St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-16
Tennessee Free Miners In
dulge in More Evictions
Of Conviets.
A Mob Ships Guards and NAL
efactors Out of the In
man Mines.
The Torch Is Not Applied
This Time for Very Good
Reasons.
Law Officers PoWerless to
Cope With the Desperate
Workers.

oloiCo tiC idHlcSSlitSS VI Tic CUdl
Creek miners at Briceville, in Anderson
county, about this time last year, is
again exciting cause for riot and lawleSS
outbreaks in another district. Mutter-
lDgs and threats have been heard for
months, and correspondents who were
on the ground at Briceyille freely state
that there is perfect organization of
all the free miners in the states of Ten
nessee. Georgia and Alabama, sworn to
rid all the mines of convict labor.
NO extraordinary precautions have
been taken to prevent an outbreak, as
the idea has not been received with full
credence. The first intimation was the
unexpected attack on the guards at
Tracy City last Friday night. Tracy
City is in the western branch of the
Cumberland mountains.
New Scene of War.
About One-fourth the way up the val
ley from where the Seguackee river
opens into the Tennessee at South Pitts
burg, the Tennessee Coal, Iron and
Hallway company has mine near the
end OF little spur track Of about eight
or ten miles. This spur leaves the line
at Victoria. where the company has in
operation a large number of coke ovens,
supplied from the surrounding mines,
Of which that at Inman is the principal,
From Tracy City it is but short days
walk down the mountain to Victoria,
and trouble was partially expected after
the outbreak at Tracy City.
The suspicion was we'll founded, for
early Sunday morning little knots of
miners began to cOngIegate together,
among them some strangers from Tracy
City, and every mine was visited. They
gathered together about 200 well-armed
men, and proceeded to the stockade.
The squad of guards formerly on guard
at Tracy City were en- route to lnman to
reinforce the men and protect the pris-
OnerS there.
Convicts and Guards Captured
At Whitewell the train was stopped
on treStle and the reinforcement cut
off; then movement was made on In
man. No resistance was made, and 2S2
convicts and twenty-seven guards were
taken prisoners by a mob of free miners
led By one r. p. Helten, the party
having left Whitewell secretly last
night. The prisoners were marched
to Victoria, loaded on cars and hauled
away by the switch engine. The stock
AIDE was not burned. and no damage
was done to the property of the COM
pany. Last night work was ordered
suspended by the company, the free
miners having been missed from the
village. The convicts were taken to
Bridgeport, Ala. and from there sent
to Nashville under charge of f. b.
Wade. state superintendent of prisons.
Everything is quiet at Inman and the
other company's works in the valleys,
and the members of the mob are re-
turning to their homes.
Judge Moon, of this circuit, holding
court at Jasper, promptly and vigor-
ously ordered the sheriff to summon
posse and. if possible, protect the capt
ured stockade. The sheriff says he
cannot secure a sufficient force to en-
force the order, but left on the first train
for Inman.
BelIiserents Uneasy.
1t is thought that work will be re-
sumed in the mines tomorrow, and
there seems to be considerable uneaSi-
ness among the free miners, they fear
ing lockout as the result of their
action today. The wires were cut early
this morning. and communications were
sent by roundabout way to Nashville.
The stockade may not be burned, as
the town or Inman would burn with it.
and there is high trestie On the branch
road built above the Stockade that
would also burn and render work i'm
possible, thus cutting off the men who
composed the mob as well as the con-
victs. Sheriff Morrison wired Gov.
Buchanan the facts in the case this
morning, and was ordered by the gov
ernor to summon a posse and protect
the property of the company. The
sheriff says the people are so much in
sympathy with the miners that he can
not get a force. He does not know any
of the men in the mob, and has little TO
say. He has advised the governor that
anything towards bringing members of
the mob to justice.
COwardiy Guards.
CHATTANOOGA. Aug. IA special
dispatch from member of the Times
staff sent to the scene of this mornings
outrage says: Utter cowardice on the
part OF the guards was shown, as the
twenty-seven men were strongly posted
and could have kept off the
rioters until assistance arrived.
The miners exercised a rigid
censorship over every dispatch
that went out. AS one result of their
action the mine. with its output of $50
tons per day, will be shut down, thus
throwing 500 free men out Of work and
closing three blast furnaces at South
Pittsburg. A second mob assembled at
Inman this afternoon, and armed with
axes, practically demolished the stock
ade. The roof of the house was crushed
in and the dining hall was wrecked. The
houses were not fired for fear of burn
ing the railroad trestle and several pri-
vate buildings.