Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-05-30
BLOODSHED IN ILLINOIS.
ONE OF THE STRIKERS kIIIED
AND MANY WOUNDED

"A
mlhtiaman Shot I'm the Knee-Txxo
Nolleys Exchanged and the Mob Rout-
ed-Further Trouble Feared Tba
Troops Criticised.
ST. LOUIS, May 29.-The strike of UIi-
nols miners, which eliminated Yesterday
IN rioting and blOodshsd. has been in nro-
gress for fully two weeks. The remarka.
Die feature Of its latter stages was the
active part which the wives and daugh-
ters OF the miners took in preventing new
men from working in the mines. These
AlhazOns, numbering fully 300 march,
ing in battle array, and sun
ported by about 100 miners. took
possession of the mines Yesterday
and work was entirely suspended through
out the district. The militia which GOV
ernor Hamilton ordered out on Thursday.
consisting OF companies from TaylOrs-
vile, Edwardsville and Verden had been
concentrated at East st. Louis so as to be
IN readiness, and proceed to any point
where the situation was threateninO
Ihey We're placed under command of Col.
barkley, OF Springfield, who received in
suuctlOns from the Governor to take his
orders from the Sheriff of the county i'm
Wnlch the troops were stationed.
yesterday morning Col. Barkley was
hOtlned tnat mob had taken possession
Oh the mines around Belleville and the
civil authorities were powerless. He i'm
nledlately started with his three comma
MES on board train and arrived at Rpile-
vile late III the afternoon. When no
learned that the mob had taken possess
SION OF mine No. at Reinicke. a small
station on the Louisville and Nashville
kallroad, in st. Clair county, three and a
nan miles west Of BelleYille, the militia
started ior that point, reaching it about
0:5O O'Clock. From the car windows
they saw the mob of five hundred
strikers and about one hundred frantic
women in possession of the mine. The
women had Just come from Rose Hill. and
wild with rage were very much more de-
monstrative than the men. The train
stopped in raYine between two high
hills and both bluffs were covered with
strikers, the women having taken their
position on the summit.
Deputy Sheriff Anthony. of St. Clair
county, mounted upon box on the depot
platform and, addressing the strikers. said
that he did not desire to have trouble. but
he wanted the law complied with. and
urged the mob to disperse peacefully. Be
fore he concluded the report of pistol
rang out on the air, followed by
TWO more shots from the sum-
NIT of the hill. The deputy felt
a bullet. whistle past his ear,
ana noticing where the smoke came from
IN the mob, drew his pistol and fred in
that direction. This was the signal for a
general fusilade from the mob, and one of
the soldiers, who was just getting out of
the cars, fell with a bullet through his
knee.
TwO-thirds of the militia were still in
the cars when Deputy Sheriff Anthony
ordered Colonel Barkley to give the word
to fire and the Colonel shouted out the
command to his men. The troops filed
Rapidly out of the cars and poured a VOL
ley into the strikers with deadly effect.
The latter retreated, but returned the fire.
Whereupon second volley was given by
the militia.
The mob of men and women alike then
scattered and ran heller skelter through !
the gullieS and raVnes.
After the smoke had cleared away it
was found that one of the strikers had
been instantly killed and another was
shot through the head so badly that he
cannot recover. n third striker was shot |
through the hips.
Several of the rioters made their escape.
leaving bloody tracks behind them, but |
the exact number of wounded has not
been learned yet.
Twenty-siX of the mob We're made pris- |
Oners and are now held by the soldiers in
their camp. Company f, of Edwards
vile, numbering 10 men, remain at Rel |
nicke's with the prisoners.
The TaylOrsville and Nerden companies |
left late last night for home, but under |
orders to hold themselves in readiness to !
move on COllinsville, where trouble is an |
to-day.
At Il late hour last night everything |
was still quiet in the Belleville district.
y dispatch from Belleyille, ILL.,, stated |
that everything was quiet there this |
morning. The inquest on the dead striker |
begins at IL O'Clock.
The Reinicke mine, where the riot Oc- |
CURED last evening, is working this MORN
ing under the protection of the militia. /
This is machine, which does not employ |
regular miners, and was working yester- /
day under an agreement with the miners
made some days ago. If any further
trouble occurs it will be at mines at some
distance from Belleville.
The Sheriff this morning reported all !
quiet at the pits in the immediate Yicini.
ty of Belleville. The streets of that city |
are crowded with miners and citizens dis
cussing the events of yesterday. The fir
ing by the militia is not generally viewed
in favorable light.
Fred. HOtfmaster, the glass blower, who
was killed i'll yesterdays encounter, came
from Pittsburg. He had been in Belleville
two weeks. The glass blowers at Belle
vile are on strike, and some of them
We're with the striking miners Yesterday,
which accounts for HOtfmaster's presence |
at the Reinicke mine. There seems to be
no doubt that Deputy Sheriff Anthony
ordered the troops to fire on the mob, but
not until several pistol shots had been
fired by the strikers, two of them aimed |
directly at Anthony and Gen. Reese, who
were standing by the side of the train con-
sulting as to what should be done.
COLLINSVILLE, IND, May 29.-The Alb
hey miners, which number three or four
pits, are working with full complement |
of men, and no trouble is anticipated.
The men at work, many of WLO have been
i'm the employ of the company for num-
bers of wears, are sntsficd and willing to |
work. They are paid by the day at the
wages which were fixed when the miners
were receiving cents per bushel at other
mines, and the wages are entirely salts
factory. While the wages of other miners
have been reduced from 33 to 80 per cent,
the pay Of the men employed now has
not been reduced at all. The attempt to
stop these miners was merely an effort to
stop the supply of coal for st. Louis, and !
there were no demands for an increase OF
pay.
A special grand jury has been convened |
at Edwardsville by Judge Snyder for the
purpose of indicting those who composed
the mob which took possession of mine
No. and maltreated the men employed |
there. There are no indications of mob
law in this vicinity to-day, and from the |
expressions of citizens of this locality |
heard on all sides, if would not be well
for a mob of any kind to assemble with
the idea of violating the law again by at
tempting to interfere with the rights of
others.