Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1892 — OUTLAWS IN POSSESSION. [ARTICLE]

OUTLAWS IN POSSESSION.

The Miners’ Outbreak in Tennessee Growing Worse. Governor Buchanan Calls Out All the StateMilitia to Restore Order—Twenty Thousand Men Resisting. . LATER. The mob Is In actual possession of the property of the East Tennessee Company in the region of Coal Creek and Oliver Springs. They have cut tfift.wires in many places, and have also torn up the tracks. All the troops In the State, less than two thousand men, have been called out, and the Governor has requested the sheriffs of ad3acehc counties to raise eight thousand ~ii^htbassrsT7h~'queirrug'YCih ,_ tttsordHrs.‘ Noßody knows the strength of tho miners, but It is said the woods, hills and Galleys aro full of-them. Their number, Including the mountaineers In sympathy with them, is fully twenty thousand, all well inured to hardship and'acquainted with the country—two important things in a warfare Of the'Rtfld BOW going on. It will thus bo seen that the authorities are at a decided disadvantage, and unless the miners lay down their arms of their own accortniwlll take months to restore order. No one can foretell the end. At a late hour Tuesday night over one thousand minerq captured three locomotives and several empty coal cars, at Coal Creek, and forced the engineers to take them to Oliver Springs, where about nine-ty-five convicts were employed in the mines of the Cumberland £oal Company. They arrived at Oliver Springs about 4 o’clock Wednesday morning, assaulted the stockade and a lively battle ensued. The stockade was defended by fifty picked guards and a militia company of thirtyeight men. Hundreds of shots were exchanged, but, strange to say, no one was injured. The guards and militiamen, seeing tha it was Useless to combat a force of one thousand infuriated and determined men, quietly surrendered. The csnvicts, guards and soldiers were loaded on a train of flat j cars, and the engineer, at the muzzle of a : • VVihchester rifle, was compelled to pull the train out in-the direction of Knoxville. The stockade was then burned to tho ground. Arriving at Clinton, permission was obtained from the railway officials to bring tlio convicts to Knoxville. Four convicts escaped between Oliver Springs and Khoxvillo. Bulletin—There is a report of a battle at Coal Creek Thursday morning, between the militia and The minersan d th a t many - were killed. The wires are torn down, which prevents details or confirmation. A special just received says: The troops at Camp Anderson, Coal Creek, surrender'll Thursday. The soldiers and convicts at Clinton are en route home. \ ■

Knoxville, Tenn., Aug. 18.—A Tribune reporter reached the city at 8 p. m. He has been under arrest since last night at Coal Creek. Ho left there this afternoon at 4 o’clock. Ho says tho fighting began at 3 o’clock. So far as he knows no one was killed. s ' The roport that Gen. Anderson was cap tured is correct. This afternoon during tho fight two or throo miner leadors were captured by Gen. Anderson and his troops. There was a truce and tho miners told • Anderson If he would surrender their leaders they wbuTd allow him to rerturntorhls fort. He took the meu and went down among the mob. Before ho loft/he told his troops to fight and never .stirrender. Then ho took tho captured miners to Coal Creek depot. When they were out of tho way of tho guns a mob captured him and would not allow him to return. Tho leader of the mob was the notorious Bud Lindsay, a brother of the United States attorney of this district. Lindsay is a murderer who has killed eight or ten mon. Lindsay put a pistol to Anderson’s head and told him he must, give orders to his men to surrender. / 7/1

Anderson straightened himself up, threw out his arms in the face of Lindsay’s pistol and told his to’’Shootand bed—d;” that he would never tell his men to render. Anderson Was then taken to a hotel, as a prisoner. -To-night a report cornea that they have just taken him from tlie hotel to lynfth him. At 7:45 o clock a train bearing citizen soldiers from Chattanooga and troops to the number of 570 passed through the city. They made no stops. They hav guns nnd two cannons. They declared they would go to Coal Creek or wado through blood. They are under command of Gen. Carnes, who has charge of all State troops. Nothing has been heard of the trfiin of forces that left here at 4;30 since they passed Clinton. It Is hoped they will reach Coal Creek In time to rescuo Anderson. If Anderson is hung every miner seen will be killed on sight.

At 11 o’clock the wires are still down and real news is not obtainable. It Is known that Major Carpenter’s Knoxville men cached Offut's, a point on the railroad five miles from Coal Creek, in safety. At this place he disembarked his com-, mand and marched out Into the woods.

The pickets of the miners aro stationed along the railroad three miles from Coal Creek. Carpenter thus had a chance to get back into the mountains and attack Coal in the rear and It is possible that the first heard of him is that he is inside Camp Anderson, after a slifcht skirmish with the surprised miners. He knows every by path in Anderson county, and much is expected of him. Confused and contradictory rumors came from Coal Creek. A courier came into Clinton at 11 o’clock with news that firing had been kept up all the afternoon, that the Gatling gun was out of condition, and that four soldiers had been killed. No credence is given to this, however. It now transpires that the firing has been desultory, no set attack having been made. The miners claim that none of them have been Injured, but this is not believed. A report also comes that Gen. Anderson has been removed from the hotel at Coal Creek and that he will be killod to-night If this proves true the vengeance of the people will be awful. AX EXCITING DAY. , Knoxville, Twin., Aug, IS.—This has

