The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-18

directly after this speech, and proceeded
to make life a burden to the store men,
threatening them with violence. All of
last week Mr.. Douglas had a guard in
the store all night, but as quiet seemed
to be restored, the guard was dispensed
with
who is at the store beside your son ?''
Il do not know, but I recall Mr.. Geo.
Weymouth, son-in-law of Mr.. Cartilage
of the land department here in the San
ia Fe headquarters, and others whose
names 1 do not know, but perhaps no
others from Topeka
What has been the principal griev-
ance?"
Perhaps I had better not attempt
to answer that question. You see the
miners out there are Mexicans, Italians,
Scotch, Irish and a general mixture of
foreigners. The Scotch and Irish, if I
understand correctly, are peaceably in
clined, While the greasers and dagoes
are a british lot. The Italians have
time and again threatened the boys with
death and the burning of every bit of
the cOmpany'S property. The men have
worked only one day in the past two
weeks, and last month only five days
in the whole month
''We1l, how about the disaster of the
13th?"
ION the night of Monday last all was
quiet; the boys closed the store at $50.
Soon afterward my son and another
young man named Ben Rodd, turned
in for the night both sleeping in the
store. My son was restless, couldn't
sleep; a driZZling rain was falling, and
altogether it was a dismal night. About
1:30 he was startled by hearing an I'M
usual noise outside. He woke up Ben
and they went out the back door of the
store, found a box full of combustibles
burning, the flames already tapping up
to the roof. Sending Ben to arouse
Messrs. Douglass, Pratt and Doyle,
Rob kicked the burning box away from
contact with the burning boards, ran
to the hydrant, attached the hose and
i l., 4
off. He then threw a bucket of water
taken from d well, on the flames, which
did no good; running for another buck
ct of water, he had but just turned the
corner of the building when an explo-
sion occurred that shook the whole town
and demolished the store building. They
worked hard to save the goods, but
did not get much out"
did your son lose anything?"
ooh, yes; lost everything he had ex-
cepting the clothes he had on, which
were scant enough. There is no bank
there, so he lost 5000 in money that he
had hidden away and couldn't get on
account of the rush and roar of the
fire. He also lost a fine gold watch
gave him on his 21st birthday. He saved
very little of his personal property-Only
a suit of clothes, a cap, a macintosh,
his bicycle and 40 cents in money
What was saved of the company's
property"
well, here's what Rob says about it:
Very little stuff was saved from the
fire. A few hats and shoes, nearly all
the clothing and trunks, was all. Six
cans of Anderson's jam were rescued
by some daring hero! Nearly every man
and boy in town is today wearing new
hat! The building is completely de-
molished and burned
do they feel satisfied that it was in
cendiary?''
''O1. yesi no doubt of it. OF course
there will, or should be, an investiga-
ton, when I think you will find that
the Iron Brotherhood of Blossburg did
the whole devilment.'
THE company will renunerate your
son, don't you think?"
why, certainly, they should do So
He did all he could to save their prop
erty at the risk of his own life. Oh, I
think they'll be just"
''Win the company rebuild and con-
tinue business?"
That's a hard question for me to an
swer; but I see here in this letter, that
Rob says they will.
81 cannot understand why the news
of this outrage has not been sent, I'M
less such news is suppressed in New
Mexico. The brief dispatch in last ev-
ening's Journal is the first newspaper
mention have seen of it.