REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO INVESTIGATE THE Railroad Riots IN JULY, 1877.

Q. State what action the police officers took on Sunday to put down the riot, and burn, and break into the stores?

A. I would state that on Saturday night, about the breaking in of stores, I was at the office, and word came there that they were going into Johnson's gun store. I was ordered up there, and went up there, and the mob was then there, and I believe Mr. Johnson had handed out two or three guns there, to keep the mob away until the police came there. As soon as we got there, we closed the doors, stood and guarded the gun-shop for a considerable time, until the mob went away, and stopped them from going in there.

A. Yes. Then we had word they were up on Liberty, at a place kept by a man by the name of Shute. I found they had opened and cleaned it out. I came to the office again, and was ordered down to O'Mara and Bown's, and we found they had been in there.

A. I do not think it was for arms, for the purpose of going out to kill the Philadelphians. I think it was plunder more than any thing else—a general cleaning out—anything they could get their hands on—scissors or anything else. There was a man came into the office with a couple of pair of scissors he had taken from some one. I did not think he wanted the scissors to kill any one with. They cleaned Bown's out completely—knives, pistols, scissors, anything that was in the store.

A. I could not tell. I did not know whether it was the party that had stopped at Johnson's or not. There was a couple of hundred at Johnson's trying to get in, and we kept them from getting in there.

A. After I had left Bown's store, a company happened on Fifth street. I saw a gang of two or three hundred, and I saw an alderman with them.

A. The councilman did. The alderman did not seem to take much part in it. The councilman seemed to be at the head of it.

Q. Do you know whether they were part of the crowd that broke into the stores or not?

A. I could not tell you. I would also state about the police, on Sunday afternoon, during the time the Pan-Handle depot was in their charge. The police drove the mob out of the Pan-Handle depot at the time they were setting fire there. I know that they were police stretched the ropes on the street and kept the mob out, so as not to interfere with the firemen when working there.

A. They did hold it and kept the fire from going any further—kept the mob outside of the ropes.

Q. As an officer, do you believe that had there not been any interference with the railroad employés that you could have kept the peace with the force of police you had?

A. I do not think it was the railroad employés that gave us the trouble. I think it was the outside rabble entirely.

Q. I asked a question. The question is this: Do you believe, as an officer, had you nothing to contend but the railroad employés, could you have kept the peace?

A. Yes, sir; I think the mayor could have kept the peace. I do not think there would have been any trouble at all if the military had not been called out at all. My experience on Thursday, with these men at Torrens station, was, I had not any trouble with them. These men were orderly, and when they were ordered off the track they went off the track, and I had no trouble at all, and I apprehended no trouble. The men said they only wanted their rights, and did not wish to interfere with us at all, while we thought they were.

Q. I believe you testified to being at the firing, and so forth. Did you see General Pearson that afternoon?

A. I saw General Pearson continuously, sir, from Friday at eleven o'clock until eleven o'clock Saturday, except——

A. Fatigue cap, with velvet band and wreath, and the letters "U.S." in front of it; shoulder straps, with two stars; dark blue blouse and pants, and blouse braided, as worn by officers usually.

A. Yes; it was one of those gotten up for a present, very elaborately embroidered.

Q. Did he wear this cap up there, just prior to the firing of the military on the mob?

A. No, sir; not just prior. On Friday, when I reported to him, he had on a straw hat, a white vest, and a blouse, before he and I came down from the Union depot, and we put on our uniforms in the evening. I suppose between eight and nine o'clock. It was not dark.

A. Yes; and his sword. He had a sword with a gold scabbard. All the officers of his staff that were there were in full uniform, except Colonel Hays.

Q. Was he there with the military or with the Philadelphia troops when the firing took place?

A. No, sir; there was no officer near the Philadelphia troops except myself, that is, at the point when the firing took place at Twenty-eighth street. Mr. George Steen, Major Stouts, and Major Fife were at the cars taken out, one hundred and fifty feet below the street. They were down at that flank of the troops.

A. Sword and blouse, precisely like the one General Pearson had on, except the shoulder straps.

Q. Did you know where General Pearson was, about the time the firing took place?

A. I knew where he started off. He gave me orders to remain with General Brinton, while he would go to the telegraph office.

A. Yes, started; I judge that from the fact that General Brinton went down the Weccacoe Legion and the Gatling guns, and go through the two lines that had been formed on each side of the track. Just as he had sent down that order, General Pearson started, and I should judge it would take time to get the guns up. I have no distinct knowledge of the time at all. It was quite a little time before they were able to get the guns up over the ties.

