He is Ordered Men and Arms and Replies "The Rioters Alone Have Arms"
John N. WOOTEN, General Manager of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, testified as follows before the Coroner's Jury at City Hall last night:
I called at sheriff YORGEY's office at about 9 1/2 o'clock on Monday morning, July 23, and said to the Sheriff that I had come to see him for the purpose of asking him to take some means for the protection of property of the Railroad Company and for the suppression of the mob then threatening to destroy not only the Railroad Company's property but that of the citizens of Reading. The Sheriff said, "Well, what can I do?" I asked him if he had learned of the destruction of the Lebanon Valley bridge and of the burning of the company's cars. He said that he had. I replied that he should issue his proclamation and call out a force for the suppression of violence and incendiarism.
"Yes, I know that, but the men when called upon could not come." I then told him that in such an event I would engage to furnish him with a sufficient force to suppress the mob, and if he wished it the force would be well armed. He replied, "Yes, but the rioters also have arms!"
I then said, "Do I understand you to say that nothing can be done by you to check the riotous and incendiary spirit that now threatens to destroy so much property, and for which damage the county is liable?"
He replied by saying that he did not see that he could do anything. I said, suppose you advise with council in relation in the matter. He replied that he had had a talk with Judge SASSAMAN about it. I asked what he said. The Sheriff replied that he did not know what course would be taken.
As I left the office and in the corridor I met the Rev. B. B. MILLER, who said that the existing condition of affairs at Reading required immediate action, and that he for one was ready for any call that might be made upon him to assist in the suppression of the mob.
I replied that I was very glad to hear him say this, and told him that I had just called upon the Sheriff, who was disinclined to act, and that I would make another appeal to the Sheriff if he would accompany me to his office, which he did. I then told the Sheriff that Mr. MILLER had made a tender of his services for the suppression of the disorder, and that I thought there would be no difficulty in getting as many more of our citizens as he might want. To which he replied that he didn't know yet what he would do in the matter, and after somewhat of a repetition of my previous conversation with him, in the presence of Mr. MILLER, I left the Sheriff's office and proceeded to the office of Chief of Police CULLEN.
Mr. WOOTEN then said he went immediately to Philadelphia after his interview with the Sheriff and conferred with President GOWEN. Witness then produced telegrams sent to and received from President GOWEN during the course of the morning. The witness testified that at the time of his interview with the [missing a line or two].....troops were coming. The troops were sent at the order of Gen. W. J. BOLTON. After my arrival in Philadelphia, I telegraphed Gen. BOLTON that Reading was entirely without protection.
To the public: -The report of Mr. WOOTEN's testimony as it appears in this morning's Daily Times is incorrect in so far as it does not give a number of important facts which the witness testified to. The full report of the testimony of Mr. WOOTEN appears in today's Eagle, together with other testimony, as furnished by Mr. A. S. JONES, a stenographic reporter on the Eagle. Mr. JONES in the annexed affidavit, testifies to his reports being fair and impartial.
George S. GOODHART,
Coroner Berks county ss. City of Reading:
Personally appeared before me, an alderman of the city of Reading, A. S. JONES, a stenographic reporter on the Daily Eagle, who doth depose and say that his report of the testimony of Mr. WOOTEN is full and correct, and that all other reports made by himself of the testimony of witnesses before the Coroner's Jury are fair and impartial reports as published in the Eagle.
A. S. JONES Sworn and subscribed Aug 1, 1877 Matthias MENGEL, Alderman Berks county
ss., city of Reading
Personally appeared before me, an alderman of the city of Reading, John D. MISERMAN, a regular reporter of the Daily Eagle, who doth depose and say that his report of the testimony of witnesses examined before Coroner, George S. GOODHART in the present investigation are fair and impartial as published in the Eagle.
Jno. D. MISERMAN
Sworn and subscribed August 1, 1877
Matthias MENGEL, Alderman
Mr. John BARKDALE, telegraph operator at the Reading express office, Norristown, attempted to climb a board fence at his residence. The fence gave way and he fell, breaking his ankle.
Samuel BROBST was committed by Alderman MENGEL in default of bail to answer to the charge of striking Ernst PR---ER
At the Coroner's inquest last evening John E. WOOTEN, Esq. testified reporting his interview with Sheriff YORGEY early on the morning of the 23d instant. He read from notes taken shortly after the interview, and his testimony appears in full elsewhere in the Eagle today.
R. F. WYATT, messenger in the P & R telegraph office at 610 Penn street, was sworn and testified that he delivered two dispatches to Sheriff YORGEY on the afternoon of the 23d instant, and saw the Sheriff write his name in the book, acknowledging the receipt of the messages. The receipt book was exhibited to the Coroner and jury.
F. H. GARTLAND, manager of the telegraph office at 610 Penn street, explained that each operator of the company has a certain signal, and when he sends a message he adds the signal, and the operator who receives the message also signs it, and the time of obtaining the message from the person who writes it, the time that operator sends it, the time the second operator receives it, and the time the messenger takes it and delivers it, are all noted. The first message from F. B. GOWEN to Sheriff YORGEY was received at the Reading office at 1:45 p.m. on Monday, 23d inst.; it was taken by the messenger at 1:55, and delivered to Mr. YORGEY at 2:05 p.m. The second message from Mr. GOWEN was received by me at 5:46 p.m. and was delivered to Sheriff YORGEY at 6:22 p.m.
