The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-09-09
A DEADLY CONFLICT
Between White Miners and the Chinese at Rock
Springs, Wyoming Territory.
Fifteen Killed, Large Number Wounded,
Several Burned to Death and the Rest
Driven Into the Mountains-An
Quiet at Present.

Rock SPRINGS, w. T., Sept. 4.-Yesterday, |
for the first time in many years, there was |
not a Chinaman in Rock Springs streets ex-
cept the dead and wounded. The five or SIX
hundred who were at work in the mines |
here have been driven out, and nothing but |
heaps of smoking ruins mark the spot where
Chinatown stood. The feeling against the
Chinese has been growing stronger all sum-
mer. The fact that the white men had been
turned off the sections and hundreds of
white men were seeking in vain for work,
while the Chinese were being shipped in by
the car load and given work, strengthened
the feeling against them. 1t needed but lit
tie to incite this feeling into an active cru
SADIE against the Chinese and precipitate the
little battle of Wednesday. At No. 6 mine
about one mile north of town, through
some misunderstanding, two Cinnamon took
a room in the mine belonging to two white
men. When the white men came they
ordered them out. They would not go, and
fight ensued, which was participated in by
nearly all the whites and Cinnamon in the
mines The Cinnamon were worsted in the
fight and four of them were badly wounded
one of whom has since died
The white miners then came out, armed
themselves with firearms, and notified the
men in the other three mines TO come out in
the afternoon. Meantime all was excite
ment In Chinatown the flag was hoisted as
a warning and the Chinese working in diff
ferent parls of the camp fled TO Their quar-
ters. After dinner the saloons closed, and
no LIQUOR has been sold since then The min
ers gathered on the front street, about one
hundred of them, armed with guns, revolv-
ers hatchetS and knives, and proceeded to-
ward Chinatown. Before reaching there they
sent a committee of three warning the China
men to leave in an hour. This they agreed
to do, and started TO pack up, but in about
a half an hour the white men grew impa-
tient and advanced upon the Chinese quar-
tiers, shouting and firing their guns in the
air. Without offering resistance the Chinese
fed, with whatever they could snatch up To
the hills, about a mile east of the town, the
miners firing at them as they went.
Soon a black smoke was seen issuing from
the peak of house in Hong Kong, then
from another, and very soon eight or ten of
the largest of the houses were in flames.
Half choked with fire and smoke numbers of
Cinnamon came rushing from the burning
buildings with blankets and bed quilts over
their heads to protect themselves from stray
rifle shots. They followed their retreating
brothers into the hills at the top of their
speed. A launday in town was next visited
and the offensive inmates shot dead. All the
employees of the coal department of the rail-
road were ordered to leave town, which they
did on the evening train. During the
night all of the Chinese houses in town,
numbering nearly fifty, Were burned to the
ground. A number of Cinnamon who were
hiding fed from the burning buildings
The light of Thursday morning revealed
some terrible sights. In the smoking cellar
of two Chinese houses the blackened bodies
of six Cinnamon were seen. Three others
tho cellar nj
bodies were found near by. From the posi-
ton of some it would seem as though they
had begun to dig hole in the cellar to hide
themselves but the fire overlook them, burn
ing their extremities to a crisp and leaving
the upper portion of their bodies untouched
AT the east end of Chinatown another body
was found charred by the flames and mutt
lated by hogs. The smell that arose from
the smoking ruins was horribly suggestive of
burning flesh. Further east were the bodies
of four more Cinnamon shot down in their
flight.
n Coroners jury was summoned, which,
after examining the bodies, returned a ver-
dict that eleven of the Cinnamon had been
burned to death and five shot by parties un-
known to the jury. A number were found
seriously wounded, and how many more
may still be wounded out in the hills is
known. Large numbers of Cinnamon have
been picked up by the trains going west, and
aquantity of provisions has been sent out
for them.
1t is rumored that the Mormon miners will
be ordered out, but no action in this direc-
ton has yet been taken. The miners here
are entirely Hnorganized in the crusade and
although a large number of them are Knights
of Labor the move was not made under their
direction. The miners have not been work
ing since Wednesday, and business is almost
entirely suspended. Everything is quiet,
however.
According to advices from Evanston, where
the second largest coal-mining camp of the
Union Pacific Railroad is located, the move
ment against the Chinese was preconcerted.
1t had been arranged that the first attack
upon the Chinese was to be made in Carbon,
a mining town about $50 miles east of Rock
Springs, to be followed by like movements
in the latter place and at Evanston. The
Rock Springs miners. however, took the in
itiative. Superintendent Evans, of the Cove
Mine, has been warned to leave town, aud he
did so with alacrity. Nothing can be heard
from Carbon. The telegraph operator there
is evidently afraid to send news