The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-07
ARMED DETECTIVES
GUARDING A MINE
Serious Outbreak At 40 Archibald Col.
liery.
BLOODSHED WAS THREATENED
Italian Strikers Take Possession Of
the Forest Coal COmpany's slope
but Upon the Arrival Of Armed DE.
tectives They Flee..TwO Days Of
Turmoil ut the Ridge..Seven Ring.
leaders Are stcd.

Turmoil Mt the Ridge..Seven Ring.
leaders Arrested.
Exciting scenes. which several times
threatened bloOdshed, have been en-
acted during the past three days, but
particularly yesterday and Saturday
at the Forest Coal company's works
on the Ridge near Archibald. A strike
was inaugurated Friday by the Italian
miners and laborers.. With their wo-
men and ohter sympathizers they took
possession of the mine and were threat
ening to do violence to the companys
property when they We're routed by an
armed squad of Barring McSwee-
ney's detectives and local officers.
Seven arrests We're made and Other
ring leaders are being sought for.
The trouble at the mine has been
brewing since Nov. Is. when the COM
pany increased the force of overseers
from one to four These overseers are
virtually contractors. The receive 6k
cents a ton for every ton mined in con-
sideration of their being responsible
for the safety of the miners and the
mine, the company not caring to trust
the inexperienced Italians in the dan
gerous work of robbing pillars. which
is now going on there, without expert
miners to look after Them The ltal-
ians allege that they are fully capable
of caring for themselves and protest
against being compelled to pay these
Overseers who they say do positively
nothing for the money they receive.
The discomfort grew to such an extent
that on Friday last they went out on
strike and ordered everybody else
about the mine to cease work.
There are two openings to the mine,
a shaft and IA drift separated by dis
tance of a little over mile. The strike
was inaugurated i'm the drift, which is
worked almost wholly by Italians
When they on Friday morning deter
mined not to go in, they also resolved
to stop work in the other part of the
mine and We're proceeding to do this,
when the officials of the company met
them and after conference induced
the men to go home. the company
agreeing to have the differences set
tied and the men promising to go to
work in the morning.
ARMED TO THE TEETH.
In cold weather the coal which is
mined at the shaft too late in the day
to be run through the breaker is stored
in cars in the shelter of the slope, so
that the wet coal will not freee in the
cars. Saturday morning when Engi-
neer p. +. Spellman and Fireman Thos.
Cooligan went to the slope with one of
the small locomotives to take out the
fOrty-five cars that had been stored
there the night before, they found the
strikers armed with guns. clubs, knives
and axes blocking the opening to the
slope. They had also placed huge
boulders over the opening to drop
down on the engine If an attempt was
made to run it into the slope.
Seeing that the Italians were des-
perate and determined the engineer
and fireman gave up all hopes of get
ting the coal and ran the engine back
to the shaft. Foreman Henry Chap
man and Assistant Foreman Thomas
]. Kelly, upon being apprised of the
condition of affairs at the slope. went
over to reason with the men, but they
were driven away. Superintendent T..
s. Jones, of Olyphant, and Outside
Foreman +. A. Jones were sent for
but they could not effect anything.
The strikers were not quite so demon
strative in the presence of their en-
ployers. but stolidly refused to allow
the coal to be taken out.
Thereupon Superintendent Jones de-
termined to use force and telephOned
to Barring Il McSweeney's detective
bureau In this city for assistance. De-
tectives s. Scott and X. c. Simpson, Of
the Scranton agency, arrived at Arch
bald at 3 o'clock and with them came
James j. Williams, one of the stock
holders of the company. "A squad was
formed of the detectives, company Of
ficials and a number Of local officers
and taking aboard box of repeating
rifles and ammunition the party board
ed special train for the Ridge. which
is about two miles from Archibald.
When the officers arrived they found
that the strikers had grown somewhat
tired of their vigil and had scattered
Just before dinner time. The news that
Officers had arrived, however. spread
like wild fire and in an incredible short
space of time 200 men and women were
on the scene.
WITH DRAWN REVOLVERS.
Before starting from Archibald war
rants had been sworn out for number
of the ring leaders. One of them was
pointed out in the crowd and Constable
McHale placed him under arrest The
strikers were about to release him
when the detectives with drawn re-
volvers charged upon them and scat
tered them in all directions. Then seiz-
ing their rifles they followed the flee
ing strikers UP the hill to their settle
ment where two more were placed un-
der arrest. The strikers made a show
of resistance when they reached the
Top u tHe Dul WHcu tue OIHCcIS
levelled their rifles and took aim the
strikers again broke and ran to their
castle" a big tenement house in which
no less than sixty of them live and
which is the general rendezvous for the
colony.
The three men who were arrested.
James Most, Sabboth Most and Ralph
Dominick We're committed by Squire
Gildea to the county Jail.
Six detectives from Wilkes-Barr ar
rived in the evening and with the two
who had gone uD earlier and the local
officers kept guard at the mine over
night. In the morning the officers
armed with rifles made descent on
the colony, with twenty-five warrants,
intending to capture all the ringead-
ers in one grand coup. Many of the
leaders fearing arrest had picked up
their belongings and decamped dur
ing the night and others at the ap-
proach of the officers fled into the
swamp near by and as a result only
five We're pla ced under arrest. A num-
the purpose of frightening the fugitives
into hating. but it availed not. Those
who were captured were found in the
castle hiding or just about to escape.
These five. James Boddas. Joseph Most, |
Joseph Most (No. q. James Lewis and
Mike Sibley We're also sent to the cOun-
ty tail to answer with the others the
charges of rioting and malicious mis-
chief
OIIJE,T NOW REIGNS