Q. Then General Pearson left before these troops marched down? That is the Weccacoe Legion, with the Gatling guns—he left before that?

Q. That was the detachment that attempted to put the crowd back off Twenty-eighth street?

A. I cannot say whether it was the Weccacoe Legion or Washington Grays. I understood they were both there, but I could not distinguish them, they were all, as a matter of course, strangers to me. I saw "W.L." on their knapsacks, of either the front or rear rank. I could not see which it was.

A. No, sir; it was impossible for him to be there without my knowing, for he gave me orders to remain with General Brinton, while he went to the telegraph office, and I know there was no officer there except myself. When a man is alone, he generally knows it.

Q. No officer of your division there—that is, General Brinton and his command were there?

Q. What position did you occupy in the militia at the time of the disturbance in July?

A. I was captain in the National Guard, commanding Hutchinson's battery at that time, now known as Breck's battery.

Q. Were you present at the time of the firing of the troops, at Twenty-eighth street?

A. Well, I was stationed just above the flag-house—I suppose you know where that is—and I had received an order a short time before the First division arrived on the ground to be prepared to load my guns on gondola cars, and I saw a plank brought out from the round-house on a truck, and dumped there on the track to load the guns. I was quite anxious, of course. There was a large crowd around there, and I did not feel altogether secure. There was only one company of infantry there, behind me, supporting the guns, and there were a great many rumors floating around there. There was a rumor of trouble in Philadelphia, and I was to be sent there, and for various causes I was anxious to see commanding officer—General Pearson—and as soon as I saw the column advancing up the track, I stood up on one of my limbers, where I could look over the heads of the crowd, and see what was going on. As they came up, I noticed, I think, first it was the sheriff, I remember of seeing him, I think some of his deputies, and I saw General Pearson and two officers, whom I afterwards knew as General Brinton and General Matthews. Although I did not know them at the time, I got acquainted with them that night. This, I suppose, was about half-past four in the afternoon. They moved up until the right of the column rested at Twenty-eighth street. They halted once down about opposite Twenty-sixth street gate, and then, I suppose, was the time that General Loud's brigade was put in possession of those cars down there. Then the first division started on up. The First brigade, they came up until the right was about at Twenty-eighth street, the First regiment was leading. The regiment was in columns of four. They wheeled in line to the left, forced the crowd back off the track, and up to within probably within twenty feet of the walls of the round-house. There were, I think, four gondola cars there, standing on side tracks, that prevented them clearing the track clear to the walls of the round-house. These cars were covered with people. As soon as they halted, both ranks were faced about, and what had been the rear rank was marched toward the hill. Then there was a company brought up from the rear, marched up through the open ranks, and about that time General Pearson disappeared from view. I was watching out very carefully for him, because I was expecting orders every moment, and I was very anxious that he would know where I was. In fact, he did see me. As they were marching up I stood on the limber, and did something to attract his attention, and I attracted his attention, and he nodded, as much as to say he knew where I was. The reason I did that was, my position had been changed since morning, the guns had been moved from the position in which he had ordered them placed, and I wanted him to know exactly where they were. About that time I lost sight of him, and I did not see him again until I suppose about quarter of six, I saw him in the telegraph office.

A. Yes; I was with General Pearson the evening before, when he put on his uniform. We were down at Union Depot hotel, and he asked me if I would like to take a walk around to head-quarters. I told him I would, and he and Colonel Moore and myself started off for head-quarters. We came up Grant, and I remember some house over here, where the general was acquainted with two or three ladies there. That two or three ladies sat on the steps, and they stopped the general and made some remark about they hoped he was not going to shoot the people, and he stood and talked some little time. We went on down to head-quarters, and got a fatigue blouse out of some of the cases there—the fatigue blouse of the old pattern is alike for all officers of different rank—the designation is by the shoulder-straps. He got this blouse out and found his straps, and I pinned the straps on for him—major general's straps—and he put on his cap and belt, and I think he carried his sword in his arm, if I am not mistaken. We stayed there a few minutes, I do not know but we might have been there ten minutes. Then we went down to the corner of Fifth and Smithfield, and took a car for the Union depot, and went right back. He had the same uniform when he came up the track and the same uniform when I saw him in the superintendent's office, at a quarter to six.

