as they got by, I says, I will take my wife home. I took her home, and after I got there, the neighbors and her together persuaded me to remain there, and the consequence was I didn't go away from my own door stoop that evening. I went to bed, I presume it was about half past nine o'clock, and on Sunday morning, I presume about two or three o'clock, she tried to awaken me to tell me the Pennsylvania railroad property was on fire, but she could not get me awake, and later in the morning, when the Philadelphia soldiers were going up Penn street, they formed a platoon in front of my house. I started out to hear where they had gone to, and found out that they were gone up the street.
Q. Did you see anybody fire on them?
A. No, sir; I didn't.
Q. Was there any talk of resisting these soldiers in clearing the track, and preventing them from running trains?
A. You might hear men talking of a great many things, but nobody could imagine what they were going to do. Nobody had any firearms to resist anything with. They were asking the question, that there were one thousand five hundred Philadelphia soldiers coming, and what are you going to do with them?
Q. The crowd resisted the soldiers, did they, when they attempted to clear the track?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. The soldiers did not use any more force than was necessary, at first?
A. No, sir; they did not use any force at all, but simply pushed ahead with their breasts.
Q. Tried to push the crowd back quietly?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you see any stones thrown?
A. I saw one that I took to be a clod of earth, about the size of my hand, thrown from the west side of the watch-box from the side of the hill, down into the soldiers. That was the only stone I saw thrown that day.
Q. You were not near enough to tell who ordered the firing?
A. I could hear a great many words. I could not hear sentences, but I heard the word, "fire," distinctly. I could not hear any conversation unless it was in a loud tone of voice, but I heard, "fire," as distinctly as you speak.
Q. Did the soldiers fire in a volley?
A. No; more like one soldier got scared and he fires off his gun, and the balance follow suit.
Q. What was the objection to running double-headers?
A. It puts two men's work on one man for one man's pay. We had been reduced so often that we thought they had got about as low as we could live.
Q. How much did you average?
A. If I averaged full time, it was $70 20 per month before the reduction. After that I got $2 45 a day, and never got a full month. If you want to know all about their wages, I can tell you from the first reduction. When I went on the road they were paying conductors $2 60 a day.
Q. When was that?
A. The 21st February, 1872, I think. They were paying conductors then $2 60 a day, and there was an order came out—or rather the men wanted more wages, and the committee went to Philadelphia, and it was arranged that conductors, who had been running trains prior to March 1, would get $2 85. New conductors were only to get $2 45. When I went on the road first I acted in the capacity of brakeman for about eight weeks, and on the 24th day of April I took out my first train, and I received $2 45 for that. I ran from the 21st day of April till the 16th of June as extra conductor, part of the time running trains and part of the time not. After the 16th day of June I got a regular train, and I ran that for a whole year for $2 45, and from the 16th day of June till the 1st day of next January I received $2 70, which I was led to suppose was a raise of ten per cent. On the 1st day of January an order came out that we should be reduced, and that cut me down to $2 40. I could not understand how a reduction of ten per cent. would take off more than an increase of ten per cent., and I had an interview with Mr. Pitcairn and the only satisfaction I got, that the company was losing money. The 16th day of June my wages went up to $2 70, and that was the wages I received up until the day of the last reduction, when they cut me down to $2 45.
Q. You had been getting $2 70, and they cut you down to $2 40, then you went to talk to Mr. Pitcairn, and he told you that the business was bad, and they had to make this reduction?
A. I did not make any complaint. They reduced by tens instead of by fives.
Q. What reason did he give?
A. He could not give me any reason, he said it was done on higher authority.
Q. I understood you to say, he said something about business was poor?
A. He said that the company was losing money. He took into consideration the different conductors, and they had different pay, and the conclusion was that they were losing money.
Q. Then they reduced you?
A. They reduced me to $2 40 at that time. They ran the first year for $2 20, and the second year for $2 45, and the third year for $2 70—so the order was in the start out. I never happened to come in under the $2 20 list, they raised me to $2 70, then they cut me down to $2 40, and I had to work from June to January, at $2 40, and then went up again to $2 70, on account of the year having expired.
Q. What was the pay of the brakesman?
A. Brakesmen originally received $2 00 a day, then afterwards they were cut down to $1 80, and the last reduction brought them down to $1 65.
Q. Did you know what wages they were making on an average?
A. They, as a general thing, made pretty near only about $26 per month. Some months a man can make almost double time, other months he could not make so much.
Q. Did that depend upon his being attentive?
A. No, sir; it depended entirely on his business. A new man was treated the same as an old man, so far as going out was concerned, unless he was an extra brakeman. If he was regular, on a regular run, he went on that train every time.
Q. Of course, if he was not there to go out, some one took his place?
A. If he was not there to go out, they always supplied a man in his place—the crew was slim, I think, as it was.
Q. The man that was there always got his work?
A. I never lost a day on the Pennsylvania railroad by being absent, unless it was voluntarily or freight was scarce. Sometimes freight was scarce for a month, and they would have to cut one train off one day, and once they sent me home in July, for a week. It was on account of trade being very dull.
By Mr. Means:
Q. You are not in the employ of the road now?
A. No, sir.
Q. When did you leave it?
A. On the 16th day of August.
Q. Was there more of the hands left at that time?
A. The road was principally operated after the strike was over, by the same that had been on the line before the strike, and I was among the number, and about the time I stopped off, things began to assume the old fashioned shape—one day they would want me and the next day they would not, and I went to Mr. Pitcairn and asked him for an order for my money, and he said it was not necessary to give an order to get me the money.
Q. Quit of your own accord?
A. I suppose I would have been discharged if I had stuck to it.
William M. McKay, was recalled and explained to the committee the situation of the room where the soldier who was sun struck was taken into.
Colonel Smith, re-called:
By Senator Yutzy:
Q. You heard the last witness describe the building, and the manner in which he entered that building, and the way that he entered—where he says he left the soldier was at the telegraph office?
A. It was not a telegraph office. [Witness explains the situation of the rooms in the building on a plot.] This is the telegraph office, and this is the train master. I presume by the description that was where the soldier was taken. This is the passage connecting the main entrance of the building with the telegraph office. This is the first floor—the first floor above the basement—there is a basement under the telegraph office, and the superintendent's private office is immediately over this, on the second floor. The outer office of the superintendent is there on the second floor, and the clerks here. Three on the first and three on the second, and this is the trainmen's room, this is a sort of counter here with windows where trainmen come up to get their orders.
Q. Was there a telegraph office adjourning this room where Mr. McKay carried the soldier?
A. The room is connected. There is a door just here.
Adjourned until this afternoon, at three o'clock.