Ramsey County History – Fall 2006: “The 1894 Pullman Strike in St. Paul and the Death of Switchman Charles Luth”

The 1894 Pullman Strike in St. Paul and the Death of Switchman Charles Luth
Author: Gregory T. Poferl

The 1894 Pullman Strike had a major impact on the country and on St. Paul, a union and railroad town. Eugene V. Debs, the leader of the American Railway Union (ARU), came to St. Paul in April 1894. At the urging of union officials, many bars, restaurants, and boarding houses refused to cater to the “replacement workers” hired by the railroads. On July 14th, two railroad representatives were trying to convince a Lowertown woman to take in scabs as boarders. One ARU striker named Charles Luth interfered and was shot to death by Charles Leonard. St. Paul’s working people were outraged and gave Luth a huge funeral, but when he was tried, the jury found Leonard was found not guilty of murder. According to Poferl, the events of 1894 set the stage for an era of compromise and negotiation between business and organized labor. The article includes a sizable sidebar on labor supporter Rev. Hermann Fleer.
PDF of Poferl article