The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-07-16
The Climax Reached.

1
ing between the mine owners and
miners union Of the Cnur d'Alen<
mining districts for the last siz
months eliminated in q fight be.
tween the non-union and union
miners last Monday morning al
Gem. An authentic detail of the
origin Of the fight was telegraphed
from Wallace to the Anaconda
Standard, July 18th, as follows:
As to the commencement of the
fight at Gem it came about by q
union miner walking over the Gem
company's ground and being or.
dered off by a guard. The talk be-
tween the two men resulted in q
fist fight, in which the union man
wan, the guard claiming to have
been hit by a rock. Shortly afte,
guns were displayed by both guards
and union men. Word was sent to
Wallace and men started to Mullan
and Wardner soon on horseback,
presumably for the purpose Of no.
tifying all union men of the i'm.
pending battle.
It is claimed on reasonably good
authority that one of the non-union
men was killed accidentally by one
of the guards. The shooting began
almost simultaneously and several
shots were fired at unarmed spec
tators from Wallace, but fortunately
no one was killed. The guards at
the Helena and Frisco and Gem
have recently became more than
usually offensive to union men, and
it is claimed that this was in ac-
cordance with orders from the en-
ployers.
Charles Bonner, president of the
Montana State Union, left for home
to-day, but Messrs. Breen and Dali
las are still here. So far as Wallace
is concerned everything is quiet,
but the town is full of men and ex-
citing rumors of almost every ma
ture follow each other thick and
fast. The Bunker Hill and Sulli-
van people surrendered this morn
ing to the union. 1t is said that
they were informed that 1000
pounds of dynamite was under their
concentration and would be touched
off at once if they did not do 80.
This evening, however, it is said
Superintendent Clement of that
company agreed to give up merely
to gain time in anticipation of the
arrival of the troops. However
this may be, there is a chance for a
fight tonight, as there are between
500 and 700 well-armed men at
Wardner. The narrow gauge train
is reported off the track with great
many scabs who are fleeing the
country.
1t seems that A. NJ. Esler of the
Helena and Frisco company be-
came alarmed Sunday evening for
some unknown reason, and had
shipped to Gem a large quantity of
ammunition for the use of his
guards. It is said that Mr.. Esler
has recently INDUCED in some in
discreet talk about the cowardice
of the union men. This, with the
known fact of the shipment of the
ammunition, materially helped to
influence the passions of the already
over-exasperated union men.
The Mullan men arrived at Gem
and were promptly ordered home
by President O'Brien, which order
was given by the advice of Charles
Bonner and Peter Breen, of Mon
tana. The men complied at once,
and started over the trail for Null
Ian, but for some reason were fired
upon by the Gem guards, and even
after the firing became general both
Mr.. Bonner and Mr.. Breen endea-
vored to stop and prevent further
but this was impossible
owing to the fact that the en-
trenched guards repeatedly fired
upon a flag of truce until after the
in the Frisco mill. After
This occurred the guards surren-
lered upon the following condi-
lions:
The representatives of the Gem
mine agree with Messrs. Breen and
Bonner, representing the parties
engaged in hostilities against the
of the Gem mine, as fol-
lows: The Gem employees are to
surrender their arms to a commit
lee of four citizens of Shoshone
county, two of said committee to
be chosen by Ed. Kinney of the
Gem mine, and two to be chosen
by the parties engaged in hostili-
lies; the said employees of the Gem
mine are to peacefully leave the
mine and town of Gem, and Messrs.
Breen and Bonner, as such commits
sioners, guarantee said employees
safe conduct, and to protect such
from any act of violence; and
Messrs. Breen and Bonner further
agree that all property of the Mil
waukee Mining Company shall be
fully protected and saved from
harm of any kind.
The union men and the owners
Of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan