The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1892-08-19
OUTBREAK AT THE MINES.
Several Hundred Convicts Driver
Away From Tracy City.
Miners Then Apply theTorch to the stock
ades-Convfcts Killed and Wounded
While Attempting to Escape.

| NASHVILLE, Tenn, Aug. 13.-Three
hundred and sixty-one convicts arrived
here tonight in charge of Warden Far
ton and fifty guards. They were driven
away from Tracy City by 400 armed
miners. Between Sewanee and Mont
Eagle the convicts cut the train and ten
of them made break for liberty. Sew
era1 shots were fired. Mat Wilson,
white, was killed, and Tom Wilson, col
ored, wounded. Six or eight made good
their escape.
Four hundred armed miners called
Capt. Burton, the warden, from his
house and told him to move his conviots
out. Every piece of property belong
| ing to the Tennessee Coal, Iron e. Rail
road Company was carefully removed to
| safe distance and the conyicts, who
were in the stockade, we're let out under
| guard. Then the torch was applied and
at Q O'Clock the buildings we're mass Of
| flames. The loss is $4,000.
The miners at once proceeded to the
| mines, took possession of the conyicts
and marched them to the railroad sta
tion and loaded them in box cars. The
| telegraph wires were then cut and a
guard was placed over every engine in
the yards to prevent it from carrying
news down the mountains.
The Tracy City mines are situated in
Grundy County and are among the most
extensive mines in the State. In these
mines convict labor was first employed
in January, 1871, the first convicts hav.
| ing been taken to the Table Creek In
| October, 1870. According to the report
| of Commissioner of Labor Ford, made to
the Governor Agust 29, 1891, there were
employed at the Tracy City mines TWEEN
| ty-four whites for miners and All con.
| victs, forty-one of whom were white and
| 270 colored. These mines are owned by
| the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad
| Company and 800 convicts were at work
there when they were turned out by
the mob and the stockade burned. 1t is
thought that the Coal Creek miners will
attack the stockade there tonight. The
garrison of 200 soldiers are prepared fol
the seige.
THE SITUATION AT COAL CREEK.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, Aug. 13.-The re.
lease and capture of the convicts at
Tracy City today was surprise here.
Since the labor troubles in Pennsyl.
vania there has been much unrest al
| Coal Creek. The militia force which
had been reduced from $50 to So, has
been gradually increased. During the
past ten days fifty additional militia
men have been added to the force in
camp. There is the most bitter feeling
between the miners and troops, and
none would venture away from the
camp alone. If militia man had occa.
sion to visit the railroad depot or post
Office he was always accompanied by q
squad heavily armed.
The men in the camp have been ex.
pecting trouble daily for a week. Gen.
Anderson, who is in command, has done
everything to strengthen his fortifica:
tions and is prepared for an attack.
Should an attack be made, the Gatline
gun will be used with deadly earnest
ness, as well as the army rifles. The
leaders of the men have been expect
ing trouble and were fearful they could
not prevent it. They sent a committee
to Nashville Thursday with petition
from the miners, asking that the troops
be removed. This committee was closeted
with the Governor today when the news
came of the capture at Tracy City.
The action of the miners at Tracy
City was not generally known to the
people at Coal Creek until 9:3O O'Clock
tonight, when the evening papers
reached here. A telegram received at
10 o'clock reports all quiet at Coal Creek
It is known that the military authori
ties at Coal Creek are in communication
with Nashville. The operator there,
however, will be forced to tell the
miners of all the messages, as they will
take possession of his osice in case OF
trouble.
If the miners in the Coal Creek dis.
trict are not perfectly aware of the
trouble at Tracy City the whole region
will be fired when the facts are known
The conviets at Oliver Springs may be
captured at any moment, as there is nc
soldiers there.
CAUSE OF THE RIOT.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Aug. 13.-H. N,
Darling, of the engineers Office at Nash.
vile, was in Cowan when the liberation
of tho convicts occurred. He was in the
city this evening, and in response to in.
quiries said;
'"The cause of the trouble was as fol-
lows: OF late the miners and furnaces
have been working on short time on
account of dull times. Some time since
the free workmen waited upon agents
of the company and asked that when
work frightened up the positions open
should be given to free men. The agents
said the requests would be considered,
but when more help was needed put In
convicts. This angered the free work
men and is the sole cause of the riot"
Great excitement prevailed in Tracy
City The miners walked through the
streets discussing the events of the day.
FIGHT IMMINENT AT COAL CREEK.
A bloody fight at Coal Creek between
the State troops in the garrison there
and the tree miners is apt to follow the
outbreak today at Tracy City. Officers
of the garrison at Coal Creek, who have
been here within short time, stated
that in one way or another notice had
been given them that the miners and
their friends proposed to attack the
aoldiars ard for a fortnfCht an attack