A. Yes, sir; the first time I saw him after the firing. The cap—it is an ordinary fatigue cap, with a velvet band for general officers. He had that cap and a wreath in front, and I think two stars in the wreath—either U.S. or two stars. I believe it is regulation to wear two stars, and the blouse had what they call herring-bone trimming—black braid, and runs from the buttons out into loops and slashed at the sides, and the belt was usually worn under the blouse, but it was over the blouse—a red morocco belt, groundwork of morocco, with gold embroidery. Quite profusely embroidered.

A. As they came up the crowd opened out for them—the column was narrow. They were in columns of four. There was a great deal of hooting and jeering. I think some few of the people were trying to cheer. It certainly was a sight that any man who had love for the military would cheer at. I never saw a handsomer sight for so small a body of men. They were in regular order, well uniformed, thoroughly equipped, and their guns looked splendidly in the sun; and the crowd gave way and there was no actual resistance—nothing to stop the troops until they tried to clear the Twenty-eighth street crossing. The column marched up without halting. I do not think they impeded their step any. When they marched toward the round-house they wheeled into line, to the left, and went towards the round-house. The crowd got back. They could not clear the tracks clear to the round-house on account of those cars. When the rear rank marched toward the hill the crowd gave way, but the troops only came to the edge of the track—the right hand track going out. That, of course, left plenty of room for the crowd on the road. The road was black with people. There were a great many on the side of the hill and the base of the hill.

Q. This crowd at Twenty-eighth street, did they resist when this detachment marched through the center and marched up against them?

A. Yes; there was one company that it looked to me, from where I stood, as if they were unable to do anything with the crowd—unable to move it—and there was a stronger company, or more men—it was another company—I think it was the Weccacoe Legion and the Washington Greys—brought up from the rear. They came up at a carry, but they did not drive the crowd far. They could not do it without using their bayonets, and I do not know whether there was an order to charge bayonets given or not, but at any rate, the men commenced to bring their guns down as if they were going to charge, and from where I stood, I could see the guns held by the mob—held them in their hands—and I could see the men take hold, up near the muzzle, and draw their guns back, in order to get them down to a charge. Just as they did that there were one or two pistol shots fired, and then I saw about a wagon load of stones and lumps of coal—in an instant the air was black with stones and lumps of coal. Then a gun went off on the right of the company, followed by three or four more, and then very nearly a volley; and I did not want to be killed and jumped off the lumber.

A. I was within sixty feet of the middle of the Twenty-eighth street crossing, I suppose.

A. The officers were mostly—except the regimental officers—the general officers were up on the crossing with this company—General Brinton and General Matthews. I ran down on the track to help the first regiment officers stop the firing. The men had fired, I suppose, two or three rounds apiece. I helped the officers to steady the men up, and give a little confidence to the men, and as soon as they did that, and I think loaded again by command. Then I went up to the crossing, and I saw General Brinton and General Matthews, and he had already thrown two companies further up the track, and had the two Gatling guns in position, one pointing up the track—both, in fact. And while I stood there, they, turned and went down Twenty-eighth street.

Q. Just before the firing of the troops, did you see any officers in this square, or between these two lines facing away from the tracks—one facing the hill, and another facing down the other way?

A. They were both facing the hill at that time. As soon as the battalion wheeled into line, there was some little fuss there—a man or two fainted. They faced both ranks about.

A. Yes; I spoke to Colonel Miller. He reminded me of it the other day in Philadelphia.

Q. Did you see any of the officers of the Sixth division there between these two lines?

A. No, sir; I think not, they were further up, right on the crossing. The two lines reached—suppose this is the lower line of Twenty-eighth street. [Illustrating.] They brought these lines right up to within ten feet, perhaps, of the lower line of the street, and then those two companies were right here. [Indicating.]

Q. Do I understand you to say, that the company that was marched toward Twenty-eighth street did connect with those two wings of the flanks?

A. The company was practically covered on the flanks. There was a flag-house in here. [Indicating.]

A. Yes. There was a little space, because I remember when I went down I went around the left flank.

Q. Did you see any of the officers of the Sixth division in the rear of this first company, marching towards Twenty-eighth street. Did you see Colonel Moore?

A. That was when he was marching up, and I followed him with my eye until I saw him on the crossing where the crowd was, but this was before they attempted to drive the crowd back, and there was one company—it was a small company—and they did not make much of an effort with them. They sent back for more men. I do not think the Gatlings were brought up at first. My recollection is they came up with those other companies that were brought up from the rear.

A. Yes. They were facing up the railroad track right as you go out. The firing into the troops commenced over here. [Indicating.] There were two or three car loads of coal standing there.

