The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-05
THE RIOT AT ROCK SPRINGS.
The Causes Which Led to the Massacre
of the Chinese Miners
Many of the Celestials Shot While Fleeing
for Their Lives. and Others Roasted to
Death in Their Burning Homes.

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 summer. 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 carload and given
work, strengthened the feeling against them. 1t
needed but little to incite this feeling into an
active crusade against the Chinese, and precpi-
tate the battle of Wednesday at No. Six 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 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 them
selves with firearms and notified the men in the
other three mines to come cut in the afternoon.
Meantime all was excitement in Chinatown.
The flag was hoisted as warning and the Chi
nese working in different parts of the camp fed
to their quarters. After dinner the saloons
closed, and no liquor has been sold since then.
The miners gathered on the front streets about
one hundred of them armed with guns, revolv-
ers, hatchets and knives, and proceeded toward
Chinatown. Before reaching there they sent a
committee of three warning the Cinnamon to
leave in an hour. This they agreed to Co. and
started to pack up, but in about half an hour
the white men grew impatient and ad-
vanced upon the Chinese quarters, shout
ing and firing their gnns in the air.
Without Offering resistance the Chinese
fled with whatever they could snatch
up to the hills about mile east of the town.
the miners firing at them as they went Soon
black smoke was seen issuing from the peak of
house il 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 re-
treating brothers into the hills at the TOP of
their speed. A laundry in town was next visit
ed and the inoffensive 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 Der of
x.
ing buildings.
The light of Thursday morning revealed some
terrible sights. In the smoking cellar of two
Chinese houses the blackened bodies of six Chi
namen were seen. Three others were in the
cellar Of another and four more bodies were
found near by. From the position of some it
would seem as though they had begun to dig
hole in the cellar to hide themselves but the fire
overlook them, burning their extremities to
crisp and leaving the upper portion of their bodies
untouched. Of
other body was found charred by the fiames and
mutilated 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 fight.
A coroners jury was summoned, which, after
examining the bodies, returned verdict that
eleven of the Chinese had been burned to death
and five shot by parties unknown to the jury.
a number were found seriously wounded, and
how many more may still be wounded out in the
hills is unknown. Large numbers of Chinese
have been picked up by the trains going west
and quantity of provisions has been sent out
to them.
1t is rumored that the Mormon miners in
camp are to be ordered out but no action in this
direction has yet been taken. The miners here
are entirely unorganized in the crusade and
although large number of them are Knights of
Labor the move was not made under their direc-
tion. The mines have not been working since
Wednesday, and business is almost entirely sus.
pended. Everything is quiet. however.
Everything is quiet at Carbon, Rock Springs
and Evanston to day. The precautionary meas
ures taken by Governor Warren and the railroad
authorities seem likely to prevent further depre-
dations The Cinnamon driven out of Rock
Springs are gradually being picked up by trains
going west, and taken to Evanston, where there
are LOCO ChInamen living. The latter are pre-
pairing to defend themselves, and are purchasing
all the guns and ammunition in the market The
coroner's inquest at Rock Springs found that
the Cinnamon were killed by persons unknown
Waiting to Hear from the President.
CHICAGO, Sept "A dispatch was received
from Governor Warren, at the military head
quarters in this city, yesterday, mentioning the
attack upon the Cinnamon at Rock Springs
stating his inability to suppress the riot and
calling for troops. The telegram came through
General Howard's headquarters General Scho-
field forwarded the call to Washington for the
attention of the President, and wired Governor
Warren that he must ask the P resident for
assistance, as the law prohibited the use of
United States troops for such purpose without
his order. AT the same time General Schofed
directed the soldiers at Fort Steele and Fort
Badger-the two posts nearest Rock Springs
to be in readiness to move the moment the order
came from Washington. If the President had
been there an answer could have been received
in time to act yesterday, but no orders have yet
come from the President
An Informality in the Way of Affording Aid.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 4.-Governor Warren, of
Wyoming Territory, to-day telegraphed to the
President and Secretary of War, at Washington,
requesting the assistance of federal troops in
suppressing the disturbance at Rock Springs,
Wyoming Territory, caused by the massacre of
Chinese laborers by miners. A copy of the tele-
gram was forwarded to Secretary Endco.t at
his home in Massachusetts. Adjutant-general
Drum had conference with Secretary Bayard
as to the best course to parsue in the matter. 1t