The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-06-08

offered to pay the miners what they had
struck for. The women replied that
tney wanted the new miners, or I" scabs,"
~ they called them, to come up
strikers. This Mr.. Reinecke refused to
grant.
They now resolved to take possession OF
the mine and the engine-house, from which
the cars in the shaft were operated. They
were proceeding to move in that direction,
but MIR. Reinecke was too quick for theIp.
He had ordered the engineer to close the
opening of the shaft and then to close the
engine-house, both of which were done
promptly. Thus thirty-five new miners were
shut up in the mine, 49, feet below the sur
face.
About 2 o'clock in the afternoon Mr. Rein.
ecke asked Deputy Sheriff Anthony if he
was not to have the protection promised by
the Sheriff. Mr.. Anthony concluded to GO.
to Belleville and report the situation to
Sher fl ROpiequet, and did so, assuring the
Sheriff that the mine was besieged by q
band of women and between 400 and SOC
strikers, who were stationed all about the
locality. The Sheriff resolved to ask Gov
ernor Hamilton for militia. He had done.
so before, but the Governor responded that
| until some overt act had been committed be
would not order the militia about Belleville.-
The situation at the Reinecke Mii,e was, in,
the Sheriff's telegram, explained to tbs
Governor, and he this time replied that
three companies of militia had been or
dered to the Reinecke Mine, to be used I'M
| der the Sheriff's orders and directions.
The militia companies were i'm East St.
Louis and on their way home. They were ::
Company B, Taylorville Guards, Capt.
Croker in command; Company q, VirdeD,
Guards. Capt. NJ. c. Wilson in command ::
Company +, Edwardsville Guards, Capt.
j. I. Fahnenstock in command. The three
| \
men, and were under the general command
of Col. j. II. Barley. These companies
had been out to the disturbances at the Abb
| hey mines, and had come down to East st.
Louis yesterday forenoon on their way
home. At O'Clock p. m, j. Elliott, Adju-
tant-General at Springfield, telegraphed
| Col. Barley to send these companies to
| their respective stations and report himself
| at general headquarters at Springfield. In
answer to the Sheriff's telegram the Gov
ernor ordered that these companies go to
| Reinecke.
| There were the seventy-five " rmen, still
| on the hill at the mine on the no. th side OF
| the track angrily discussing the situation
| and trouble with Deputy Sheriff Anthony,
| who had but few moments before re-
| turned from Belleville. On the railroad
track were about 150 of the strikers, while
| on the hills south of the track were about
$50 more strikers hidden in the timber, but
who could at times, as they moved about,
| be discerned. Thirty-five miners were inn
| prisoned in the pit, and Reinecke was im-
prisoned in one of his own houses. This
was the situation when the train bearing
the militia stopped at the mine.
| As the train stopped Deputy Sheriff An
| thony was on the south side of the track
and Deputy Sheriff Ragland on the north
| side. The strikers all, with the exception
of few, stepped to the north side of the
track and on the side upon which the SOL
Il II. A..Al
| espying Gen. Reese as he got off, APP
preached and spoke to him. The general
| notified him that the militia had come up
under command of Col. Barley and the
| two started towards them when Col. Bark
ley had gotten off. just as they started
several of the strikers commenced making
| insulting remarks and threatening the SOL
diers, besides making violent demonstra-
tions. Then Anthony ordered them to be
quiet, and commanded them in the name OF
the County of st. Clair and State of Hill
nois to offer no violence. Just at this q
striker presented pistol at Anthony and
Gen. Reese and discharged it. The bullet
passed between the two and Deputy
Anthony pulled his revolver. But almost
simultaneously with the shot fired at An
thony and Gen. Reese there were several
pistol shots fired by the strikers at the
soldiers who were aligting from the cars,
and also into the car windows, there yet
being soldiers in the cars, several of them
narrowly escaping being hit, one having
his coat cut by bullet. When Anthony
pulled his pistol and the strikers kept up the
fire. he fired himself, and called upon the
strikers to halt and desst. This was not
done, some of them having already conn
menced to pour over the plain to the
hill. Anthony called upon the soldiers
to fire, as the pistol shooting by the
strikers was being kept up. This all hap
pened in very short space OF time. In re-
Spouse to the deputy's command, the or
der of "ready, aim, fire." was given and a
volley of musketry was sent after the strik
ers. The plain was filed with them, run
ming at break-neck speed for the hill, be-
hind which they desired to get for proteo-
ton. Under the base of this hill is a stream
or ditch about five feet in width and the
strikers in their rapid retreat had tn jump
this, and in landing in the soft earth on the
other side they were delayed a little. The
soldiers kept pouring the shot toward them,
but it was plainly to be seen that the aim
was high and intended to hit no one, as the
officers after the battle explained. There
were about 80 shots fired by the soldiers,
and for about two minutes the sound OF
musketry was kept up and it looked war.
like, indeed. The strikers who had been
on the hill retreated as soon as the first
shots were fired, and they were soon behind
it and out of danger. Those on the track
retreated across the plain, over the ditch,
up the hill and over it as fast as possible,
but some were left behind, and one there
is who is unable to tell his story or give an
account of the battle. The firing ceasiug.
some of the soldiers in squads started in
pursuit of those retreating and still in sight,
while others started over the hills after
those who had COTTON out of sight; but the
latter strikers knew the uneven and wooded
country too well for the soldiers and none
of them were captured. Close by the sol
diers took twenty-six prisoners and placed
plain and close to the base of the hill, and
Just on the south bank of the ditch spoken
of, could have been seen the body of a man.
Then the word went out that man had
been killed.
1t was some time before it was ascertain
ed who he was. but at length he as identi-
fed as Fred Hoffmeister, a glsss-blower
who had been in West Belleville but two
weeks. He was about twenty-five years OF
age, single, and had come from Pittsburg.
Pa. The glass-blowers OF Bellsville are on
a strike, and some of them were in company
with the striking miners yesterday, and
this accounts for his presence ut thu
Reinecke mine yesterday.
William Starkey, another miner, was-
found to be wounded, being shot through
the right hip. 1t is thought shat there may
be others wounded who escaped over the
hill The women scampered of as soon as
the firing commenced, except few, an,
they left when they were threatened with
arrest. Henry Theur, of Company F, was
at first thought to be wounded, but his coat
was only cut by bullet.
On the prisoners, of whom there were
twenty-six, were found two small pistols.
After the firing the miners in the pit were
brought up. They were at a loss to Xxi ow
why they had been imprisoned all day, and
explanations were accordingly made. In
the evening two companies. the Virden and
Taylorville troops, returned home, leaving
Al 4. - H.
mines, which is in charge of Sheriff Ropie-
uuet. The military officers regret the