Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-04-21
BLOODSHED AGAIN..
Two Fatalities in the Fight at
Tracey City.
ATTACK ON THE CONVICT sToCKADE

RebelIious Miners Fire Through the
Portholes-A Demand for the Release of
the Convicts Refused, and the battle
Opens-Gnards Repulse Their AssaIi-
ants-Treacheryo of a Prisoner
NASHVILLE, April 21.-The cause OF the
sudden departure of troops froom this city
was the news of an early morning attack
of the miners OH the convict stockade at
Tracey City. The attack was repulsed
with the loss of two lives as far as known
at this writing. OF the miners one Bob
Irwin was killed and two-Matthew Par
sons and another unknown-were wound
ed. Guard Walden was fatally wounded
and Deputy Warden Shriver shot in the
head-not seriously. The troops sent for
ward were two companies OF infantry and
a section of artillery-about 200 men in all.
Guards Ready for Trouble.
Warden Burton was in Nashville-Dep-
uty Warden Schriver being in charge-but
when he learned OF the intended attack
left at once for the front. Deputy Warden
Schriver had not been idle and when his
chief reached the stockade he found about
forty men on guard amply supplied with
ammunition. Pickets had been posted
outside the stockade and spies had been
detailed to ascertain the time and method
of attack. \ few minutes before II o'clock
Deputy Warden Schriver, Sheriff Sanders
and ex-Sheriff DeJarnette head a loud
knock at the stockade gate. At once the
gate swung back on its hinges and there
in the gloom stood three men heavily
armed.
Were Not Making Any Terms.
upon what terms will you release the
convicts?" asked the tallest of the men a
strapping young fellow of about p
"They will not be released at all" replied
the deputy.
"Well, we will have them, said the lead
er, at the same time saying that he and
his companions represented 100 miners and
that they had the dynamite and the arms
to do it. Then he held up in his hand 81
dynamite cartridge. such as is used in
blasting away coal, and was on the point of
making a threatening movement when the
deputy warden and the sheriff seized him
and dragged him Inside the gate and closed
it. AS soon as their companion was
seized and before the guards could get
their hands on them the other two walked
rapidly away. brandishing their arms as
they went.
The Fight Was Muzzle to Muzzle.
The captured miner had hardly been
gotten inside the little room near the gate
before the guards heard the patter of the
lead hail from score of weapons. BY a
preconcerted Fsignal-sthe shots came from
every side of the stockade, and the guards
were for moment carried completely off
their feet The miners had closed in on
the stockade, and were actually poking the
muzzles of their guns through the port
holes In an instant the guards were at
their posts and then the fusillade from the
outside was answered by a volley from the
inside. The miners, however, had the ad
vantage, as the lights inside enabled them
to see every movement of the beleaguered
inmates The latter, however, took the up
per portfolios. and the battle ragged fur
iously for few minutes.
Expected Die in their Tracks.
Fully 500 shots were fired and every man
On the inside expected every moment to
be his last. Deputy Sheriff Schriver had
climbed into the second story of the stofk-
ade where he could look down on the
beseigers. He had hardly gotten into the
room before a miner saw him in the
lamplight and drew a bead on him. Schri-
yer, however, saw his game and both fired
almost simultaneously. Schriver was shot
twice in the right side of the face, while
his adversary fell dead In the meantime
the captured leader. who proved to be a
young miner named Joe Grantham, had
been released by Sheriff Sanders upon a
promise that he would go out and stop the
fight.