Bloodshed Among Laborers:
One Molder Killed and Others Wounded
in Riot in Troy, 1883

The following article was published in the June 12, 1883 edition of The New York Times. It was submitted to this site by Mary Kay of Tampa, Florida.

Troy, June 11 -- Trouble has been brewing here between the union and non-union molders since the Malleable Iron Works displaced their employees with non-union men, and it culminated this afternoon in a bloody fight between the factions on Ida Hill, which has already resulted in the death of one man, while it is not unlikely that others may die of injuries received in the melee.

On Saturday night, several shots were fired from the "scab" boarding-house in Fifteenth Street. They were understood to be a challenge to the union molders, but no attention was paid at the time to them. Yesterday, however, some of the "scabs" paraded in front of William MEHAN's saloon, in Congress Street, which is the rendezvous of the union men. The union men abstained from violence during the afternoon, but in the evening, there were several rows between the men, although not in the immediate vicinity of Mehan's. The night passed without bloodshed.

This afternoon, several union and non-union men, some of whom had been drinking, met near Mehan's, and words soon led to blows. Some of the non-union men drew revolvers and began shooting. One of the bullets struck William HUTCHISON, a union molder employed in the Co-operative Foundry, in the breast. Hutchison fell to the ground and was picked up by a Mrs. JONES, who held him in her arms while the blood spurted from his mouth.

The police were informed of the fighting by telephone from the office of the Malleable Iron Works, and the police from Station No. 2, under Superintendent QUIGLEY, hastened to the bar.

On arriving on the scene, they found a crowd of excited men, discharging pistols promiscuously, and a large gathering of people standing at a distance, looking on at the bloody work. Superintendent Quigley and his men did not hesitate to rush in among the rioters, and in a few minutes, they had arrested the most violent.

Sanford C. WHIBE, age 19; Thomas CANFIELD, age 18; Thomas JONES, age 23; and John JONES, age 22, were taken into custody. Whibe and Canfield were the most violent of the non-union men. The Jones boys are the sons of the woman who held Hutchinson in her arms while he died. They were formerly apprentices to the iron company, and the loud manner in which they expressed their indignation at the shooting of Hutchinson was the cause of their arrest.

During the fight, Joseph WINESTON, a union molder, was shot in the mouth and is not expected to live through the night. Arthur IMESON, also a union molder, received two bullets in the leg.

Superintendent Quigley was roughly handled by the mob. He was knocked down and choked and would have fared ill had it not been for the timely assistance of his men.

The prisoners were taken to the police station in a streetcar. The car was followed by an excited crowd, and threats of lynching Whibe were made. But calmer counsels prevailed, and the prisoners were safely lodged in the police station.

When the men were searched, no pistols were found in the possession of the prisoners. Whibe and Canfield said they had left their revolvers in the office of the Malleable Iron Works.

The active police force has been detailed for duty at the scene of the murder tonight. The reserve force has been instructed to hold itself in readiness in case of emergency.



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