A. Superintendent Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, building and lumber department.
Q. I wish you would just state the facts that came under your observation in reference to the troubles—the strike of July last?
A. On the date of the riot, the 1st of August, in the morning, about eight o'clock, I heard there was a meeting called at the silk-works.
Q. Go on, Mr. Mannis?
A. I heard that there was a meeting called down at the silk-works, and they were going to clean us all out. I made my way around among my men, and went down to the foundry, supposing that would be about the first place they would strike. I stayed there. There had a man gone from our shops to attend the meeting. I asked of the different foremen what was best to do, and we decided that we would continue on. We would not close up our shops—that we would see what their intentions were. May be it was false. Pretty soon this man came back, and said, "You had better shut up. They are coming in a body to clean you out. You had better get out of the way." We had another consultation, and decided we would stand our ground and protect our property. Pretty soon we saw them coming up Washington avenue, across the track. There they halted for a few minutes. Then they filed off, a part of them towards our shops, and the other part came on directly up the street. I should judge there were from fifteen hundred to two thousand that turned towards our shop; and as they came to the shops they scattered into all the shops; some of the men run out. Some started to run out, and they struck and chased them. They went into our boiler shop, where we have a shaft driven by water wheel and a large belt. Five or six caught hold of that to stop it. Says I, "Boys, don't destroy property now. You are only injuring yourselves. Don't come around here and destroy property." They paid no attention to me. I got the attention of one that seemed a leader, and says I, "If you have any control over these men, for God's sake take them back. You are only injuring yourselves." "Damn you," said he, "we have got the power." Says I, "If you were worth anything I would knock your brains out." They says, "Where's Bill Scranton, that is going to make us work for three shillings a day." Says I, "Listen to me. Go back and attend to your work." No; they had the power and they were going to use it. "You have got plenty," they said, "and we ain't. We are going to have our rights." They went into our shop and ordered the man to draw the fire. He started to do it, and then some one struck him with a chunk of iron, and he got up and went through the shop, they pelting him as he went. His shirt was torn off him, and his back was bloody. Another one started to run behind the foundry, and they were after him, and throwing stones and chunks of iron and cinder and anything they could get. They got the shops all cleaned out, and they started for the blast furnace. I heard one man sing out. Says he, "I know the way; follow me." With that I started on ahead of them. Before that, while they were standing in front of the machine shop, there was some one got up on a piece of casting. "Now," says he, "fetch on your Bill Scranton. Where is he? We'll gut him. We'll have his heart's blood." Says I, "Don't talk so loud. You are crazy. You do not know what you are talking about." He turned to me with some abuse; "that they had the power now, and they were going to use it—that they were going to gut Scranton." Says I, "You had better keep off Lackawanna avenue or some of you won't get home." They started to the furnace, but I got ahead of them, and went on ahead to notify the men to take off the blast and fix the furnace, and met the foreman and told him they were coming. He ran to the furnace and took the blast off. The most of the men scattered, I don't think they got hold of any of them. I passed through the casting-house, up the steps to the engine-house. There was a lot of them behind me following me up. They came in contact with our boiler tender, an old man sixty or seventy years old. They knocked him down. I went to the engine-house. The engineer was coming out of the engine room—they had brought him out. He had walked across the street. Says I, "Come back, the boiler will blow up in twenty minutes with the steam you have got, if you stop the pumps." The leader of that gang came up and they surrounded me, and swore if they would put that man back in there again they would blow my brains out. Says I, "Gentlemen, you had better go back home; turn right around and go, or you will miss it." Says I, "Don't come around here and destroy property." They soon passed off, and came down toward the shops. I had nothing at all with me to protect myself. I had a pistol at home. I ran up home and got that and put it in my pocket, and went back to the engine-house again. Found the engine-house was afire in two places. The engineer had gone back and put it out, and drew the fire from the boilers. Then I started up to the railroad, toward the company's store again, and as I came right in front of the company's store the men had just filed out of the store—this posse—and came down the street, and as they crossed Washington avenue, the street was literally filled up with men, but they seemed to open and let this posse through, and as they went through the gap closed up again. Then I heard two or three pistol shots, and pretty soon I heard the rifle cracks—more than two minutes, maybe less—heard the rifles crack, and pretty soon they began to scatter. In a very few minutes I saw the posse come back, and the streets were pretty well cleared. I started down this way to where the shooting was; and I got part of the way down and I met them coming, one man on a litter—that was near Mr. Phillips'—his father was behind. I met them walking back towards the company's store.
Q. Was this one of the posse?
A. No, sir; he was one that was with the rioters. He is a Welshman, a very bad character; had but one leg. He was with them, and he was shot through the arm. The ball passed through the fleshy part of the arm. I thought he was dead, but he recovered again and is now at work. Previous to the 1st of August, they had driven our men and sent our men out of the shops. My shops are on the other side, the car smith shop is on the other side of the engine-house—part of them went over and took them out. Before the day of the strike they had notified them several times that they should stop work. In fact, they had stopped pretty near all my men. There was not more than half a dozen to work at that time. Ordered them to stop work.
Q. Had you had any difficulty with your men previous to the 1st of August.
A. No, sir; I had not.
Q. Did they all continue to work?