People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1894 — A LAWLESS BAND. [ARTICLE]

A LAWLESS BAND.

Btriking' Miners Ruin Several Plants in Alabama A !Uo*> Two Hundred Strong Uses Dynamite—The Mines of Two Firms Rendered Useless-Strikes and Strikers In Other Quarters. A MIDNIGHT RAID. Birmingham, Ala, May 8. —The long expected has happened. About midtiight a mob of strikers and others, about 200 strong, went to the mines of Thomas Price at Horse Creek, Walker county, and commenced the work of destruction. The miners at Price’s had refused to join the strikers. The mob first put dynamite under the boiler and engine in the mines and blew them up. They then destroyed tnc main ways of the mines and supplies and other property. From Price’s they marched to the Victor mines, a few miles distant, and blew up a railroad car loaded with timbers. Several ether cars they turned loose down the bill and wrecked. Sheriff Guthrie telegraphed Sheriff Morrow of this city and to the governor for assistance. He also sent a posse to the scene only to find the mob had dispersed. He then wired countermanding his appeal for help and now thinks he can take care of things if no further outbreak, occurs. Several ringleaders are known and »re being hunted. Gov. Jones has put troops upon orders in preparation for further trouble. Operators are iu great alarm and attacks on the Pratt City and Coalbdrg miners are feared. Coke Striker* Led by Their Wive* Charge Upon the Deputies.

Uniontown, Pa.. May 7. Friday was a day of bullets and axes and the wildest lawlessness reigned. In a tlaylight battle at the Painter plant fifteen Hungarians were shot, several fatally, and at least three drfad comrades are thought to have been carried off the battlefield and buried secretly. Superintendent ban ford White, of the Painter plant, and E. B. Roddy, bookkeeper at the same works, were horribly beaten and both are lying at the point of death. Sixty-three Slavs are now in jail charged with rioting. By contract with the McClure company thirty workmen reported for duty at the Painter mines. The report spread among the strikers and about daybreak they began gathering on the common. There were many women in the crowd. A charge was made with the women In front, the men daring the deputies to open fire on them. They were soon In the yards, regardless of the presence of the deputies, and sweeping everything before them. In the first conflict fully ten Hungarians fell to the ground and were carried away to their settlement, while a great many were injured by flying missiles. The sight of the wounded and the dying falling at their sides only infuriated the mob, which rushed on the deputies like wild men and women. Deputy Sheriffs Mat Allen and John Biehards took a posse of deputies and started at once for the scene of the riots. Jhey found the men and women all in the houses, and without meeting the least opposition arrested sixtythree of those who composed the mob. They were brought to jail here under the protection of twenty-five Winchesters. In the gang of prisoners ■were twelve women and ten children. At the time of the trouble thirty meu were at work, all of whom have since quit. The works are idle. An Interstate Conference. PITTSBURGH, Pa., May s.— Coal mine HiparAtors from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania met in this city Thursday and decided to take eteps to settle the strike. After a conference among themselves they sent for the miners’ officials. With the latter they talked the situation over and agreed upon a joint call for an interstate conference to be held in Cleveland May 15. The call is as follows: “To the Operators and Miners of the Bitumin ous Mines of the United States: A meeting ■will lie held ‘n Cleveland, 0., Tuesday, May 15, at 2 o'clock p. m., to take such action as may be deemed wise to bring about an adjustment of the differences that exist between the operators and the miners in the various states. All ■operators and miners are invited to attend the .mee ting.” The call is no half-way measure. It was drawn up by President Mcßride, in accordance with the wishes of the operators, and signed by all present Shot a Mesalm Striker.

Duluth, Minn., May 7.—Marshal Al Free tried to suppress a slight disturbance among the striking miners at Mountain Iron Friday evening when Mat Matson threatened him with a revolver. Free promptly shot him twice in the abdomen and he will probably clie. Notice of the affair was sent to the strikers at Virginia and a mob of 1,200 started for Mountain Iron with the avowed intention of lynching Free. Ten minutes after the mob left for Mountain Iron a train left.with the sheriff and militia. The train beat Ac mob by ten minutes and arrived Jaere at midnight with Free aboard. Adjt Muehlberg called out company H to go to Mountain Iron and it left at midnight The strikers cut the telegraph wire at midnight and there is no other communication. Only Six Mines at Work. St. Louis, May 7. —The reports received from the mining districts of Illinois in the vicinity of this city show that but six mines are now being operated—Staunton No. 6, Clyde, Gillespie, Sandoval, Odin and Bunker Hill. The net result of the crusade of strikers Thursday was the stopping of work in No. 7, Breese, Trenton, Troy, Brookside, Hillsboro, Coffee and Carlin▼ille mines Bloomington, 111., May s.—The 350 miners of the McLean County Coal company struck Friday. A Coal Famine Chicago, May 8 —The soft coal famine is beginning to be seriously felt in Chicago and some surrounding towns. Coal that ten days before hardly went at $3.75 a ton was eagerly sought at so a ton, and in some cases even $5.50 was obtained for small quantities. Many

of the railroads centering her* are desperately pushed for coaL With one or two exceptions all the western roads are more or less seriously affected. The famine is also making itself felt among the factories and large office buildings of the city.