St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1883-06-09

| after their Rose Hill work, the women de-
termined to augment their forces and re-.
turned to West Belleville for that purpose.
After marshalling their forces they had
! about seventy-five and they started off in
wagons for the scene of conflict. The
| works of the mine are situated on the north
side of the railroad track and close to it, on
steep hill some forty feet in height. On
the south of the railroad is ravine Or
valley some one hundred and fifty feet in
width, and this valley is inclosed by hill
is about seventy five feet IN height, slopes
gradually to it's top, and runs along the
track for great distance, now approach
ing and now receding from it. The hill-or
hills, for there are many of them-are very
thickly wooded, and the locality is quite
picturesque one. The women marched up
to the mine and to the mouth of the shaft,
called for Conrad Reinecke, the owner of
the mine. At this juncture it was noticed
for the first time that the striking miners
were congregating in numbers on the rail-
road track in front of the mine, and were
coming in squads from over the hill on the
south. Most of them remained on the hill
and on it's slope, while 100 or $50 came to
the track. The women and the strikers on
the track held a consultation, and when
Mr.. Reinecke appeared at the demand OF
the women they were prepared to demand
that which the strikers desired to have de-
manded. Mr.. Reinecke asked them what
they desired, telling them that he had
offered to pay the miners what they had
struck for. The women replied that
they wanted the new miners, or $ scabs,"
as they called them, to come up
out of the mines and have talk with the
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 Mr.. Reinecke was too quick for them.
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, $50 feet bslow 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
Sheriff Ropiequet, and did so, assuring the
Sheriff that the mine was besieged by
band of women and between 400 and 500
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 he
The situation at the Reinecke Mine was, in
the Sheriff's telegram, explained to the
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 Sherif's orders and directions:
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
diers were alighting. Deputy Anthony
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 Illi-
nois to offer no violence. just at this a
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 fred himself, and called upon the
strikers to halt and desist. This was not
done, some of them having already COM
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 res
spouse to the deputy's command, the or
der of 1'ready, aim, fire." was given and a
volley of musketry was sent after the strik-
ers. The plain was filled with them, run.
ming at break-neck speed for the hill, be-
hind which they desired to get for protec-
ton. Under the base of this hill is stream
or ditch about five feet in width and the
strikers in their rapid retreat had to 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 250 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 ceasing,
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
diers took twenty-six prisoners and placed
them under guard. Upon looking over the
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 man.
Then the word went out that a man had
been killed.