bo*p a day of excltoment all over Tennessee. All manner of rumors as to the fat* of Capt. Anderson at Coal Creek have been afloat, but nothing authentic could be learned. This afternoon the court house boll rang the riot call, and since then the city has been ©no huge palpitating nerve. The excitement is intense aniTbeyond description, At 2 o’clock this afternoon the wires were cut at -Coal Creek and newspaper men and railroal men knew that the last step was about to be taken. Shortly thereafter the Journal received a bulletin that an attack had been made upon Camp Anderson, and from uews now obtainable that attack must havo been a feeler, as no casualties wero reported. In a short time another attack was , made, and then a third. In the last the the miners with deadly effect. Many were killed and wounded. At6o’clock in tho evening»the alarming nows was brought in that Capt. Anderson had been captured and was, b&tng hold as a prisoner, with a guard to prevent a hotheaded faction banging him. The dotails of there ported capture—are-not known yet, but it is said that it, to somafextent, disheartened the militia. They are, however, fighting with desperation, as they know that capture will be followed by tho death of all the hands of the Infuriated mob. Reinforcements are hurrying forward but they are few iu number though brave lighters. At Bp. m. Gen. Carnes and the West Tennessee troops have not arrived and it ls-fearcd the little band that loft-i Knoxville this afternoon will be butchered before help can reach it. At 4:30 this afternoon the posse summoned by Sheriff Holloway was armed with Winchester rifles. It numbered eighty-five men, among them some of the most prominent business and professional men of the city, and was commanded by Maj. D.A. Carpenter, a grizzled veteran of the late warjftnd a hard and desperate fighter. The posse was joined by the tnilitia- under command of Col. Welford numbering probably 100 men. The party was placed on board the train and dlatolv left for theascone of trouble. AT Clinton they were met by a number of citizens of Knoxville, Clinton and Coal Creek, who urged the absolute madness of going forward withoutreinforcements. A JkSusaud armed miners, they said, wero drawn up ready to fire upon them as they alightod-froth the train and dynamlto was everywhere. Major Carpenter heard them through ‘ and then turning to his men said, “Boys I guess wo will go on,” and they went. The wires are down and beyond Clinton they have not been heard from. At Clinton tho sounds of*battlo aro plainly hoard and there is no doubt that deadly fighting rages beyond the mountains. The possible fate of the Knoxville troops at UiU hour (8 o’clock) is leaking out from tho newspaper and telegraph offices, and thousands of angry, excited men throng the | streets and curse Buchanan for his weakness and the miners for their madness. The court house bell is again ringing the riot call, and excited people are rushing in that direction. Men are volunteering but there aro no arms, 6en.T3arnes with TOOTSen has just ar. rived at Knoxville and will go immediate* to the front. The opinion la grow-

ing that an awful Joss of good citizens and Innocent men can only Be averted by prompt action of the Governor In calling on the President to send federal troops to the scene of action. . ANOTHER ACCOUNT IT, Knoxville. August 19.—1 t is rumored here that 150 soldiers whipped 3,000 miner at Coal Creek. It is said that twolve miners are dead and nerly twenty wounded. Tho fight began yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock. A few minutes berore 2 the miners began the attack. There were 3,0C0 of them, armed with all sorts of weapons. Tho roturn fire was ordered by General Anderson and a- blaze of fire from kivery sido of the fort belched out. Some were killed outright and many wounded. At Hie stockade they "stopped and mon clambered ovor the walls to reloaso tho convicts. The fort Is some distance from the stockade and higher up. The doors and entl-attces were thrown open trad the

minors were at last in posession. They began to order the convicts to leave, and had them all captured, when General Anderson assembled all his soldiers at the side the miners wore on, andi moving the howitzer to that side, began to bombard JUSto. The miners stopped in the work releasing the convicts, and turned to get out of tho way of the heavy fusillade of rifle bullets. Agaiu and again their leadors begged them to fight, but they rushed down tho hijl to escape tho furlois onslaught of the soldiers. With never a halt aud never a rally they roached the bottom of the hill, bearing twelve doad and moro than twenty wounded miners with them. They hurried far out of the sight and out of tho reach of the guns. They then collected their shattered forces, and it is feared them are more than a half hundred wounded aud more dead than reported. THE TROOPS TRIUMPHANT. Knoxville, Tenn., Aug. 19.—A telegram from Coal Creek announces that another engagement has taken place between tbo soldiers and miners. General Carnet advanced on the depot and captured it without firing a gun. They then moved on toward Ft. Anderson, and tho miners fired ob them. One soldier, Walthall by name, of Knoxville, was killed. One miner was killed and three wounded. The report says that the miners have surrendered unconditionally, aud that they have promised to deliver General Anderson this afterm»ri. The news has created great excitement bore.

* PEACE. Peace again reigns. Gen. Carnes and his little army marched into Coal Creek and took possession, the town surrender' ing without opposition. One hundred miners and cltitens were arrested and orders issued for the immediate return of Captain Anderson. He was promptly restored to freedom and at once placed In charge of the convict guard, with several companies of militia added to his force. It Is believed the #gr 1* now over. A company of Knoxville volunteers wan led into an ambuscade and firing was general for half an hour. Three of the volunteers were killed, and It is believed several miners lost their Uvok < ■ \ 1 '