Rocky Ford enterprise., 1894-06-14

sale arrests, which would permit the employ
ment of great numbers Of non-union men, and
later a quiet boycott Of union men.
1t was also reported that the deputies were
moving from Divide towards the camp. These
the place Of joy. The picke,s were again
rarily.
A special dispatch to the Denver Neys early
Wednesday morning was In substance a. fol-
lows:
At 10 O'Clock Tuesday night all the news
paper correspondents at Divide were invited
to tho headquarters of the deputies and then
kept locked up for several hours to prevent
news getting out Then the 1,20O deputies
were ordered to advance. At 12 80 midnight
the deputies were ready to leave for Midland.
Fifteen box cars had been pressed Into SER
vice and all the men and ammunition loaded
into them. At 2 o'clock this morning Camp
Divide was deserted. At 6 O'Clock firing was
heard in the direction of Midland. At dawn
the scouts and artillcrymen will be In pos
session of Beaver Park. After that COM
mittee composed of United States Marshal
Hill and demand that certain strikers be
turned over. Neither Bowers or Veatch was
at the camp and 1t was not known who was In
command.
The reported departure of the deputies
from Divide was found to be correct At
noon they had reached Gillette where they
encamped at q distance Of four miles from
Bull Hill. They had pitched their tents in
t1,n ,ar
can flag.
This advance angered the miners and Gov
ernor Waite. The latter declared that Bow
ers and his force had violated an armIstice.
A dispatch was received by the governor at 2
p. m. Wednesday, saying that Bowers force
would not advance farther until the militia
reached 1t, and then the deputies would fol-
low the troops.
1t was stated that early Thursday morning
Deputy United States Marshal Brown and
Deputy Sheriff Warren would go up Bull Hill
under flag of truce and ask 200 miners for
whom they held warrants to surrender. 1t
was reported that most of the men for whom
warrants are out have left the district and
that not more than a dozen suspects would
be on tho hill Thursday. The end Of the
strike, as far as convictions are concerned,
may be the same us that In the Occur d'Alene
mining district.
1t appeared later that the advance of the
deputies was due to the lack Of military
head Who 1t was who gave instructions to
open fire could not be learned, but about 200
shots were exchanged between the advance
guard of the deputies and retreating pickets
of the guard.
The deputies appeared to be anxious for q
fight. 1t is thought that real hostilittes
might have commenced II courier from
Sheriff Bowers had not reached camp with
orders to walt for the militia.
The troops from Denver, Boulder and Colo
RADIO Springs, after long wait at the latter
point, were finally transferred to the Midland
trains as there was no prospect of getting to
Cripple Creek by way Ct Florence. They left
the Springs at 6 p. m. and were expected to
be with the deputies carly Thursday morning.
The companies from western points were also
nearing the scene Of war. The Lake City
company promised that they would not fight
the strikers.
Governor Waite sent to General Brooks the
following order: "When you arrive, the
miners must be protected from the deputies.
Allow Sheriff Bowers to pass through your
lines as an individual, but not with armed
deputies"
In explanation he said: "The militia has
gone there to restore the peace. II the sher-
III goes to make wholesale arrests Mt this
time, with armed deputies, he will precipitate
trouble. Twill never allow that, and that is
why sent that dispatch to General Brooks"
The miners had telegraphed the governor
that they would surrender to the militia but
not to the deputies.
Some of the horses in the deputies camp
got away during Wednesday night and the
scouts under Captain Bramlett went after
When near to the cnd of Grassy valley, in
the midst of which the camp is pitched, the
pickets of the miners, camped on the ridge Of
the foothills below Bull Mountain, opened
fire on the moLlted scouts They were about
700 yards apart. A lively skirmish ensued,
but the only casualty was the shooting of of
n miners thumb. The deputies werc getting
closer to the miners and they state that they
would have dislodged them from their shelter
but Commander Veatch ordered retreat on
the partof the deputies. About 100 shots
were exchanged One shot was fired from
the cannon. The rank and file Of the depu-
ties were extremely eugcr for fight and it
was hil tnaJ tneir lcauerS cOulu uo " Ecstrulu
them during the day. The miners seemed
ready for u brush.
1t was about three o'clock in the afternoon
when the first detachment Of the state troops
left the Midland stage road and marched
over the sodden prairie by Gillett and through
the camp of the deputies. The troops pitched
their tents on Beaver park, between the two
camps, with guns unlimbered and
rifles ready to open fire on either deputies or
miners If one attempted hostile move
against the other. The guards were grateful
in military way that their hard journey was
over.
The leaders of the deputies, by request Of
General Brooks, called in such of their scouts
as faced the miners pickcts and they were
replaced by guardsmen. This was done to
prevent any desultory shooting during the
night.
Just what was to be done Friday was not
known. 1t is probable that Brooks and
will call on the miners to surrender
Bull Hill in the morning.
Sheriff Bowers stated that he would go to
Bull Hill in the morning to serve thirty odd
he has for the arrest Of the miners
for various ofTenses. He said he would be
by some of his men and by
detachment of militia. The sheriff said from
what he hsd learned within the last few days
he did not anticipate any trouble.