Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1892-08-18
OUTBREAK AT THE MINES
Several Hundred Consicts Orivsn
Away Fror, Tracy City.
ahers fhen aepsy the Torch to the STOCK
sd~~-Csavtsts Killed and wounded
Whiis Attempting To E.e,ys

NAsHvILLx. Tenn. Aug. il-Thrce
hundred and sixty-one eonvicss arrived
here tonight in charge Of Warden Bur
ton and atty guards They we're driven
away from Tracy City By coo armed
mfnerA Between Sewanee and Mout
Eagle the convicts cut the train and ten
Of them made a break for liberty. Sew
eral shots were fred Mat Wilson,
white. was killed. and Tom Wilson, col
ored. wounded Six OF eight made good
their escape.
Four hundred armed mine-s called
Capt Burton. the warden. from his
house and told him 20 move his convicss
out Every piece Of property belong
Ing 70 the Tennessee Coal. Iron & Rail-
road Company was car~fally removed 20
safe distance and the convicts. who
were In the stockade. were let out under
guard Then the torch vas applied AMI
a. o'clock the buildings were n mass Of
flames The loss Is $4,000.
The miners At once proceeded TO the
| mines, took possession Of the convict.
| and marched them to the railroad sta
| zion and loaded them in box cars The
telegraph wires were then cut and q
guard was placed over every engine in
the yards to prevent IL from carry ing
news down the mountains
The Tracy City mines are situated in
6rundy County and are among the most
extensive mines in the STATE. In these
mines convict labor was arst employed
in January, 1871, the first convicts hzv-
ing been taken 70 the Table Creek In
October. I-so. According to the report
| Of Commissioned % Labor Ford. made q
the tiovernor Aguss -. 1871. there we're
employed II the Tracy City mines TWEEN
| ty-tours whites for miners and All con
vtcts, forsv-cne Of whom we're white and
go eolores- These mines are owned By
the Tennessee Coal. Iron & Railroad
Company and 100 convicts we're at work
there when they were turned out By
the mob and the stockade burned IL is
thought that the Coal Greek miners will
attack the stockade there tonight The
garrison OF .o1 soldiers are prepared for
the seige.
THE SITUATION NJ COAL cKEEK-
KNOXVILLE. Team, Aug. Is.-The re.
lease and capture Of the convicss at
Tracy City today vas a surprise here.
Since the labor troubles in Psunsyl-
vania there has been much unrest al
Coal Greek The militia force which
had been reduced from $50 TO .5. has
haer sr-axu f,s.-a,uaA n.--fws - 4.
past ten days hfty additional miIitis
men have been added To the force Er
camp. There il the most bitter feeling
between the miners and troops, and
none would venture away from the
camp alone. ~ 4 militia man had occa
sion to visit the railroad depot or post
Office be was always accompanied by .
squad heavily armed
The men in the camp have been ex.
| peeting trouble daily for a week. Cen
Anderson. who II in command. has done
everything to strengthen his fortidca.
tions and Is prepared for an attack
Should an attack be made, the Gatline
gun will be used with deadly earnest.
ness. as we'll as the army rifles The
leaders OF the men have been expect
ing trouble and were fearful they could
net prevent it. They sent a COMMITTEES
TO Nashville Thursday with q petition
| from the miners. asking that the troops
| be removed This committee was closeteG
with the Governor today when the newi
came Of the capture at Tracy City.
The action of the miners at Tracy
City was not generally known to tn.
people at Coal Greek until 9-5o O'Clock
| tonight when the evening paper.
reached here. A telegram received ai
| 10 o'clock reports all quiet at Coal Creek
Il is known that the military authori
ties az Coal Greek are in communication
with Nashville. The operator there,
however. will be forced 10 tell the
miners Of all the messages, As they will
take possession OF his oeice In case sl
| trouble.
IL the miners in the Coal Creek dis
triet are not perfectly aware Of the
trouble at Tracy City the whole regior
will be fired when the facts are known
The convicts at Oliver Springs may Be
captured at any moment, As there Is nc
soldiers there
CAUSE or THE RIOT.
CHATrANooGA, Tenn, Aug. Ia--H. "
Darling. of the engineers Office at Nash.
Vile. was in Cowan when the Liberation
| Of the convicts occurred. lie 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
| the free workmen waited upon agents
of the company and asked that when
work frightened up the positions oper
| should be given TO free men The agents
said the requests would be considered,
but when more help was needed put in
eonvicts- 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 ut Coal Greek between
the State troops in the garrison there
and the tree miners is apt to follow the
outbreak today at Tracy City. Onscer.
Of the garrison at Coal Greek. who have
been here within 4 short time, stated
that in one way or another notice had
been given them that the miners and
their friends proposed to attack the
soldiers. and for a fortnight an attack
has been looked for nightly. The gar