A. On the left going east, and there was a man on that car fired the first shot.

A. As nearly as I could state. Then there was a house on the road going up to the hospital grounds—there was a man behind that that was firing down this way—I saw that they both fired about the same time. There must have been a dozen pistol shots almost simultaneously with the lumps of coal and stones.

A. Yes. I think this end of the house was on a line with the gate. The watch-box would be down here [indicating] across the street, and up a little from the railroad. I was out there a month or so ago, and it has been removed.

Q. Were you present at the time the troops were called out to quell the disturbance or strike?

A. These Philadelphia troops arrived at Union depot some time after dinner, and they furnished them with meals there, and along in the afternoon the column started out towards Twenty-eighth street, headed by Sheriff Fife, General Pearson, and General Brinton, and Major Stroud, and Givens, and Moore, and myself were on the staff; and when we arrived at Twenty-eighth street, we formed a hollow square. There was a pile of plank about the center of the square, and I sat down on the plank with Pitcairn. We marched the Washington Grays through the center, to force the crowd back off Twenty-eighth street. There was pistol shots, and stones thrown, and they commenced firing on the right, and then there was a general volley along the line.

A. I did not hear any orders. General Pearson had passed me while I was sitting on this pile of plank, and he asked Pitcairn where the nearest telegraph office was, and, I think, he told him in his office, and he started down that way. It was five or ten minutes before the firing took place.

A. No, sir; it was after the company was marched out. I am not positive whether it was after or before, but my recollection is that it was after.

A. He had a fatigue uniform, blue cap, blouse, sword, belt, and blue pantaloons.

A. I could not say whether it was buttoned or not. I should judge it was though.

A. Five or ten minutes. I was sitting on a pile of plank there, and Pitcairn was sitting beside me and Major Stroud.

A. No, sir; the next place I saw him, was in Pitcairn's office. I went down to hunt him up to report, and I saw him in Pitcairn's office.

A. Yes; there were several gentlemen there, but I do not recollect who they were.

Q. Was he in the telegraph office or in Pitcairn's—that is above the telegraph office?

A. There is a waiter that goes down, and they send the messages down to the office.

A. As soon as the firing took place, they attempted to stop them. One company, I think on the left, did not fire.

Q. Did you hear any shots fired from the crowd before the firing by the military?

Q. Were you out at Twenty-eighth street on the afternoon of the Twenty-first—Saturday?

A. I was there before the Philadelphia troops arrived there on Saturday. I went there with Major Stroud, of General Pearson's staff. He came to General Pearson's head-quarters and wished to report to the general. Their head-quarters were right over my place, on Fifth avenue, and he asked me to go out with him to report to the general, and I did so.

Q. If you have anything that has not been testified, that is of any importance to our committee, make a brief statement of it?

A. In relation to Saturday, and that is all I know of it. I remained around there for an hour or so, intending to wait until the Philadelphia troops arrived, but they were late getting in, and I left there.

Q. You did testify as to the movements of the troops, &c, out at Twenty-eighth street, I think, Saturday afternoon?

A. Up until Friday night I was dressed in citizens' clothes; light gray pantaloons, blue cutaway, coat, and straw hat, but at about nine o'clock, Captain Breck, Colonel Moore, and myself came down to my head-quarters, and Colonel Moore and I then procured our uniform. I wore my uniform from nine o'clock Friday night up until long after the difficulty; in fact, the only clothing I had on up until Monday, was a complete major general's uniform. The coat is single breasted, five buttons down front, and from each button was a broad braid which is known in military language as herring bone—goes from each button across the breast—and a large loop. The coat is slashed up the side, and that has got a herring bone along the trimmings on the side, and the same up the arm. The shoulder straps were regular shoulder straps—major general's—two stars. The cap, blue—a fatigue cap as usually worn by officers, with a dark blue velvet band clear around the cap, with a wreath embroidered with gold, and, at that time, the letters U.S. inside of the wreath. The belt was red Turkish morocco, very elaborately embroidered in gold. There was a wreath embroidered entirely around the belt with gold embroidery, up above and below the wreath——

A. Yes; the scabbard was gilt plate, and a handle of silver—it was a uniform, I presume, the only one like it on the ground. General Brinton's blouse was a perfectly plain blouse without the herring bone trimmings on it—it was not slashed. I don't think any of the other general officers had a blouse like it; in fact, I know they had not.

A. When I left, there was no indications of any firing or anything of that kind at all. There had been no stones thrown or pistol shots fired—nothing to indicate that there would be.

