The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-07
DLSGRACEFUL oUTRAGEs.

| oUdAiuOAiCo tAlOlA pan.
DISGRACEFUL OUTRAGES.
InvaIids, Women aud Children Driuen
From Their Homes.
| PRINCETON, ILL, Aug. 6.-The Italian
miners of Spring Valley made an attempt
to carry out their resolution of yesterday
to expel all the colored people remaining
| in the city, and the result was one of the
most disgraceful outrages ever perpetrated
in Bureau County. Innocent women and
children were driven from their homes,
abused, insulted and. their trunks and be-
| longings dragged about and despoiled.
| The affair outside of Spring Valley has
created sensation and the news spread
rapidly. Condemnation of the proceed
| ings is coming from every quarter. The
| ''location" presented dismal scene during
the latter part of the day. Wagons were
hurrying about gathering up household
| goods and carrying them off on all the
| principal highways. During part of the
| time Martin Delmargo, the Italian Mayor,
| accompanied by several Italian members
| of the police, were on the grounds watch
| ing the proceedings. Mayor Delmargo
said he was there to see that the negroes
got away peaceably, but if this was his
purpose he did not accomplish what he
went for. Governor Altgeld has interested
himself in the matter, and it is hoped by
the friends of law and order that the reign
of mob law in Spring Valley will soon be
| at an end.
| At o'clock this afternoon Sheriff Clark
of Princeton received message from him.
In it the Governor asked for information
on the subject and wished to know what
was being done by the officers of the law.
Sheriff Clark replied, giving brief history
of the events that have transpired, being
substantially in accord with the dispatch.
He also said that the authorities in Spring
Valley were doing nothing, and that he
had not even been called upon by the
Mayor for assistance.
At 2 o'clock to-day the committee ap-
pointed at Yesterdays mass-meeting to see
that the negroes were out of town by
o'clock this evening commenced opera
tions. Going to the location, where only
| the women, children and invalids were
left, they notified these to have their
traps ready and be out inside of two hours.
Many who were slow were roughly han
died and their goods kicked about and
broken up. The same circumstances pre-
vailed in every part of the city where the
negroes lived or had taken refuge.
AS the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
passenger train on the Streator and Wal
nut division pulled into the city, lot of
negro refugees. who had been waiting
breathlessly for the train for few minutes
boarded the cars like lot of wild animals
in fear of their pursuers. Among the
number was colored woman about 80
years old, accompanied by three little chill
dren who were terrified almost into insan-
| ity. She said that the children had been
abused and herself chased to the depot by
! mob of Italians, who had threatened to
take her life.
| Supervisor Pickett of Hall Township
gave all negroes an order on the county
treasury for the price of ticket to Chi
cago, which were made good at the depot.
| The passenger train had got out of
| Spring Valley but few blocks when the
| engineer saw colored girl about % years
| old coming out of the woods and running
toward the train. The engineer stopped
at once and took the girl on. She said
that.a crippled relative had started from
her home with her, but that he had been
! shot in the shoulder, and as he could not
move fast had been left behind.
| The indications are that the strike of
miners will be continued for some time.
| The miners who are under the control of
| the Italians held secret meeting to-day,
at which it was decided to remain out until
the Spring Valley Coal Company would
give assurances that they will not in the
future give employment to negroes. The
company, however, will not be dictated
to and have so notified the strikers.
Aside from the rioting in driving the
negroes from the town this afternoon, and
the stopping of men from working in the
shafts of the coal company this morning,
everything has been quiet on the surface
in the town to-day. Several secret meet
ings of the non-English speaking miners
has been held but beyond deciding to con-
tinue the strike little is known of their
doings. An excuse the Italians made for
driving out the negroes is that they have
proven to be such thieves that they could
no longer tolerate them.
SPRINGFIELD, ILL, Aug. 6.-Governor
Altgeld tonight dispatched Colonel Hugh
E. Boyle, assistant adjutant-general, and
George Schilling, secretary of the State
Bureau of Labor Statistics to Spring VAL
ley, to thoroughly investigate the situation
and report to him.