The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-28
4 WHITE ELEPHANT.
Ihat I. what the Montana Coxeyites Are
Now Proving to B..

General Hogan's Montana wing Of
Coxey's commonweal are perhaps much
better satisfied with their situation at
Forsyth than are those who caused their
arrest; in word. they are like the boy
who won an elephant at a rattle they
have got them. but what will they do
with them! Their case has proven to
be without a precedent. and naturally
requires the utmost caution in handling.
Last night the JoURSAL's repres-
entatives visited Forsyth. and found
the situation identical with what
it was fifteen minutes after the capture
on Wednesday night Coxeyites are
in custody Of the Twenty second regi-
ment Of regulars and Lieut.. Col. Page is
waiting for orders. However. the mill
tary are not worrying themselves in the
least. and the officers were found quar-
tered in the old Occidental hotel. Each
softest board he can find in the floor on
which to make his bed. but all are en-
Ioying themselves, and are in excellent
spirits. Col. Page has his headquarters
in Supt. Dorsey's private car. ana affairs
are conducted just as smoothly as il all
modern conyeniences we're at hand. The
other-captors and prisoners occupy
about thirty cars. standing on the side
track few rods southeast Of the pas
senger depot. The first two cars in the
long string are occupied by Deputy
United States Marshal M. j. Haley and
his posse comitatus from Butte. contain
ing about 80 men; then the private car
Of Supt. Dorsey, occupied as military
headquarters. just west OF this stands
the troop cars, 13 in number, accommo-
dating 80 men. and the guard house "a
plain. ordinary box car, well guarded.
comes next. its occupants being General
Hogan and his four chief assistants. On
the extreme west end stands the four
teen cars. partly decorated with flags,
occupied by the commonwealers. the last
! one being the commissary. In front OF
| this last section. in q little hollow be
L
fires around each OF which were groups
OF prisoners engaged in all manners Of
occupations, principally cooking and
eating, but some we're engaged in laun-
| dry work. others were sleeping still 9th
ers we're chatting contentedly, and there
was a long line filing by the commissary,
where the marshal was issuing rations.
Around this scene. dimly lighted by the
campfires and few torches. paced 36 of
the bluecoats. IL was typical prison
camp scene, and some Of the veterans
declared that il carried them back thirty
years or more. The outmost good order
prevails in the town-thanks to the
strict discipline maintained by Col. Page
and while Forsyth contains nearly
1000 extra men there have been no in
fractions Of civil law.
When asked the number Of prisoners
the colonel laughed heartily and said
that there was where the joke came in.
When the deputy marshal made up the
roster on Thursday there we're 33l men
in the prison van. on Friday morning
there were 37s. and Lieut.. Wolfe, the
officer of the guard, last night reported
a further addition Of 20 more from a
freight train which arrived at $50. Col.
Page said men generally were anxious to
break out Of prison, but that he had to
instruct his guards to prevent them from