The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-08-15
The MINERS DEFIANT
Determined to Put an End to
Convict Competition.
THE MILITARY READY TO MOVE.

Governor Buchanan Says He Is Going to
Stop the Trouble for All Time More
Dead Convicts Found--Saturday's Trou-
bIe--Grest Anxiety.
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Aug. 15.-Thre E
conicts were found dead yesterday, rid
died with bullets. Matt Wilson, another
convict was killed in the night, and John
Smith is dying. These five uncoupled the
train and attempte escaped. 1t is feared
that the Inman mines will be attacked, and
the 90 guards who brought the 55 Tracy
City convicts here were sent flying
there.
Governor Buchanan is very nervous and
anxious over the Inman convicts, some
400 in all. He is waiting to hear from
sheriff of Grundy county, who wired him
yesterday that he would probably call for
the troops to-day.
Gov. Buchanan said last night: 'I am
tired of this foolishness, and am going
to put stop to it for all time. l am go
ing to issue a proclamation offering big
reward for the leaders. If nothing else
happens, and if anything else does hap
pen, then upon their heads l will hurl
the swords of tho Tennessee National
Guard"
Tom Carrick, the leader of the miners,
wrote yesterday that this was only the
beginning; that the miners had been i'm
posed on by a standing army who insult
ed them with their airs, and that soon
the flames shall crackle in the stockades
at Inman and Coal Creek. The miners
have held meetings every night for week
past in the valley, and have sworn that
the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Ral1s=sy
Company-ssitlfss -QneTats -the mines in
chat region again. They swear also that
the State shall take its convicts away and
only free labor can operate the mines if
they are ever reopened.
Another reason for fearing an attack is
that the labor unions all over this section
are better organized than ever, and are
urging the men who sympathize with la
Dor to withdraw from the militia This
is having the effect to keep some men
from volunteering, though there have
been few, if any, desertions. But this
action of the labor unions encourages the
miners to believe that they will be sup
ported, and that the State cannot materi-
ally increase it's force if it should become
necessary.
The outbreak Saturday, when the free
miners forced the guards to remove the
convicts from the stocksdes at Tracy
City, after which the stockades were
burned, was but the elimination of a
long contemplated plan of the free miners,
and goes to show how determined they
are to keep up the fight against the en-
ployment of convict labor
The capture Of the stockade at Tracy
City was an easy matter, the guards real
izing that resistance would be useless,
and surely result in serious loss of life,
gave way to the determined miners
A stolen switch engine with nine fiat
cars, which the miners captured, was
started down the mountain loaded with
convicts. The train was bound for Nash
vile with 800 helpless convicts on board,
under guard of miners armed to the
teeth, Six miners were in the cab forcing
the engineer to make time
After the prisoners had been placed on
the train the conductor and engineer were
ordered to leave at once for Cowan with
the convicts, who had been turned over
to Deputy Warden Burton and twenty
five guards.
Between Sewanee and Mount Eagle the
convicts cut the train in two and ten or
fifteen made a break for liberty
Several shots were fired.
Matt Wilson, white, was killed and
Tom Smith, colored, wounded
Six or eight made good their escape
The train was held at Cowan until
orders to come on were received from
Nashville.
The convicts taken from the Tracy
City stockade were brought to the main
prison here and will be kept here until
a new stockade can be built, when they
will be returned, as was done at Coal
Greek