A. I left, as I testified before, from the fact that I had been informed by some of the officers of my own division, that there was a feeling existing among the portion of the troops of my own division that were at Twenty-eighth street, that probably they couldn't be depended upon. I thought it was better to have the other divisions that had been placed under arms sent for at once, and walked down the tracks and telegraphed to General Latta for that purpose.

A. Pitcairn's office was over the telegraph office, at the corner of Twenty-sixth and Liberty. It is two squares away from where the difficulty occurred.

A. In Pitcairn's office. There were waiters running from Pitcairn's office down to the telegraph office, so that messages could be received or sent in that manner. I was accompanied by Major Evans, who went with me.

A. Major Evans accompanied me from Twenty-eighth street to Pitcairn's office and was there when we first received the information that the affair had taken place, and was with me all the time that the difficulty was going on.

A. He is major and paymaster of the division, but was acting as a personal aid that day.

A. Yes; the firm of Evans, Dalzell & Co. I think the first man that gave me any information of any firing was Mr. Cassatt—that is a positive assurance that the firing had taken place. He had been up in the cupola of one of the buildings and had observed all the proceedings that had taken place at Twenty-eighth street. I think he was the first that gave me any positive assurance that the troops had fired. I know I had heard no firing, had not heard the explosion of the pieces at all. I am very free to confess that I am very sorry that I was not at Twenty-eighth street at the time of the difficulty, because General Brinton, when no other officer would have had any reason to have waited for an order very long, for most undoubtedly and most assuredly had I been there, and the pistol shots had been fired as has been testified, and stones thrown, as Captain Breck has stated, and the troops treated in the manner in which they undoubtedly were treated, I would have directed Brinton at once to fire upon the rioters, and would have kept it up just long enough that they wouldn't have come back to that locality again, at least a good many of them. I didn't believe an order was given, at least, from what Brinton has informed, but I thought it should have been given.

Q. You have given your testimony, I believe, before, as to the occurrences. All we want to ask is, did you see General Pearson on the afternoon of the 21st of July?

A. I saw him at a distance. I was on the hill side, and saw him come up with the troops. I was up in the morning, in the forepart of the day, probably twice I saw him there, but I was not close to him. I was not down to the railroad that day.

A. I saw him at the Union depot at night—Friday night—and then in the morning, before he went out there. He was dressed in his fatigue uniform, and it has been very accurately described by himself, and I think everybody in the Sixth division knows it, and everybody who has seen him, the peculiar coat—different from any other fatigue uniform that is in existence now. I think he was dressed in that uniform and fatigue cap. I saw him come up with the Philadelphia troops, at a distance. I was on the hill side, and recognized him very distinctly. I was anxious that he should be there, and was satisfied that he was there.

At this point the committee adjourned to meet at Harrisburg, at the call of the chairman.

The committee met, pursuant to notice, in Senate committee room, No. 6, all members present except Mr. Larrabee.

Q. Governor, just state in your own way where you were in July last, when the railroad strikes first broke out, and when you received the first information, and what was done by yourself thereafter?

A. I contemplated making a trip to the west with my family, and, in thinking the matter over before I started, I had a conversation with the Adjutant General, in which I stated to him that I thought everything was as calm in the State it ever was since our administration, yet, if there was any trouble, he should exercise the authority vested in the commander-in-chief, in accordance with the same rules and principles that we had established when there was trouble prior to my leaving the State—that is, when there was trouble in a section of the State, we frequently had calls from the sheriffs of the county, and after we became satisfied that the sheriff had exhausted his authority, or was unwilling to exercise his full authority, we generally sent troops. With these general instructions, not anticipating for a moment that it meant anything, I left the State on Monday, the 16th of July. On Wednesday morning, I saw by the papers, at Chicago, where I was, that there was trouble on the Baltimore and Ohio road. On the next day, Thursday, receiving the papers on the train, I saw that the trouble was spreading. I telegraphed to the State for information as to whether this had spread upon the Baltimore and Ohio road into the State. The first dispatch that I received was received at Antelope, on the Union Pacific railroad, on Friday forenoon sometime. The dispatch was as follows:

"Mob stopped all freight trains at Pittsburgh. Sheriff called for troops. Ordered Pearson to take charge, and put one regiment on duty. Says he may need more."

A. That was on the 20th, in the forenoon. As soon as I reached Cheyenne, I sent a dispatch to General Latta, at one-thirty, P.M.: