Union President Stabbed In 1900 Strike
In one of those strange coincidences of history, the Streetcar Union President Sherman C. Patterson was stabbed by a union machinist named Edward Canty after a saloon disagreement. At a time when several of his opponents in the 1900 St. Louis Streetcar Strike would love to have seen him sent on a train out of town, Patterson is stabbed by another union man.
Patterson was meeting with several members of his executive committee in the basement of the A.B.C. Saloon at No. 110 North Broadway on Tuesday, June 13, 1900. Canty was also present. It isn’t clear why Canty was allowed to be with the men. He recently quit his union job and was traveling out of state to work in the coal mines.
Obstructions on Streetcar Lines during the 1900 Streetcar Strike
At some point, Canty offered the opinion that the men on the Broadway line had no grounds to strike because they had better working conditions than the rest of the streetcar employees. Patterson disagreed but the argument was not particularly heated. The witnesses of the disagreement were shocked that the incident ended in a potentially fatal fight.
Patterson and Canty both drank heavily through the remainder of the evening. Patterson and one of the members of his executive committee, Louis Doebler, were leaving the saloon. Canty had exited a few minutes earlier. When the men saw each other, they approached each other. Doebler saw them exchange words, which he could not hear. Suddenly, the men were brawling.
Whether Patterson started to get the better of Canty or Canty had murderous intentions, Canty stabbed Patterson in the neck with a knife. Patterson yelled, “Louie, I’m done for. Get him.” Canty had already started to flee.
Doebler and several men gave chase before Canty was captured in a Pine Street alley. The men took Canty to the Chestnut Street Police Station. Canty was heavily intoxicated. He either could not or would not make a statement to Sergeant Tom Conlon.
St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900 available on Amazon in both paperback and e-book.
Subsequent investigation by the St. Louis Police showed that despite his union membership, Canty was not a supporter of the streetcar strike. Canty did not feel the men had grounds to strike. In another account, Patterson and Canty apparently had frequent disagreements.
Patterson did survive the stabbing. It does not appear that Canty was ever convicted of the slashing. Sherman Patterson would survive to be a pain for the streetcar operators for some time to come.
This post is part of St. Louis’ Civil War: The Streetcar Strike of 1900. If you found this article interesting, you might like this ebook, which you can grab for free through Amazon Prime.
Why do you think Canty stabbed Patterson? What are your impressions of the strike? You can leave a comment or ask a question about this or any post on my Facebook page and Twitter profile.
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