The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-19
THE MINING TROUBLES.

Particulars of the Shooting of Two
Miners by the Militia Wednesday
Evening-FOrbearanee of the LabOrers.
The Scranton Republican of yesterday has
the following:-
A crisis has come in the condition of mining
affairs in this region. Yesterday a party of
miners, thirty in number, were returning to
their homes after their days labor at Briggs
shaft. Owing to the hostility manifested to-
ward them by the miners at Hyde Park they
were accompanied by detachment of soldiers
and, in addition to this ten of the laborers were
armed with Remington rifles. They had pro.
ceedes on their way without molestation until
they reached Fellows corner, on the old Hamp-
ton road, at which point crowd of about two
hundred Welsh miners and their wives had as
sembled, who commenced hooting and calling
the laborers ''blacklegs," and every filthy term
which their nasty vocabulary afforded. The
men proceeded along quietly, however without
saying word, or even looking to the right
hand or the left The hooting was Immediately
followed by single stone being thrown, which
took no effect. Two more followed, one of
them striking man named John Cornelius on
the shoulder, and the other Michael Kairns on
the leg.
The moment the second stone was thrown
one of the soldiers levelled his musket, and the
assailant's arm had not regained its position at
his side when he fell with a bullet through his
heart. The other assailant was standing few
PAGES in the rear, and he also fell dead, pierced
with three buckshot in the groin. There was
but one shot fired, the double effect being owing
to the character OF the ammunition used by the
militia. The name OF the man shot through
the heart is Benjamin Davis, and the name of
the other Daniel Jones. Davis was member
of the Welsh Cavinistic Church at this place,
and was popularity known as "5pufgeon," owing
to his habit of indulging in local preaching. As
eon as the shot was fired the most dreadful
CONSERVATION seized the crowd who imme-
diately took to their heels, levelling fences in
their beadlong career and yelling in the most
hideous manner, and in q moment there was
not a soul to be seen but the two victims lying
by the fence. In the meantime the laJorerS
marched quietly on to their he mes in Bellevue.
The laborers showed amount of forbear-
ance not expected from men in their situation,
whose lives have been threatened, and who have
been stoned and hooted, and exposed to the
rage, hate, and insults of mobs of ruflians, be-
cause they had the courage to resume work to
keep themselves and families from starving.
They did not use their muskets at all even when
some of their number were struck with stones,
and would in all probability have passed on
without retaliation. The militia, however, were
under the most positive ORDERS and the man
was simply discharging his duty when he fired
upon the assailants. 1t seems to have been the
opinion for the last few days of the miners that
the militia would not interfere even II they did
assault the laborers, and that they were here In
the character of GHOSTS" merely. This gave
them courage, and they thought they would try,
and the result is known.
The bodies of the two men we're Immediately
taken to Cooperative Hall attended by an i'm
mense crowd, of all classes and conditions, but
chiefly consisting of miners who kept up con-
slant clamor for the blood of the laborers. A
Coroner's inquest was then attempted to be
held, and Alderman Jones issued warrant for
the arrest of Michael Kairns, he being one OF
the men struck by the MOB with stone. The
warrant was put In the hands of Officer Tomp-
kins who not finding Kairns. proceeded by
virtue of mis- own authority to arrest William
Garrety, President of the Laberers' Association
This piece of outrage was witnessed by about
1000 people, who crowded around, calling for the
life of the prisoner who was every moment in
danger of being torn to pieces to satisfy the
fury of the mob. Mr.. Garrety was taken before
the Mayor and Alderman, who, to appease the
mob, sent him under guard away to Wilkes
barre The corpses were then sent home, an6
the inquest adjourned until tomorrow Th'
most intense excitement prevailed in Hyde
Park until late hour, and an additional force
of military was ordered to quarter there to pre-
vent any disturbance.