Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-08-25
THE COAL MINERS WAR
Convicts and Guards set at Liberty
at Oliver Springs.
Some Killed and WOunded...Peace is at
last Restored.

Early Tuesday forenoon Knoxville
was thrown into furore of excitement
over rumors from Oliver and Goa
Greek, touching alleged acts of aggra
waited lawlessness at these points. II
was asserted that number of miners
at Oliver had committed an assault up.
on the guards in charge of the peniten.
tiary convicts at that place for the pur.
pose of turning the convicts loose, as
they did one year ago. 1t was said
that the guards had resisted the mob,
and that two guards and number of
miners had been wounded.
About 5 o'clock Captain Ferris, of
the guards at Oliver Springs, discover
ed the plans of the miners and saw
that he was about to be attacked. On
two sides of the stockade are wooded
hills, and it was in this wood that the
miners, about 100 in number, estimat-
ed, had taken their position. The mi
ners likewise saw that their position
had been discovered and that the
guards were active. Soon voice from
the woods demanded that the guards
surrender, which was responded to by
an invitation from the guards to ''come
and get u.s." 81, o..
1--WE will get you," came back from
the woods, and the miners began firing,
which was the signal for more activity
in the stockade. A number of guards
were sent to keep the convicts. from
stampeding. The remainder were sta
toned in advantag Gus positions with
IN the stockade. Bullets whizzed, and
the miners seemed paralyzed at the re-
sistance, and white flag was uplifted,
under which the miners removed their
injured. i .."'rt =
About 0 o'clock. Wednesday morning
General Anderson, commanding at
Coal Creek, secured train by which
to send reinforcements to Oliver, but
before the train could be moved the
track was torn up south of Coal Greek,
and they could not be sent.
The second attempt to release the
convicts was made by Kentucky mi
ners, who came to Jellico, took charge
of freight train, and they were soon
moving toward their destination. The
train was soon at Coal Creek, where
enough more were in waiting to swell
the number to nearly 1000. More
transportation facilities were needed,
and accordingly. two more freights
were seized, and at 43O the three en-
gines, with their freight, arrived at
Oliver.
Finally everything was ready and
fifteen hundred men started up the val
ley to the stockade, four miles away,
They had gone perhaps mile and a
half when they came upon Sergeant
Lee Huddleston, who was, on his way
to Oliver to make arrangements for re-
cruits to be sent from Knoxville. He
was commanded to halt, which he did
promptly. A suspicious movement on
the part of some of the miners caused
their leader to say that he would chop
off the head of the first man that at
tempted to. molest the soldier.
The prisoner was taken back by the
miners to within about half mile of
the stockade, where the main body
rested while a committee went to the
warden office under flag of truce,
and proposed to Warden Ferris that if
the convicts were taken away the SOL
diers and guards would not be molest-
ed, and that none of the property ON
premise, except that used by the con-
victs and for their protection, would be
molested. The proposition was accept
ed, and Warden Ferris told the soldiers
to pack up and get ready to leave.
They did so, and marched away be-
tween two lines of miners.
Torches were applied to the stockade,
but the warden s building was not mo-
Tested, and the miners once more start
ed for Oliver Springs. In the mean
time the soldiers had hastened to Oil
yer, but from fright took to the woods
for safety and began their long tramp
to Knoxville.
Still in possession of the trains, the
miners left Oliver about 10 clock, hav-
ing accomplished, without resistance of
any sort, everything they desired to.
About noon Thursday Coal Creek
was filled with miners. A committee
called upon General Anderson and de-
manded an unconditional surrender of
the men under his command and the
convicts. Their talk failed to haye the
slightest effect upon the General.
About 8 o'clock the miners made a
movement against the fort, but with
out success. There was nothing more
from Clinton until 9 O'Clock, when the
news that General Anderson had been
captured was received.
On Friday morning 1000 soldiers and
volunteers had arrived at Coal Creek,
and although there was occasional fir
ing, there had been nothing like gem
eral engagement. AT the same time it
was reported that troops under COM
mand of Colonel Woolford, and citi.
zens of Knoxville under d. d. Ander-
son had reached Coal Greek. 1t was
also reported that General Anderson
had escaped from his captors.
During the skirmishing around Coal
CraaI Inbp WaIthall a ,,an,ka, &c &l1a