My Great Great Grandfather Richard McSherry Zepp and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877

From: NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NPS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form

B&O officials had gravely underestimated the Trainmen's Union, especially members like Richard M. Zepp, a young (in his twenties) brakeman from Martinsburg, West Virginia. Zepp, "a born leader, enterprising, intelligent, ready in speech and decidedly prepossessing in appearance,"was the leader of the B&O workers in Martinsburg. Son of a B&O engineer, Zepp had grown up in railroad-centered Martinsburg. Practically all of the railroad workers in Martinsburg were members of the Trainmen's Union, whose local lodge had been established in June under the direction of the national union leader, Robert Ammon, a 24-year-old Pennsylvania Railroad brakeman from the Pittsburgh area. The citizens of Martinsburg (who were quite dependent upon the B&O for their livelihood), and one of the town's two papers, The Statesman, were strongly behind the workers in whatever stand they might take against the railroad. The Statesman was the decidedly pro-labor Martinsburg weekly paper, while the other Martinsburg weekly, the Martinsburg Independent, was less sympathetic to the workers plight.

After the arrival of federal troops, things began to happen with regards to the movement of trains. On the afternoon of the 19th, a coal train left Martinsburg bound for Baltimore. Ten federal soldiers rode the train to Harpers Ferry. The trip to Baltimore took ten hours, but there was no opposition. That was not the case, however, when another freight train started moving west soon after the departure of the eastbound train. Even though a squad of regulars rode the train, 100 armed strikers tried to stop the train as it approached the west end of town. This action prompted the fireman to leave the train and refuse to return even though he was promised premium pay by B&O officials. At this point, the sheriff with the assistance of the entire Mathews Light Guard arrested Richard Zepp, the twenty-five-year-old brakeman said to be the leader of the Martinsburg strike.142 Zepp's brother George, a B&O fireman who did not agree with his brother on the strike, kept the strikers away with his navy revolver and joined the engineer to move the train out. No other freight trains left Martinsburg on the 19th. With the arrest of Richard Zepp and the subsequent arrest of two more strike leaders, along with the presence of federal troops, the heart was cut out of the Martinsburg strike. The strikers at Martinsburg had by this time decided that Athey would not molest the United States troops. At 1:40 on the afternoon of July 19th, Colonel French was able to wire Secretary of War McCrary that all was quiet and that he doubted that anything more than a demonstration of force would be required.

142Harman, "Starving by Inches",@ pp. 27-28. Zepp was freed on $400 bail. **************************************************************

This information is from "Genealogical Abstracts - Montgomery County Sentinel - 1855-1899" Compiled by Mary Gordon Malloy and Marian W Jacobs - 1986 - pg 415

MONTGOMERY COUNTY SENTINEL

Zepp, Richard a detective on the B&O Railroad and a resident for the past 3 years of Randolph, was killed in Chicago on Fri. last. He leaves a wife and 9 children; a brother, Thomas Zepp near Randolph; a sister, Mrs J. Johnson near Randolph; and his mother of Martinsburg, W. Va. Jul. 13, 1894 ************************************************************************************** Richard was shot and killed in Chicago by striking RR workers as he tried to stop them. 17 Years earlier on July 17, 1877 he led 500 striking RR workers on a revolt against the state militia and was arrested and tried by Justices Wilen and Gardner and cleared of the charges. According to the Martinsburg Herald July 14, 1894, "He held his forces well in hand and proved himself a match for the Soldiers". It goes on to say "It is one of those singular and coincidences which are occasionally met with." The Martinsburg Statesmen of July 12, 1894 said " Zepp was the leader of the railroad strike at this place in 77 and was one of the worst men the militia had to deal with. " It goes on to say that he was a US Marshal when he died.

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