The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-09-24
A. LII (llII & In NJ 2
RIOTING MINERSIN LEADYILLE + LEE
10 THE MOUNTAINS.

CONSERVATIVES Strikers DenOunce the
Action OF the Rioters and De-
clare They, Will Return to Work
"Details OF the Midnight Battle
Mt the Mines-Five Lives at Least
Are Sacrificed In the Fighting.
Leadville, Colo, Sept %. Quiet pre-
walls here now and no further violence
is anticipated. Il is generally be-
lieyed that the men who fired the
Coronado shaft house and who at
tackled the Emmett mine, but were re-
pulsed, have fed to the mountains
and will be seen no more. They are
said to be miners from the Occur
d,Alene country who were engaged in
the riots there several years ago.
The Coronado shaft house is in
ashes and four innocent householders
are homeless as the result of the at
tack upon the Coronado and Emmett
mines. The first attack was made
upon the Coronado, which is in the
city, being only half dozen blocks
from the postofhce and surrounded by
residences. The Coronado shaft house
was built on large embankment en-
closed by logs and the machinery is
fifty feet above the street level. A
heavy plank barricade> was erected
around the machinery and shaft house
when the mine resumed operations last
month and the house was well stocked
with provisions, Winchesters and am
munition. Beyond assaults on work
ingmen seen coming from the mine at
divers times, no overt act of violence
had been attempted against this mine,
until 4 o'clock a few bullets struck
prepared for action.
It was a night attack upon the prop
erty. Judging from the sounds Of the
fight 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 a number of shots. The
shots came scattered at first, then fast
er and faster. All the streets west Of
the Coronado were deserted, with the
exception Of three or four persons at
tracted by the shooting.
Dynamite Used
Suddenly, after twenty-five minutes
of firing, sheet of fame burst out,
followed by terrible detonation, the
attacking party using dynamite. The
firing then seemed to slack up slightly.
Occasionally a bullet went through the
air, and then a sheet Of fame from
Eighth or Ninth streets. 1t was evil
dent that an attic ,pt was being made
to fire the property.
East of the engine house are several
tanks Of fuel oil, and the attack was
concentrated on this point. There was
a sheet Of flame and sputtering as
though of blazing paWder. The en-
CINE rooms was in flames. A few mo-
ments later and the clang of the fire
engines was heard coming up the
street. But it was not for them to
save the Coronado. It was marked for
destruction. Five armed men held the
fremen at bay. When the hose cart
reached the corner, the hose was be-
ing unreeled and the marshal and his
men were getting ready for action,
when three men appeared around the
corner and compelled the fremen,
with threats, to stop work. The men
in the shaft house were finally driven
from the fort, but fought to the last.
AS they ran over the high trestle work
dozen shots were fired, but the men
reached the dump in safety and es-
capped.
+ By this time 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 fame rolled over the buildings it
was apparent that unless there was
timely action the buildings in the vi
entity were doomed. The firemen raj
lied, for by this time hundreds of cit
liens, armed with rifles, appeared and
guarded the fire department and vol
unteers. All attention was devoted to
saving the houses in the vicinity, but
in spite of every effort, four dwellings
On East Eighth street were destroyed.
: Attack Upon the Emmett.
+ At $3.50 a. m. an attack was made
on the Emmett. There were over a
hundred shots fired, but the attack was
repulsed.
The Coronado people heard of the
coming Of trouble but the supposition
was that the attack was to be made
at the Emmett. Soon after the de-
struction commenced many of the cit
liens responded quickly, armed with
rifles and shotguns, but they could do
little in fighting the fire and dynamite.
Foreman O'Keefe was shot from be-
hind just after he turned stream on
the fire at the Coronado. The first at
tack at the Coronado was made with
dynamite near the oil tanks. The men
within the enclosure returned the at
tack and a fusilade' Of bullets followed,
but the dynamite did its work well.
& It is charged that the lawlessness
was due to a mob of strikers, princi-
pally from the Occur d'Alene country,
who have long been breeding trouble
4 in Leadvillc, and who, seeing that the
strike was nearing an end, were de-
termined to make final stroke. This
assertion is largely made BY the peace
full miners of the camp There was
every evidence that the strike was
broken. Many miners had announced
their Intention of going to work. At
ter being repulsed at the Emmett mine
n the mob, which numbered not over
fifty persons, fled the town and are
hiding in the hills Hundreds Of miners
say they will go to work at once. They
utterly denounce the extremists and
say their action has lost the miners
the strike. s54
Five men were killed and half
dozen injured in the fight. All the.
killed and injured are miners except
$WiIliam& O'i[eefe a fireman. who was