People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1894 — THE MINERS. [ARTICLE]

THE MINERS.

Strikers and Deputies Come Into Open Collision. 9 Trouble at La Salle and Centralia, Ill.— Cour Strikers Shot Down by Armed Guards in Pennsylvania—Dynamite Used with Deadly Effect. WORKERS FORCED TO QUIT. Danvit.ee, 111.. May 25. —Wednesday morning 250 strikers from Kelley ville came upon the Beard mine. This be ing the third visit of the kind and fearing serious trouble, the men at work fled to the woods. A little later a mob of over 1.000 miners started for the Mission Fields mine. They were armed with knives, pistols and clubs besides having a covered wagon loaded with rifles. Those in charge of the mine seeing that the thirty-five deputies would be no protection told the men they could stop work. Many took the opportunity. The men who remained at work were compelled to swear that they would come out of the mines and stay out. Brazil, Ind., May 25. Striking miners formed in groups Tuesday evening and visited every slope in the county where men were at work and ordered out the employes. All complied, and not a pound of coal is being dug. These slopes furnished coal for the city only, and since they have ceased operations it is difficult to secure coal for domestic use. Situation at La Salle. La Salle, 111., May 25.—A mob of 200 striking miners took possession of the Illinois Central Railroad company’s property Wednesday afternoon and emptied all the coal out of the chutes op the tracks. The sheriff was called and with his posse finally dispersed the mob. La Salle, 111., May 29. —A mob of strikers, mostly foreigners, captured a Burlington freight train at Ladd Saturday afternoon, and when it reached Spring Valley the strikers were largely reinforced. At Peru the strikers to the number of 2,000 left the train and started on foot for La Salle. Col. Bennitt and 200 state troops barred their entrance to the city and dispersed the mob, capturing about 100 prisoners, but all except five were released. The others were escorted across the county line. City of Mexico, May 25.—The strike of American coal miners has caused the price of northern coal to rise very sharply in Mexico. This, coupled with the attending scarcity of coal, is seriously inconveniencing many Mexican manufacturing industries. Troops Ordered to the Scene. Springfield, 111., May 20.—0 n Thursday Gov. Altgeld ordered out four com panies of the Illinois national guard to La Salle and five more to Centralia. Sheriff Taylor, of La Salle county, telegraphed the governor the condition of affairs at the La Salle County Carbon Coal company’s mine. lie said he with a large force of deputies had been attacked by several hundred miners with stones, revolvers and other weapons, shooting three of the deputies, severely injuring several others, including himself. He was unable to quell the riot, and there was imminent danger of great loss of life and destruction of property if immediate action was not taken by the governor. He appealed to the governor for such military aid as could be furnished. There are 3,000 striking miners at Spring Valley, Ladd and Seatonville, who are likely to come there at any time and continue the riot. A mob is surrounding the hQtel where he is lying wounded. The telegram was confirmed by one from the mayor of La Salle, F. W. Matthison, who states the mob has released one of the arrested strikers from jail. Later the sheriff telegraphed that the strikers were running riot and to forward troops at once. Sheriff M. J. Helms, of Centralia, telegraphed that he had arrested sev-enty-five men for conspiracy in destroying property, that he has 200 armed deputies. The mines at Sando- • val, Kinmundy and Odin are threatened with destruction by approaching miners, who are also determined to release those under arrest. Thirty cars of coal the miners have side-tracked at Lyford. The coal is from Kentucky and is billed to Chicago. The men are determined to prevent outside coal going into the market usually supplied by the Indiana mines. All night freight trains on the road have been abandoned while there is danger in trying to haul them through the affected district. All trains on the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad were held up Sunday at Shelburn, south of this city, and examined by the striking coal miners. Several box cars loaded with coal were taken from the trains at Fontanet, east of the city. The miners’ wives are still in charge of the Big Four coal chutes and refuse to let the company coal its engines. Four Strikers Shot Down. Uniontown, Pa., May 26.—The longthreatened attack by striking miners on the pits of the Washington Coal & Coke company at Stickle Hollow was made Thursday morning. The fight was one of the fiercest in the history of the mining troubles in western Pennsylvania, and in the section where it occurred as well as throughout the whole coke region the situation it has developed is one of the most intense excitement. Four strikers are lying dead, and double that number are badly wounded, some of them mortally. Thomas Kenan, of Wood's run, is the only American killed in the encounter with the deputies. The other dead men are Slavs. The wounded men, who fell under the first volley from the deputies. were taken off by the retreating strikers, and even now the actual number of wounded is not definitely known, their friends having the strongest motives for concealing them. Moro Militia Called Out. hiTtiNG FIELD, 111., May 29.—Three’ more companies of the Fifth infantry v'tre ordered out Saturday afternoon i.-.A-,

by Gov. Altgeld on the strength of a message from the sheriff of Woodford announcing that strikers at Minonk were interfering with the running of trains on the Illinois Central railroad. All Foal Train* Held Up. Terre Haute, Ind., May 29. —The7oo miners who came into this city Friday, bound for Pana, 111., on a captured Big Four train, have all returned home to await the outcome of the Springfield operators and miners’ convention. The men left the city as quietly as they came. SLAIN IN A SHAFT. Eleven Miners Killed by Strikers—Six Other Fatalities Occur In a Battle. Cripple Creek, Col., May 28.—At 10 o'clock Friday morning eleven men started to work in the Strong mine on Battle mountains. Shortly afterwards a large body of strikers blew up the shafthouse with powder, causing a loss of 825.000, and then dropped 100 pounds of giant powder down the shaft, which was also exploded, killing all the inmates. Not more than 800 yards from the Strong shaft house sixteen men who had been engaged to go to.work in the Independence mine were surrounded in tneir bunk house, and, after a long parley, agreed to surrender. Each one was armed with a rifle and a brace of revolvers. The arms are now in the possession of the strikers. Slalnin a Hot Fight. Cripple Creek, Col., May 28. —The first clash of arms between the striking miners of the Cripple Creek district and the deputy sheriffs occurred at 3 a. m. Saturday. The dead are Hiram Crowley, a miner, and William Rubidean and an unknown man, deputies. The trouble was precipitated in an endeavor on the part of the deputies to make a night march and gain possession of the town of Victor, with the intention of using it as a base of operations in future attacks on the miners. All was quiet until about 2:45, when the train bearing the deputies steamed down within, a short distance .of the miners' line und stopped. The deputies alighted, 126 strong, and advanced on the miners in full force. They were met with volley after volley from the yifles carried by the miners and the fire was briskly returned. The night was dark, the only light being furnished by a pale moon, and much of the fire was wasted. The fighting waged fiercely for half an hour. The deputies finally yielded being driven by the strikers. Will Carry Non-Union Coal. St. Paul, Minn., Muy 28. —The engineers will carry non-union coal. The relation of the coal miners’ strike to the members of the certain divisions of the Brotherhood of Engineers was thoroughly canvassed by the convention, the result being an order advising those engineers who have been threatened by the strikers for carrying non-union coal to obey the law.