Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-06
Agents of Colorado Coal Com
panies Arrested.
They Are Charged With Unlawful AS
sembling and Are Placed Under
Bonds for Appearance.
The Circumstances of the Affair-A Demand
for Coal Mine 0peratives-Ths State
Ran gers in Action.
From Daily GAZETTE. Oct. 80.


An arrest on the charge of unlawful
assembling was probably never made in
Texas before yesterday.
But three Of them were made yester-
day, and the officers are on the lookout
for other parties wanted on the same
charge.
Yesterday one G. c. Cohen went be-
fore County Attorney Ben Ayres and
made oath that statute of. the state had
been violated, whereupon the warrant
for the violators was issued.
The complaint is against R. Fl. Smith,
alias Bob Rogers, Frank Underdew,
Thomas Lawson, F. S. Smith, Bob
Griever and s. J Larkin.
The information says that these parties
with force and arms did unlawfully
meet together with the intent to aid each
other by violence and by persuasions and
by intimidation and by fraud and by
false representation, TO Illegally deprive
the Texas and Pacific coal companies, q
corporation, of its right to mine and re-
move coal, and to otherwise do and
to disturb the said Texas and Pacific
coal company in the enjoyment of
its said rights and privileges; that is,
the said Texas and Pacific Coal company
was then and there lawfully pursuing
the occupation aud employment of min
ing and removing coal, and the purpose @
of said unlawful assembly and the intent
of the said parties in engaging therein
was then and there to prevent the said
Texas and Pacific Coal company from
pursuing SAID occupation and employ
ment, and to interfere with its said occu-
patton and employment.
Shortly after the warrant had been
issued Deputy Sheriff Joe WItcher ar
rested MIR. F. S. Smith of this city and
placed him in the county jail.
Mr.. S. J. Larkin was arrested at
Weatherford by four state rangers who
boarded the east bound Texas and Pacific
train at that point and found their man
| on board and with him twenty ht
| miners from the Thurber coal mines.
R. H. Smith, alias Bob Rogers, who is
negro, is probably in Jail at Thurbur, {,
| as he was there yesterday.
| OF the other parties complained OF
| Frank Vanderdew, a negro, Is still at
| large; Thomas Lawson, who was at one
| time superintendent for the Texas and
Pacific coal company, is still at large in
this city Che lives here), and Bob
| Griever, colored, is in the Tarrant
county jail, having been arrested here
| yesterday afternoon.
! The trouble of which this is the culmi-
nation has been long time brewing
Ia order TO keep sufficient force with
| which to carry on operations, the Texas
| and Pacific coal company has from time
| 10 time sent to the northern coal mining
| centers and secured operatives, whom
| the company has induced to move, and
| brought here at no little expense. Many
| of them are negroes, but they are al
! good miners, and they came here tc
better their condition.
But lately the Texas and Pacific coal
| company have suffered the loss of q good
y many hands, who as the result of offer:
/ of better situations in mining localitie:
in Colorado and other states TO the
Northwest, have left the Thurber mines
and crippled the company more or less
The first noticeable exodus was OF
twenty hands, who about six weeks sgt
went to Washington. Soon more fol
lowed. and then more, until 1t became
apparent that the business was beine
worked systematically.
The arrests made yesterday are the re-
suit of efforts to checkmate the work o
their Colorado competitors by the TeAa;
and Pacific Coal company.
Messrs. Smith and Larking were given
their liberty yesterday evening upor
making bond for $500.
Mr.. F. S. Smith, agent of the Colo
rado coal and iron company, and Mr.
| = T. Iarkin agent of the Colorado fue
company, said that as far as any unlaw
full blage was concerned, 1t was al
bosh. Mr.. Larkin says that he learned
that twenty miners were Ill Fort Wortl
who we're on their way to Rock Springs
Wy. He asked them if they would worl
for his company and they said the.
would gladly. Not only this, bu
there were number of miner
at Thurber who we're dissatisfied
and they could also be employed
MIR. Larkin told the miners to let thei
friends at Thurber know and he wouf
employ them. In response to letter
sent by the miners number of men cam
here and were sent to the mines. Mr.
Smith learned from these miners ths
others at Thurber desired to leave, an
be employed them for his company. Th
only representations made were ths
seventy cents per ton was paid and ths
the vein of coal was seven feet thick
The men could do so we'll at those price
that they decided to make the change {
location.
The gentlemen above mentioned hay
friends in Fort Worth who wlllingl
went on their bonds, and they wei
promptly bailed.