Charles R. WINELAND, the telegraph operator at Philadelphia, examined the copies of messages received at the Philadelphia office from Mr. GOWEN to Sheriff YORGEY, and testified that he (Mr. WINELAND) telegraphed the first message at 1:45 p.m., and was received by the operator at Reading at the same time. The last message was received from Mr. GOWEN at 4:37 p.m., was transmitted at 5:47, and marked received at Reading at 5:48 p.m.
Mr. GARTLAND explained that the delay in the transmission of the last message to the Sheriff was owing to the press of business and the overcrowded condition of the telegraph wires that day.
John M. BERTOLETT [sic], an operator in the telegraph office at 610 Penn street, testified to having received the first message at 1:45 p.m., from President GOWEN to Sheriff YORGEY, on the 23d instant.
John G. KNABB was sworn and said that on the evening of the 23d of July he was in the second story of the tobacco store of Charles BRENELEAR & Co., southwest corner of Seventh and Penn streets. There was no disturbance until the soldiers came; heard firing up the cut; thought at first they were fire crackers; heard no one give the command to fire; saw the soldiers come down Seventh; some fellows came up Penn street, stood behind the corner at the UBIL House and threw stones up Seventh street, which was followed by a volley from the soldiers. The men who threw the stones were just around the corner; they stood at the UBIL House; they came up alongside the curbstone; they threw stones toward the soldiers; I don't know whether they ran away after they threw the stones as I didn't look; when the soldiers fired the volley I didn't look any more until after the firing was over, and then I saw the soldiers going down Penn street; I cannot say whether the military fired up or down Penn st., as I didn't see it; I was so well pleased after I was back from the window when the military fired the volley I mentioned that I didn't look out any more. After the firing was over I looked over to ESTERLY's corner and saw a man lying there; after that I went down stairs and went home; the military went down Penn and I went up; the man had just been taken away from ESTERLY's corner across to the other side.
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...Seventh street on Washington. Shortly before 3 o'clock I walked from where I live up to Seventh, and I leaned over the wall and looked down into the railroad cut, and I saw down there the rioters as they had been going on the whole day, doing as they pleased.
I remarked to a gentleman on my left that I didn't think the thing could be ended without some slaughter, and after talking a little while with this man, a fine man he appeared to be though, I didn't know his name, I heard the tap of the drum up the cut towards the depot, and as I looked up I saw soldiers coming. I watched them all the time in a leaning position, as they came slowly marching along, and just as they were in front of me a young man on my right, who had been standing close by and leaning on my arm, jumped back and hallooed loud, "Kill the G___d___s___ b___. Stone them! Stone them!" and he incited the others on.
At the same time he was getting stones, and he picked up one so large and heavy that he could not wheel it around with one hand and he took it in his two hands and hurled it down, right upon the soldiers, and as he was going towards the wall, I held up my hand and counseled moderation. At that time there were a number of young men taking up stones and I said, "Don't throw, they will shoot," but they didn't listen to what I said, and in less than no time the air was full of flying stones. As soon as I saw that the men threw stones in that way I ran back towards my house, for I judged what was coming next and I thought my family might get frightened. Before I had gone more than probably here to that door, (distance from clerk's desk to Common Council entrance door), a single shot fell and instantly two single shots followed and then the firing became general; I think there was a difference between the first two shots and the succeeding musket shots. I think the young man who threw the large stone had a small mustache; they were all young men I saw throwing stones; the heavy stone the young man threw, I think, had weight and force enough to kill anybody; it was larger than this spittoon, but it was of irregular shape and appeared to be a piece of flagstone.
Next morning I passed by, looked down into the cut and saw a great many bricks there, and I noticed a large piece of flagstone lying at about the place where the young man threw the large stone the previous evening.
The Coroner then slowly and carefully read the statement of Gen. Frank REEDER, [unable to read]....July 30, in answer to questions by the Coroner, which statement appeared in full in the Eagle yesterday. No answers had been received from the other officers to whom questions had been sent. The jury adjourned to meet again this evening at 7 1/2 o'clock.
Mr. James VAN STAVOREN, well known in this city as a former member of the Independent Central Club and the Workingmen's party, and who at present represents his ward in the Board of School C---------, was taken into custody last evening by officer LUTZ at his residence, 1032 1/2 Cotton street, on charges implicating him as being concerned in the recent riotous and disorderly proceedings in this city. He was taken to the Station House and locked up.
The charges against Mr. VAN STAVOREN are brought by Detective LYON before Alderman MENGEL. The detective charges that VAN STAVOREN gave money to a number of young men and directed them to buy liquor at an uptown ----[illegible word], and further, that the accused on Monday before noon took five young men in an alley on Penn below Ninth, where they drank one quart of whiskey. He then directed the boys to meet him at one o'clock at Tenth and Cotton; that he had a revolver for each of them to go down to the cut to stop trains and shoot down anybody that interfered with them. He was also held under another charge of inciting to riot on Monday night. Two of the boys accused as being in VAN STAVOREN's party are in jail, and they inquired why VAN STAVOREN was not there. VAN STAVOREN was committed in default of $5,000 bail by Alderman MENGEL. Officers LUTZ and MOORE took him to jail last night.
An Eagle reporter today called upon Mr. VAN STAVOREN at the prison. He admits that unfortunately he was intoxicated on that day, but denied that he used any pistols or threw stones. He said he drank a few glasses of beer which affected him; that he was on 7th street Monday afternoon and evening; that he was knocked over by the rush of the mob in which he lost his hat; he was given a skull cap to wear; he also wore a short coat; he denied most of the charges, but said he supposed somebody would have to suffer for the great wrong done, and that probably fate would overtake him too. He said that he never did harm to any one since his residence in this city, and that it was the first time he was ever under arrest or had a lock and key turned on him. He spoke in the highest terms of officers CULP and LUTZ, and thanked all the officials for kindness shown to him. He said further that had he known there charges against him he would have surrendered himself long ago.
Edward DAVIS, formerly a fireman on the Reading road, but who left the employ of the Company with the engineers, was taken into custody by officer LUTZ this morning, on charges preferred by Chief CULLEN and Detective LYON. The charges are of a serious character connected with the riot and burning of the bridge. Mr. DAVIS mostly maintains his innocence of all charges, and says he has a number of witnesses to prove his whereabouts during Sunday night and Monday.
James BOYLAN was held in $300 bail by the Mayor to answer the charge of throwing stones at the military. Theodore QUINTANTANCE ?, charged with riot, was held in $3,000 bail by the same official.
Isaac LEADER was retained in default of payment of fine for disorderly conduct. Leo JACOBS was arrested by officer CORBET at 8:40 last night while endeavoring to force his way over the bridge for liquor. He was sent back to the Poor House. Jacob ARNOLD and Henry HOFFMAN were taken into custody on the charge of riding on the 9 o'clock train of the W. & N. road, in this city, between Bingaman and Pine. Fined. Mahlon FABIAN, well known in police circles, was arrested by special officer FAGAN on the charge of larceny of clothing last May from the officer. Sent to jail in default of bail. William WHITEMAN was held in $1,000 bail to answer to the charge of riot.
Detective GRANT arrested Andrew GREBS on the charge of larceny of leaf tobacco. Alderman BECKER held him in the sum of $300 to answer at court.
-----CLEMMENT, jr. was arrested for the larceny of tobacco, a barrel full of leaf tobacco, was found yesterday afternoon by detective GRANT.
Upon many occasions two females were noticed coming up Penn street on the south side from Third to Seventh, about ten o'clock at night. They were tolerably well dressed and tolerably well filled with beer. Monday night particularly, when in front of the Mansion House, they behaved in a disorderly manner, and when in front of the LERCH Hardware establishment one of them jumped to the top of a pile of grind-stones and executed a "pigeon wing" in a style equal to an artist on the dancing stage. When she had finished she uttered a shrill whoop that was heard a square away. Last night they again passed up Penn street, over their old route, talking and laughing loudly and behaving indecently.
By direction of the Mayor, Detective LYON took them in custody and conducted them to the Central Station, where they gave their names as Minnie LAYES and Anna MARTIN. One of the females is a very flashy woman said to be larger around the chest than any other woman in the county. The one who danced is a diminutive person when compared with her companion.
At a hearing before the Mayor today, the women were fined $1.25 each. "Can you pay your fine?" asked the Mayor. "Yes sir," said the heavy weight. "Have you the money with you?" "Yes sir," she said. She stooped down, raised her skirt and produced a five dollar bill. They then departed.
The matter of sprinkling certain city streets by the Reading Hose Company and Liberty Company, was finally settled in Common Council's meeting on Monday evening. The original resolution introduced by Mr. HARDEN, granting the Reading Company special privileges, was lost, and passed an amended as follows, by both Branches of Council: "Resolved, That the Committee on Fire be and are hereby instructed to notify each Company to sprinkle as has been districted to them or otherwise have the water stopped off until they comply with the district as laid out by the Committee on Fire, and -----all other sprinklers as the Committee have apportioned. The Reading Hose Company is not to sprinkle on Fifth street between Chestnut and Franklin and Penn street between Fifth and Sixth, but on Penn from Sixth to Seventh.
The condition of Wm. CLARKE, who was shot in the groin at 7th and Penn streets, is very low. He thinks the ball is lodged in his thigh. He was standing in front of ESTERLY's store on Monday night and fell at the first fire. Two or three others fell ---- him and were also shot. One fell on him. He crawled down Seventh street while the balls were whistling over his head and the blood was rushing from his wound. On hands and knees he proceeded --- --7th and Cherry streets, where he was obliged to stop through exhaustion. He was then placed on a ----- and taken to his house, No. 808 Elm street. Dr. H. M. NAGLE is attending the sufferer.
Submitted by: Sue.
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