Robert Pitcairn served as the Pittsburg division superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad and had ordered the double-heading of trains on July 19th for all eastbound traffic. Because trains would be twice as long but run with fewer trainmen, workers on the Pennsylvania refused to run the trains and the strike spread from the Baltimore and Ohio onto the Pennsylvania lines. Pitcairn describes his view of the violence in Pittsburg, emphasizing the restraint of the military and the riotousness of the "crowd." Pitcairn places special emphasis on the role of the women in the crowd.
By Mr. Engelbert:
Q. You were here when the troops arrived from Philadelphia?
A. Yes; I saw all the movements of the troops.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q: Tell us now the movements of the troops, the Pittsburgh troops, first and then the Philadelphia troops?
A: The Pittsburgh troops—most of them—were moved at night. One regiment was moved or went up the hill east from here on the arch of the hill, and then came down on Twenty-eighth streets, so as to come down on the crowd.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q: When was this?
A: On Saturday morning. General Pearson ordered the battery to be taken up to the same place. It was loaded in the cars at the Union depot, and I was requested to move it up about two or three o'clock in the morning, to get there when the troops would be there. About two and one half or three o'clock, I had just gone to bed when they told me that they would not take the gondolas with the guns up.
Q: The men would not?
A: That is it. I went down and saw the men, and asked them why they would not do it, and they told me they were afraid of the crowd, that they would like to oblige me. I said if you don't take those trucks up, I will have to discharge you. They told me that they would like to do it, but their lives were threatened. They would not do it, so I had to take them up myself. I went up to Twenty-eighth street with the guns, and then I saw this large crowd.
By Mr. Engelbert:
Q: Were you interfered with when you took up the gondolas?
A: No one said anything to me at the Union depot, only they kind of crowded around. When I got to Twenty-eighth street, they made a kind of rush, and when they saw I was running the engine, I expected them to attack me, but they did not. They did not say anything to me, only kind of crowded around. They got on the tank and saw no one but myself, and did not say anything.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q: Who got on?
A: The crowd.
Q: Employees of the railroad?
A: I did not recognize them as railroad men.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q: Give us the detailed movements, now, of the troops?
A: We brought the troops to Twenty-eight street with the battery on Saturday morning, and at the same time there was a regiment at Torrens. General Pearson and the sheriff and I went to those two places at different times to see what we could do. At Torrens that regiment, apparently, had the mob under control, that is they would not crowd around the tracks. The military seemed to be by themselves, while at Twenty-eighth street they were all mixed up—the military and the mob. Then I received word that General Brinton's command was coming up on Friday night or Saturday morning. They ought to have arrived about noon; but did not get here until about four o'clock. They arrived at the Union depot about four o'clock on Saturday afternoon. We unloaded them, and got some coffee and sandwiches, and word was given to them to march to Twenty-eighth street, and clear the tracks.
Q: Who gave the order?
A: Some of the military. Mr. Cassatt, who arrived here on Friday, directed me to get two crews together, that General Brinton's command would clear the tracks, and that I could slip the trains out, and that everything, then, would go all right. Then General Brinton's command commenced to march, and the sheriff came up with about twenty members of his posse, and I urged him to hurry up and get there before the troops, and that if any of our men were there, I would talk to them, and perhaps prevent trouble. I went up. The crowd kept coming in on us all the way from the Union depot, so we took a large crowd up there. The crowd followed us up. We were so delayed in warning the crowd to get away that they came up close to us, and when we got to Twenty-eight street, General Pearson was there, and the sheriff and his posse ahead of the military. The sheriff, I think, attempted to arrest one man who was very noisy, and then there was a general rumpus, and I was thrown back by the crowd and got in among the military companies, who had formed on Twenty-eighth street. They formed up and down on the north side, and up and down on the south side, and brought a company up between. Then a man threw me back, and the company coming up the street allowed me to get in between. They went up, I suppose, to disperse the mob.
Q: Who threw you back?
A: I do not know; he was a great big man; he was a friend of mine, I know; it was not an attempt to hurt me. This company moved up, and dispersed the mob, and the command was given to charge bayonets, and put the bayonets between the people so as not to hurt them.
Q: Who gave the command?
A: I do not know.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q: The object was not to use force, but to try and press the crowd back?
A: That is it. They were going to push them away. Then the crowd commenced cheering, and I saw two or three bayonets twisted off, and then a lot of stones were thrown at the military. General Pearson came back to me then, and said he was going to the office—was going to get more troops. He then went away. I could not get out. Then they commenced firing.
Q: What time was that?
A: About five o'clock on Saturday afternoon. I could not get out until the firing was all over and the crowd dispersed.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q: Were not shots fired from the crowd before the firing commenced?
A: Yes; two shots were fired. I was near to the men.
Q: Fired at the military?
A: Yes; and stones came around and clouded the horizon.
Q: Before there was any firing by the military?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Was any command given to fire?
A: No; all the officers I saw were begging the men not to fire.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q: When the soldiers went up they did not attempt to injure the crowd? Were any of the soldiers hit and wounded at that time, before the firing—before they attempted to fire?
A: I saw two or three wounded right around me.
Q: Before the firing began?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: In other words, they attempted to do it without using force. Just by pressing back the crowd?
A: Yes, sir.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q: Will you describe the crowd? What composed it?
A: The crowd immediately around Twenty-eight street, on the track, were workingmen—mill men. The other men, from their appearance on the hillside, were citizens. A great many people that I knew.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q: Women and children?
A: I saw no children, but some women.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q: Mixed in with the crowd?
A: Yes, sir.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q: Close to the railroad?
A: They were apparently urging on the men. Some women were on the railroad.
Q: Encouraging the men?
A: They were yelling , and in through the men. There were very few women that I saw. They were all laughing and jeering at the soldiers.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q: How long did the militia stand fire from the mob? Stand those stones and clubs before they fired?
A: Then the company moved up and got in the crowd, and there was a man in the crowd hallooed shoot, and two pistol shots and a great many stones followed, and then the soldiers commenced firing, and then there was shooting just that quick.
Q: Was any order given for the soldiers to shoot?
A: No.
By Senator Yutzy:
Q: Was it a scattering fire, or did it appear to be a volley?
A: It was in every way and in every direction.
By Mr. Dewees:
Q: When those stones were fired, you were among the military?
A: I was among the military, in the hollow square.
By Mr. Lindsey
Q: Proceed with the military movements?
A: They dispersed the crowd by the firing, and as soon as I got out, I went down to my office, at Twenty-sixth street. I there found General Pearson, and I reported to Mr. Cassatt what had been done. He was talking to General Pearson, and General Pearson was writing telegrams to General Latta at the Union depot. Then General Pearson and General Brinton were discussing what to do next, and whether the Twenty-eight street was a proper position for them to take, or to go up the hill or to come into the shops—what they had best do with the men. General Pearson was telegraphing for orders. They decided they would come into the shops, in order to get under shelter. The crowd was congregated around my office, and around the shops. General Pearson told me he would stay there, and as he had nothing to eat that day, asked if I would send up some provisions. I told him I would go down to the Union depot and send all the provisions I could. So Mr. Cassatt and myself went to the Union depot, and I tried to get provisions up to the soldiers, but they were all confiscated by the crowd before they got any. I then went up to the room where Genreal Latta and staff were. All this time the drums were beating, and crowd after crowd was moving up toward Twenty-sixth street. Mr. Cassatt said we were powerless to do anything, and directed me, or rather relieved me altogether of any—he said I had no business in Pittsburgh.
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