The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-21
DRIVE THE MOB AWAY
Troops Sent From All Parts of
Colorado.
Quiet In LeadviIIe NOw-RiOt-
ers Flee to the Hills.

Leadville, Colo, Sept. 21-The bloody
phase of the miners strike has come.
Coronado shaft house and machinery
are in ashes. Three men are known to
be dead and two others dying as the re
suit of an attack on Coronado and En-
NETT mines in the dark hours of the
early morning.
The first attack was made upon the
Coronado, which is in the city, being
only a half dozen blocks from the post
Office and surrounded by residences
The Coronado shaft house was built
on large embanIment, enclosed by
logs and the machinery is so feet above
the street level. A heavy plank barri-
cade was erected around the machin-
cry and shaft house when the mine re-
eumed operations last month and the
house was well stocked with provisions.
Wfnchesters and ammunition. Beyond
assaults on working men seen coming
from the mine at divers times. no overt
acts Of violence had been attempted
against this mine, until at l O'clOck
this morning when a few bullets
struck the barricade and the men on
guard prepared for action.
It was a night attack upon the prop
erty- Judging from the sounds OF the
fighting it came from the east. There
was no confusion, no crowd on the
street. The first intimatiOn which
those down town received of the trouble
was number of shots. The shots
came scattered at first, then faster and
faster.
All the streets west of the Coronado
were deserted with the exception of
three or four persons attracted by the
shooting. Suddenly after 25 minutes of
firing a sheet of flame burst out fol-
lowed by a terrible detonation- The at
tacldng party were using dynamite.
The firing then seemed to slack up
slightly. Occasionally a bullet went
through the air and then a sheet of
flame from Eighth or Ninth streets.
1t was evident that an attempt was be
ing made to fire the property. East of
the engine house are several tanks of
fuel oil. and the attack was cOncentrat-
ed on this point There was a sheet of
flames and q sputtering as though of
blazing powder. The engine room was
in flames. A few moments later and
the clang Of the fire engines was heard
coming up the street. But it was not
for them to save the Coronado.
1t was marked for destruction. and
armed men held the fremen at bay
When the hose cart reached the corner
the hose was being unreeled and the
marshal and his men were getting
ready for action, when three men ap-
peared from around the corner and
compelled the firemen with leVeIed ri
nes to stop work.
The flames grew fiercer. The men in
the shaft house were finally driven
from their fort, but fought to the last
AS they ran over the high trestle work
a dozen shots were fired, but the men
reached the dump in safety and es-
capped
BY this time a large crowd had gath
cred, hundreds ready to assist. but held
at bay by the rioters and fire bugs
who were concealed near the building
But presently. as the sheets of flame
rolled over the buildings, it was ap-
parent that unless there was timely
action, the buildings in the vicinity
were doomed
The fremen rallied. for by this time
hundreds of citizens, armed with rifles.
appeared and guarded the fire depart
ment and volunteers. All attention
was devoted to saving the houses in
the vicinity, but in spite of every ef-
fort, four dwellings on East Eighth
street We're DESTROYED
But more terrible even than the hoI-
ocaust of flame was the loss of life.
Jack O'Keefe foreman of hose No. 2
was turning on the water when a bull
let entered his side. He is rnortalIv
wounded and dying in a hospital. An
unknown man was taken to So East
Eighth street, dead, blown to pieces by
dynamite Another unknown man was
mOrtally wounded by dynamite. John |
Mahoney, a miner at the Big Four, who |
was near the Emmett, was shot in the
stomach. He died in the arms of his
companions One of the men who
brought the report had his clothes near /
" all torn off, but was not seriously
hurt
THE ATTACK ON THE EMMETT.
At $50 a. m. an attack was made on
the Emmett. There were over 100 sbO+s
fred. but a telephone message from the
mine states that the attack was re- |
RuASG1 ana LnalL no llNeS are known to /
have been lost and no damage to prop
erty had resulted.
The strike began on the 18th of June |
and therefore enters upon its fourth |
month today. It has paralyzed busi-
ness. caused hunger and suffering in 1
hundreds of families and has cut down /
the mineral output of the camp more |
than One-half.
Last nights bloody battle is believed |
10 De the last desperate move of the |
radical element of the strikers to force |
the stoppage Of all mines that are not |
paying the increased scale of wages de-
manded by the union. Many of the |
strikers have asserted all along that
they would clean out the state'' and |
even government troops if brought /
here, rather than see outside la F0r come /
to the camp. The mine managers who
at first refused to recognize the 11ni0n |
finally offered a compromise. but fhis
vas rejected and all efforts by the cit |
1zens and others to terminate the strike 1
since then have failed.
AL Is quiet here succeeding the ter