Omaha daily bee., 1892-08-16
DROVE OUT CONVICT MINERS
Free Whit, Miners of Tennessee Capture
Another stookade.
ITS INMATES ARE SENT TO NASHVILLE
Serious Trouble Is anticiptted-The sheriR
Declares himself Powericss to Preserve
ordcr-A Messenger hoy Has u
Horse Killed Under Him.

| CHATTANOOGA. Tenn, Aug. l5.-Tho con-
vict lease system, which occasioned the law.
| lessness OF the Coal Creek miners at Brice.
vile, In Anderson county, about this time
| las; year, Is again exciting cause for riot aud
lawless outbreaks in another district Mutt
terings ana threats Of this have filled the air
for months, and correspondents who were on
the ground at Briceville freely state that
thero was perfect organization
of all the free miners In the
states of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama
who were sworn to rid all the miues of the
convicts. The idea was not resolved with
fun credence, and no extraordinary precru-
tons have been taken to prevent an outbreak
III other districts remote from the scenes OF
the troubles OF 1891 Tho first intimation
! was the unexpected attack on tho guards at
Tracey City last Friday night and the liber-
ation of the convicts. The story of how they
were sent back to Briceville was told In
these dispatches.
From Tracy City 1t is but q short walk
down the mountain to Victoria, where .
large NUM- Der of coke ovens are In operation
and trouble was partially expected after the
outbreak ut Tracy City. Tho suspicion was
well founded, for early Sunday morning lit
tie knots of miners began to congregate,
among them some strangers from Tracy
City, and every mine was visited by
them. They gathered together about 200
well armed men and proceeded toward the
stockade. The squad of guards formerly on
duty at Tracy City, who had taken the leased
prisoners from there to the penitentiary at
Nashville, were enroute to Inman to reiu-
force the mon and protect the prisoners
there.
Captured the Inman Stocknde.
AT Whitewell the train was stopped on a
treste and the relntorcement cut off; then
IA movement was made on Inman. No re-
sistancc was made and 2S2 convicts aud
twenty-seven guards were taken prisoners
by the mob of free miners, led by one II. p.
tieltoc, the party having left Whitewell
secretly last night. The prisoners
were marched to Victoria, loaded
on cars and hauled away. The
stockade was not burned and no damage was
done to the property of the company. Last
night work was ordered suspended, the free
miners having been missing from the village.
The convicts were taken to Bridgeport, Ala,
ana from there sent by the Nashville ~
Chattanooga Railroad company to Nashville
under charge OF E. b. Wade, state superin-
tendent of prisons.
Judge Moon of this circuit. holding courb
at Jasper. promptly and vigorously ordered
the sheriff to summon posse and, If possible,
protect the captured stockade. Tue sheriff
says he cannot secure sufficient force to
enforce the order, but left on the first train
lOr lnrnan. III is ln0ugnJ tnaJ WORK Will D6
resumed in the mines tomorrow morning and
there seems to be considerable uneasiness
among the free miners, thev fearing o
lockout as the result of their action today.
Fired Telegraph Messenger.
The wires were cut early this morning and
communications were sent by round about
circuit to Nashville. A messenger boy on
horseback was busy Carrying reports from
the station at Whitewal to the telegraph
office. The miners ordered him to stop, and
he not needing their orders, was fired on and
the horse shot under nim The stock
ade may not be burned, as the town of
Inman would burn with it, and there is q
high tr, stle of tho branch road built above
the stocKade that would also go, IN which
case 1t would render wory in the mines I'm.
possible. thus cutting off the men who com.
posed the mob as we'll as the conv1cts.
Sheriff Morrison wired Governor Buchanan
the facts in the case this morning, and was
ordered by the governor to summon posse
and protect the company's property. The
sheriff has ADVISED the governor lhat he (the
sherff) Is utterly helrless 10 do anything
toward bringing members Of the mob to
justice.
All the buildings at InmaH and one side Of
the barricade were destroyed by minors with
axes and battering rams. They did 5000
damages and left. Sheriff Morrison then
secured a small posse which is now guarding
the mines TO prevent their escape