The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-18
RIoToUs FREE MINERS.

The stockads at Oliver Springs Attacked
and the Convicts Sent to Nashville.
Special to tho Indianapolis Journal
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, Aug. 1L-Anarcby
reigns supreme In the mining region north
of this city. The excitement here is IN
tense, and Is heightened by the lack Of
definite information from the scenes Of
trouble, the wires having been cut The
mob is in actual possession of
the property of the East Tennessee
company in the region of Coal
Greek and Oliver Springs They have cut
the wires in many places. and have also
torn up the tracks. All the troops in the
State. less than two thousand men, have
been called out, and the Governor has re.
questec the sberiffs of adjacent counties TO
raise eight thousand men TO assist in quell-
ing the disorders. Nobody knows the
strength of the miners but it is said the
woods, hills and valleys are full of them.
Their number. including the mountaineers
in sympathy with them, is fully twenty
thousand, all we'll Injured to hardship and
acquainted with the country-two impor-
tant things in q warfare of the kind now
going on. 1t will thus be seen that tho au-
th0rities are at decided disadvantage,
and unless the miners lay down their arms
of their own accord it Will take months to
restore order. No one can foretell the end.
At late hour last night over one thou
sand miners captured three locomotives
and several empty coal cars at Coal Creek
and forced the engineers TO take them to
Oliver Springs. where ABOUT nInety-fve
couvicts were employed In the mines of the
Cumberland Coal Company. They arrived
at Oliver Springs about A o'clock this morn
ing assaulted ths stockade and o lively
battle ensued. The stockade was defend.
ed by fifty picked guards ana q militia
company of thirty men. Hundreds
of shots were exchanged, but, strange to
say, no one vas injured,
The guards and militiamen, seeing that
it was useless to combat a force of one
Thousand infuriated and determined men.
quietly surrendered. The convicts, guards
aud soldiers were loaded on a train of fiat
cara, and the engineer, at the muzzle of
Winchester rife was compelled to pull the
train out in the direction of Knoxville. The
stockade W as then burned TO the ground. Ar
irving at Clinton, permission was obtained
from the railway officials to bring the
convicts to this city. The train. which
was the only one in or ont for twenty-four
hours, arrived In the Knoxville N Ohio
railroad yards. and was soon surrounded
by an immense throng of people. -Four
conviots escaped between Oliver Springs
and this city.
SEEM To HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY.
Communication with Coal Creek was re-
sooner reopened than the miners took forci-
BILE possession of the office at Coal Greek,
and to prevent the handling of regular
business filed thousands OF words Of stuff.
They paid for all messages at reg
ular rates. and the company could
not refuse. The miners have two
or three operators employed, and
it is impossible to. get message through
with anything like privacy. Sheriff Hollo-
way, of this county. this afternoon re-
ceived dispatch from Governor buchanan.
telling him to summon 500 men at once
and send by the nearest route TO Oliver
Springs and Coal Creek TO aid IN suppress
ing the trouble now going on In that VIZ
cinity.
1t was intended TO send the convicts re-
leased at Oliver Springs this morning TO
Nashville by train at 5 o'clock, but il was
-
taken from cars and marched TO the coun-
ty jail, where they were given supper. lt
was the first meal they had eaten for thirty
six hours and they devoured the food ss
ravenously as wild beasts After SUD-
per they were marched to the rail-
road station, where they were gu arded
until the departure of the tram. Pas
sengers on train Just arrived from Coal
Creek say that Camp Anderson, at that
place. the only point in the State where
convicts are at work, will be taken to-
night. The assault will take place before
midnight, they say. Over 800 miners
massed at Coal Creek all heavily armed.
They have captured two companies of
militia sent to Oliver Springs last night
They locked the soldiers In a warehouse at
Clinton this morning, and afterwards
marched them across the mountain TO
Coal Greek. When the proposed assault on
Camp Anderson Is ade. tonight they will
force the captive soldiers TO march at the
head OF the column, and have sent word TO
the officers IN command of their intention.
They believe that the officers of the camp
will refuse TO fire on them as long as the
soldiers are in front. The miners held
meeting this afternoon. aud several WAL.