Homestead, Pennsylvania- A momentous day of deadly violence has engulfed the quiet town of Homestead, Pennsylvania, the home of Andrew Carnegie’s steel factory. Henry Clay Frick, the plant manager, sent three-hundred strikebreakers from the Pinkerton Detective Agency to terminate the strike by the ten-thousand factory workers who had taken control of the town. A gunfight battled has left nine strikers and seven Pinkertons dead.
The lead up to this violence was very predictable and plausible. It all began in 1889, when Andrew Carnegie gave a favorable contract to the factory workers. Henry Frick necessitated more production of steel. The factory workers refused to meet the production demands and they were livid. Henry Frick decided to lock out workers who disagreed with his policy. This has led to the current siege of the town and deadly violence. The scene at the site of the violence is ghastly. One of the witness said, “It is so frightening. Blood is spattered outside the Homestead Mill and people are scared to venture out into the town. Pinkertons and steelworkers fought for a long time” The governor of Pennsylvania has assured to send militiamen for reinforcement to resolve the standoff. One of the witnesses was heard saying, “This will be the end of the labor unions as we know it.”
The violence has ended and the workers have acknowledged the surrender by the Pinkertons. The violence did not end with the tragic deaths of ten people but continued even while Pinkertons were leaving the town.
.