The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-29
RIOT AT BELLEVILLE, ILL.
The Law Enforced by a Deputy
Sheriff, Assisted by Militia.
The Rioters Refuse to Obey the Sheriff and
Are Fired On by the Troops-Ore
Man Killed.

w
Hill mine, near West Belleville, but
when the men were about to commence
at 5 o'clock band of $50 women wives and
daughters of the strikers, marching two
abreast and armed with stout clubs appeared
on the scene, and after some alteration they
compelled the men to desist, and work was
not started. A sheriff7s posse was driven
back by the women, and the latter are now
in possession of the mine, The military are
now assembled in East st. Louis, and a de-
tachment will probably be sent to Rose Hill
to restore order ard protect those men who
desire to work.
After completing their work at Rose Hill
and leaving guard to see that the mandate
was carried out, the women marched to
Reinecks Mine No 1, three miles from Belle
vile, on the Louisville & Nashville railroad,
and being reinforced by large numbers of
strikers, drove out the men working there.
II is reported that they tore up a railroad
and threatened to burn the surface work of
the mine, but of this nothing definite is
known. The mob at this point is said to be
increasing rapidly and now numbers several
hundred including about one hundred
women, who are the most uumanageable OF
the crowd and are beyond control of the
civil authorities. The sheriff has telegraphed
to Governor Hamilton for military, and it
is understood here that some of the
militia at East St. Louis will be
train can be made up. 1t is not
known at this writing that any actual vio-
lence was done by the women or the large
body of men who stood behind them, but it
is known that work in the mine was stopped
and some very ugly threats made regarding
the consequence of any attempt to resume.
At Marissa, some fifteen miles beyond
| Belleville, a crowd of miners appeared in the
morning and demanded that work should
cease. Deputy sheriff Ragland, who was
present with a civil posse, told them that
any interference on their part with the
working of the mine would simply result in
bringing outa military force which would
arrest all disturbers, and advised them to re-
| tire. This they considered good advice, and
withdrew leaving the mine in peaceable pos
session OF the men who were working it.
| ENCOUNTER BETWEEN TROOPS AND STRIKERS
reporter just in from the Reinoke
mine gives the following additional
particulars of affairs there: Sher-
| iff Ropiquet, having satisfied Gov
ernor Hamilton that the mob at
the Reinoke mine was beyond the control
of any posse that could be raised in the
vicinity, the executive teIegraphed to
| Colonel Barkley, who was at East
| st. Louis with the EdwardsviIle,
Taylorsville and Virden companies of mill
tia, waiting orders, to proceed at once to the
| scene of trouble. At 5:45 P. NJ, the train
| bearing the troops arrived at the
mine. The women were on the bluff where
| the company's buildings are located. The
men, about 150 in number, were on
the south side of the railroad track.
They all carried canes of various
thickness. Deputy Sheriffs Anthony and
Royland were on the ground, Anthony in
charge. AS the train halted Col Barley APP
peared upon the platform of car. Antho-
ny jumped upon the platform and with out
| stretched arms shouted to the strikers some
of whom had started to run when they saw
| the soldiers, Halt! l arrest you all in the
name of the law" The answer was
the strikers. 1t passed over the head
of Captain Fahnestock, of the Edwardsville
company, and struck the car, breaking a
window. Colonel Barkley answered. it is
| reported, with his revolver No COM
m"nd if was tbs gi GeoDss to ,b fire but but
a signal, the breech leaders
of the troops rang out again and again. The
mob fed down the railroad embankment,
through the weeds and took a ditch
ten feet wide like deer. One man
was seen to stagger and fall
further bank of the ditch. He was shot
clear through the head The militia started
in pursuit and found man named Frye
in the woods wounded in the leg. Eighteen
strikers were captured and sent into Belle
vile under guard. They will be prose-
cuted under the statute against
riotous conduct. During the engage
ment but one militiaman was injured,
| Henry Thurer, of the Edwardsville Company,
| he receiving very slight flesh wound in the
shoulder from pistol shot. Only two re-
volvers were found on the prisoners; one had
| two shells exploded, the other only one
At o'clock Colonel Barkley ordered
| the Virden and Taylorsville troops
back to East st. Louis, leaving the Edwards
| Vile company on guard. The women became
very turbulent after the engagement and
were removed by all escort of militia with
out trouble, .I
Another account says Deputy Sheriff
Anthony, after the strikers had fired two or
| three shots, gavea formal command to the
| troops to fire, and discharged his own
| pistol at the fleeing mob. 1t is now stated
the soldier previously reported being wound
ed in the shoulder was not hurt the ball
only going through his coat sleeve.
The exact number Of wounded could not
be learned, but the following is the best
| authenticated list: Fred. Hofmaster,
| glassbower, killed, shot through
the head; VIM. Starkey shot through the
head and hip, will die; James Blanchard,
| wounded in the side, dangerous; Martin
Carroll, wounded slightly in the left
| leg. On the militia side, Elmer
James, of Eldwardsvile, was shot through
the feshy part of the leg; not dangerous
Twenty-six of the mob were captured and
made prisoners and are now held by the
soldiers in camp.
Company +, of Edwardsville, numbering
| forty-fye men, is garrisoned at Renioke,
with the prisoners, and the Taylors-
Vile and Virden companies left
late this evening for home. They
hold themselves in readiness to move to
| Collnsvlle in the morning, when trouble is
anticipated. AT hate hour everything was
| mic a,,t bo Dail