Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1885-12-23
THE ROCK SPRINGS TISAG-
EDY.
Sam Lung Relates Thrilling Incidents
Connected With the Recent Chinese

SdIu LuuS, Il ldll, HuS-lOohiuS SAAho-
man, merchant of Philadelphia, sat
in the Union station last night, says the
Pittsburg Commercial Gazette, waiting
for the train to depart for the Quaker
city. He had come from San Francis
co and passed through Rock Springs
just when the mob made the attack
upon the Chinese. He related what he
had seen and learned in fairly good
English and with much animation.
About seventeen miles west of Rock
Springs" he said, ''our train suddenly
stopped. l think it was about 3o'clock
in the afternoon. With the other pas
sengers stuck my head out of the
window to learn the cause of the delay.
There is a mountain path near the rail-
road track. Running down it in the
direction of the track was astonished
to see number of my countrymen.
think there must have been about thirty
of them. They all hurried up to our
train, and some got aboard. On spy
ing me they crowded around and warn
ed me not to 60 on to Rock Springs.
They said that the miners had burned
their town and murdered all but them
selves. Even while talking other
Cinnamon kept arriving, demoralized
with fear, and joined their voices with
those of the first corners in persuading
me to get off the train and take to the
mountains with them for safety. One
of the last arrivals was bleeding from
a bullet wound in the upper arm. The
arm was broken by the ball, and hung
helpless by his side. The flow of blood
was stopped by doctor on the train,
and the arm dressed as well as the time
would permit.
AFTER delay of about half an hour
the train pulled out, leaving some thirty
Cinnamon standing by the road like so
many frightened sheep. The train
men offered to take them under their
care, but all but six of them preferred
to take the chances of escaping the
hoodlums by hiding in the mountains to
passing the place of the massacre. AS
we drew near to Rock Springs, other
Cinnamon passed us on the dead run.
On seeing me, they stopped and sig
nailed as best they could that danger
was ahead. My countrymen in the car
became more and more frightened as
we progressed. The dense cloud of
smoke that hung over the town that we
could make out in the distance con-
tirmed what they had said, and fright
ened the Americans on the train also.
We did not stop, but ran through the
town. We could see the flame from
some of the burning houses as we
passed.
"Once beyond Rock Springs my
countrymen that we had picked up for
got some of their fear and told me of
the massacre. They said that they had
arrived in Rock Springs but week be-
fore from San Francisco. They had
been hired in the latter city by a Chi
nese contractor. The trouble, they
said, began in the morning, when a
fight occurred down in mine between
Cinnamon and Americans. The rest of
the story harmonized with the accounts
already given in the papers. They left
at the beginning of the troubles in the
afternoon. When the firing COM
menced they were entering the woods
above the town. Looking back they
could see their countrymen fleeing in
all directions, pursued by the mob.
They did not wait longer, but ran with
all their might up into the mountains.
After getting beyond the sound of fir
ing they descended to the trail and
hastened westward, they knew not
where, but out of reach of the mob.
cit is my opinion continued the
speaker, "that at least seventy China
men persisted in the riots. reckon the
number shot at about fifty from what
my countrymen told me. AT least
twenty more would die of their wounds
or from starvation in the mountains.
My countrymen do not bear up well
under defeat and hardships. Many of
those who took refuge in the mountains
would never find their way to another
settlement, but would perish of priva-
ton.
"The hatred that the white miners
have for the Chinese has been growing
for the past year. The operators of the
mines prefer Chinese labor. 1t is
cheaper and more trustworthy. The
white miners year ago were making
81 day. The operators had in their
employ at the time of the outrage
some six hundred Cinnamon, and the
price for digging was but So day.
The Cinnamon who survived the mas
sacre are most of them in Ogden, a
mining town in eastern Utah. All the
mines there are worked by Chinese
miners, and the fugitives will there get
aid. They have been so badly demon
allied since the Chinese riots of San
Francisco.
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