Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-08-26
BURNED The STOCKADB.
Trouble Between Miners and
COnYictS in Tennessee.
A Prison DESTROYED and the Iu-
mates Sent Away.

4 Nashville (rennl dispatch says that the
scenes enacted at Briceville, Goa; Creek and
Oliver Springs one year ago when the free
miners rose up in arms against convict la
Dor and capturing the prison stocka ie ap-
piled the torch to them, have been reoeatsl
at Tracy City, the stockade at the branch
prison there being burned. Ia this case tn
cOnvCtS were not releases, but the 800 men
were taken from the stOckades aud mines
placed on board box cars and sent to Nash
vile. The wires were cut by the miners to
prevent communication between the local
representatives of the Tennessee Coal, Iron
and Railroad Company and the home Office
in Nashville, and all the engines in the rail-
road yards were held for a similar purpose,
but the cOnvicts were guar led.
At O'CLOCK A. NJ. committee Of miners
awoke b. y. Nathurst, Superintendent Of
the mines for the Tennessee Coal, Iron and
Railroad Company, and asked him that the
miners be allowed as many hours work in
each week as the convicts Mr. Nathurs5
replied that he would submit the matter to
the company and do what he could.
The committee then left, and Mr.. Nathurst,
knowing that secret, oath-bound organi.
ZatiOn had been formed some weeks ago for
purposes unknown, at once began to suspect
trouble. He went to Deputy Warden Bur-
ton, and together they began to circulate
among the miners, who were gathering in
quiet.
At $50 o'clock an organized body of $50
men, 100 OF them armed, advanced on the
stOckade. To capture it was the work of a
minute. Without undue confusion every
piece of property belonging to the Tennessee
Goa, Iron AMI Railroad Company was care
fully removed to a safe distance, and the
convIcts who were in the stockade were led
out under guard.
Then the torch was applied, and at 9
o'clock the buildings were mass of flames.
The miners at once proceeded to the Mines
took possession of the convicts, marched
them to the railroad station, and loaded
them in box cars. Next the telegraph
wires were cut and guard was placed over
every engine in the yards to prevent it from
carrying the news down the mountain.
Between Sewanee and Monteagle the con-
victs cut the train in two, and ten OF fifteen
made a break for liberty. Several shots
were fired. Mat 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.
There has been much dissatisfaction
among the free miners at Tracy City be-
cause of the lease system, which allowed
the bulk of the work to be done in the mine
by convicts. Yet the miners at Tracy
CITY have been among the most cOnserva.
tive in the State, an the company has had
very little trouble with them. They have
been determined to support no party can
didate in the coming election shat was not
pie ged to the prompt abolition OF the sys-
tenn. Governor Buchanan stated that the
cOnvictS would be brought to the main
prison at Nashville and kept until new
stockade could be built, when they would he
returned: as had been done at Coal Creek.