Evening star., 1896-09-21
BLOOD AND VIOLENCE
Attack on the Coronado and Emmett
Mines.
FIREMEN at THE POST OF DUTY SHOT
The Governor Appealed to for
Troops.
MILITIA SENT TO THE SCENE

LEADvILLE, Col, September 21.-The
bloody phase of the great miners strike
has come.
Five lives at least were sacrificed in fight
| ing and the work of destruction at the
| Coronado and Emmett mines early this
| morning.
| Following is a list of the dead and it
jured:
Dead-Bert Meyer. James Benson. Poth
| were miners employed at the Coronado and
were killed by the explosion. They were
identified only by means of papers on the
bodies.
Dying-Wm. O'Keefe. foreman of hose
company No. 2. shot through the stomach.
| ]. Higgins, miner, employed at the Coro-
| NADIA, shot eight times in the arms and
| stomach. John Mahoney, miner, shot
| through stomach.
| Injured-Frank Telle, Martin Scott; 5oth
| were Coronado miners. Their wounds are
not believed to be fatal. Mahoney. who
| was shot near the Emmett mine claims he
was there merely a spectator. At least
| three of the party at the Emmett We're seen
| to be hit with bullets, but they were car
ried away by their comrades.
The strike began on the 10th of June and
therefore enters upon its fourth month to-
| day. 1t has paralyzed business, caused
| hunger and suffering in hundreds of fam
| lilies, and has cut down the mineral output
oe the camp more than one-half. Last
| nights bloody battle is believed to be the
| last desperate attempt of the radical ele-
| ment CT the strikers to force the stoppage
| of ali mines that are not paying the In
| creased scale of wages demanded by the
| union. Many of the strikers have asserted
| all along that they would clean Out me
L nd 4
I brought here, rather than see outside labor
| come to the camp. The mine managers.
| who al first refused to recognize the union,
| finally offered compromise, but TINS was
| rejected. and all efforts by citizens and
others to terminate the strike since then
have failed.
| ing is anticipated. 1t is generally believed
| that the mea who fired the Coronado shaft
| and who attacked the Emmett mine, but
| were there repulsed, have fed TO the noun
! tains, and Will be seen no more. They are
| said to be miners from the Occur Alene
| country, who were engaged in the riots
there several years ago. 1t looks as II the
| backbone of the strike was broken, ana
| the outbreak of violence was the hnal
demonstration of the lawless element.
| Attack on the Coronado.
The first attack was made upon the Coro-
nado which is in the city, being only han
| a dozen blocks from the post Office and
surrounded by dwellings The Coronado
shaft house was built on large embank-
ment inclosed by logs, and the machinery
is fifty feet above the street level
| heavy plank barricade was erected around
| the machinery and shaft house when the
mine resumed operations last month, and
the house vas well stocked with provisions,
Winchesters and ammunition. Beyond as
saults on workingmen seen coming from
the mine at divers times, no overt act OF
| violence had been attempted against this
| mine, until l o'clock this morning, when a
/ h,,11 Lots Sfr 10
| men on guard prepared for action. 1t was
| a night attack upon the property. There
was no confusion. no crowds 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 CT
four persons attracted by the shooting.
! Suddenly after twenty-five minutes OF fir-
| ing sheet of flame burst out, followed by
| a terrible deton6tion. The attacking party
| were using dynamite. The firing then seem
. ed to slacken slightly. Occasionally bull
, | let went through the air. and then sheet
| of flame from Sth or 9th streets. Ii was
| evident that an attack was being made to
fire the property. East of the engine house
are several tanks of fuel oil, and the at
tack was concentrated on this point. There
l was sheet of flame and a 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.
Shot Mt the Ffremen.
When the hose cart reached the corner
the hose was being unreeled and the mar
shal and his men were getting ready for
action when three men appeared from
around the corner and compelled the fire.
men, with leveled rifles. to stop work The
men in the engine house were finally
8 driven from their forts, but fought to the
e last AS they ran over the high tres lie
| Sh GraA Tarrx
n O'Keefe, foreman of hose No. ., was turn
: | ing on the water when bullet entered his
1 side. He is dying in a hospital. An un-
| known man was taken to 6l2 East Stll
@ street dead, blown to pieces by dynamite.
: Another unknown man was mortally
d | wounded by dynamite. John Mahoney, a
y miner at the BIG Four, VINO 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 nearly all torn off, but not
| seriously hurt.
;. by this time a large crowd had gathered:
= hundreds ready to assist, but held at bay
@ by the rioters, who were concealed near the
\ | building. But presently, as the sheets of
II flame rolled over the buildings, II was APP
n parent that unless there was timely action
: | the buildings In the vicinity We're doomed.
!: The firemen rallied. for by this time hun
dreds Of citizens, armed with rifles, APP
: peared and guarded the fire department
L and volunteers. All attention was devoted
r to saving the houses in the vicinity, but in
a spite of every effort four dwellings on East
| Sth street were destroyed.
| At 3:30 a.i an attack was made on the
Emmett. There were over a hundred shots
| fired, but a telephone message from the
mine states that the attack was repulsed
e and that no lives are known to have been
t lost and no damage to property resulted.
l. CitiEcns Under Arms.
: The Coronado people heard Of the COM
S ing of trouble last night but the suppose
d tion was that the. attack was to be made
e at the Emmett SooE after the destruction
e commenced many Of the citizens responded
!, quickly armed with rifles and shotguns. bu
i they could do little In fighting the fire ant