The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-02

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STATE AID REQUESTED.
Sullivan County OHiciaIs Confer with
Governor Matthew'S.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal
TERRE HAUTE, Ind, June 1.-The con-
duct of the striking miners at Shefourn.
the Evansville & Terre Haute road to-day
was such that Governor Matthews held
conference here at o'clock this afternoon
with Judge Briggs and Sheriff Mills, of
Sullivan county. The Governor was re-
quested to order out State troops TO pre-
serve the peace. but he prevailed on the
county officials to make another attempt to
hold the rioters in check.
This morning Sheriff Mills accompanied
a train crew. with Train Master Thompson,
TO Shelburn in another attempt to move the
eighteen cars Of Kentucky coal which the
miners captured a week ago. when 1t was
on its way to Chicago. Sheriff Mills at
tempted to read the Governors proclama-
tion. Yesterday the men listened to it in
sullen silence. To-day they would not listen,
and those who remained In hearing distance
put their fingers in their ears. An engine
was coupled to the train. but the miners
swarmed over the cars, set the brakes
threw away the coupling pins and otherwise
prevented the crew moving the cars from
the sidetraek. The wives and daughters of
the strikers stood at one side and encour-
aged them. Finally the effort was aban-
doned and the sheriff 1telegraphsd to the
Governor that he was pewerless to render
sufficient aid The Governor received this
message just as he was leaving Indianapolis
with his STAFF and several State officers
with a number Of ladies, to take part in
the swell reception at the opening of the
new armory of Company b, First Regi-
ment. Indiana Legion. He telegraphed to
Sheriff Mills to meet him here, and at
o'clock the Sullivan county officers came to
the city on special train.
While the gaudily uniformed staff officers
were joyousiy greeting friends in the hotel
corridor Governor Matthews was holding
hurried and unobserved conversation with
the Sullivan county officials and the Evans
VILE & Terre Haute railway managers.
The officials wanted the Governor to call
out the militia, but the executive was not
convinced that the sheriff had exhausted
every resource AS a result of the confe-
ence the sheriff will make one more effort
to move the coal tomorrow by calling out
posse of citizens. Judge Briggs assured
the Governor that he would exert all the
authority of his court to enable the sheriff
to secure a posse That this official will
meet with difficulty in getting a posse
there is no doubt. Even with a posse of
a considerable number 1T is very doubtful
If the coal can be released. The undertake
ing will be a tcklish one. and the 81 ghtest
blunder may lead to serious consequences.
On the train which brought the Govern
or's party to this city there was a COM
pany Of United States soldiers on their
-
militia, and the miners at Brazil and
Knightsville catching sight Of them, it was
not long until the word was sent through
the mining country At Shelburn the msn
were expecting the militia all day. They
do not say what they will do when the SOL
dier boys come, but that they have not
given over the purpose of preventing the
shipment of outside coal is very evident
The doubt is whether they will resist the
militia or permit this lot of coal to be re-
moved and stop the next shipment after
the militia has left the locality. Thers IL
also danger of wreckng trains. There are
hot-headed and desperate young men, who,
1t is feared, may resort to tearing up the
track or destroying culvsrts and bridges
to obstruct traffic. One of the railroad
company officials gwen a tip that If
they succeeded in starting the train at Shell
burn they ought to make careful examina-
ton CT the second car. 1t was intimated
that dynamite had been placed in or undsr
the car.
The strikers deny that the Governor s
proclamation is addressed to them, because
they are not an organized body. They
claim to be acting as individuals. There is
no local assembly Of the United Mine Work
ers in the Shelburn district, where there are
six hundred miners. There was a local
organization some years ago, but the men
withdrew when they lost the elght-hour-day
fight.
1t is expected that il the militia is sent
to Shelburn the miners will at least have a
great deal of their sort OF fun with them.
To most persons their playful pranks take
on a very serious aspect. At Lyford they
amused themselves by catching newspaper
men and threatening to hang them, or by
making strangers walk Spanish" away
from the place where they had side-tracked
the captured coal train. Superintendent
Corbett. OF the Z. & T. H., was at Shell
burn with special engine and caboose the
other day. The men had given him five
minutes to leave town and he was standing
on the platform Of the car waiting for the
signal TO start, when they called to him
not to be in hurry, that he had three
minutes yet" The committee that waited
on him told him that ''the boys wanted
him to leave and had given him five min
utes to do so. When the committee re-
turned to the men the latter were much
aggravated because the message was not
delivered as sent. 1t was: Go tell the
- to take his playthings Especial
train) and get out OF here in five minutes .
One OF the features Of the situation. so
far az the seizure of coal Is concerned. Is