Passaic City record., 1891-07-25
The MILITIA RETREATS.
Tennessee Miners Overawe the
State Troops.
Convict Labor is the Cause Of the
Trouble.

saws: The crisis in the labor troubles at
Briceville, Tenn, came at about IL o'clock.
when the miners and crowd of sympathizers
from the country surrounded the camp of the
State militia, captured the troops and con-
victs, marched them off to the station, put
them on train, and shipped them to Knox
vile.
The camp was on a little knoll in a hollow
and surrounded on all sides by mountains.
At 10 o'clock that morning 1000 miners,
farmers, and other natives who have no oc-
cupation at all took possession of the hills
surrounding Briceyille Camp. Fifteen hun
dred of these were armed with rifles; the rest
had shot guns and pistols. They came from
all the mines in radius of fifty miles. Their
organization was complete, and their leaders
placed them along the hillsides with military
precision.
The little garrison turned out and prepared
for defense. 1t was apparent that a fight
would result in a massacre. A meeting of the
officers was called. Some declared that stout
resistance to the first attack would be suff-
cient and the mob would withdraw. 9th
ers thought that it would be suicidal. The
miners called parley, and were met by
Colonel Sewer. They stated that they had
sufficient force to overwhelm the soldiers,
but did not care to shed blood if the convicts
were quietly turned over to them. This re-
quest was emphatically refused.
The miners then asked Colonel Sewer If he
would remove his troops and take the con-
victs with him. He asked what would be
done to the mining companies property,
which was also under his protection. They
replied that it would not be injured.
He also asked if an attack would
be made on the Knoxville Iron
Company's stockade, just below Brice-
vile. If such was intended he proposed
to fall back there and fight it out, regardless
of consequences. The leaders replied that
no attack would be made. The troops then
marched out of camp, taking with them the
convicts, all of their commissary supplies
and baggage.
They marched to Briceville and there were
loaded in box-cars or whatever could be had,
and the entire lot sent to Knoxville The
troops, to the number of 107 all told, went
to the armory of the Knoxville Rifles The
miners made them promise not to return to
Coal Creek
The convicts were taken to the Jail. locked
up and fed. The city is now intensely ex-
cited. It isknown that the leaders Of the
mob were not miners. Eugene Merritt led
them in each instance. He is a small mer-
chant at Briceville, but is said to be deter
mined man. Other leaders are known.
TIE miners have appointed committee
to say what dispatches shall be sent out. The
committee told the operator on duty
at the key that if he did not let
them read the messages they would cut
the wires After the State troops and
convicts from the Tennessee Coal Com
pany's mines had been sent to Knoxville the
miners resolved to liberate the $50 convicts
at work in the mines of the Knoxville Iron
Company. They marched in the after
noon to the Knoxville Iron Com
pany's mixes, two miles from Coal
Creek, completely surrounded the mines
and stockades and demanded the immediate
removal OF the convicts. The guards re-
fused, and the miners threatened to iberate
them by force. The handful of guards
would do nothing against 1000 armed miners,
and they put the convicts into box cars.
The miners became impatient at the de-
lay in getting the train moved from Coal
Greek, and at five P. M threatened to hberate
the convicts if the train did not move out in
five minutes. About five P. NJ. the train left
Coal Creek with $50 convicts and the few re-
manning State troops and guurds, reaching
Knoxville at eight p. M.
The trouble at Briceville commenced last
week. About 400 armed strikers attacked
the guards who had charge of fifty felons at
Briceville and liberated them. Governor
Buchanan was notified and ordered two COM
panies from Chattanooga and one from
Knoxville to the scene. OF the fifty convicts
taken from the guards at Briceville, two
escaped and the others were taken to Knox
vile. When the militia arrived they took
the convicts back with them and warned the
mob that they would protect Inem at all
hazards. Governor Buchanan went to the
seat of trouble and told the miners that if
the convict lease system was wrong, he
was not to blame, and that the only
resource of the men was through
the Legislature. The miners announced
that their families were starving and
that they were compelled to drive
out the convicts if it cost the life
OF every man in the valley. They said that
as soon as the militia were withdrawn they
would release every convict in the region.
Becoming impatient, however, at the delay
in recalling the troops, they decided to try
to overcome the troops by force of numbers
aid succeeded only too well.