The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-10-13
SOLDIERS GUARD THE TOWN
Their Presence in Virden
Has Cowed the Riot
GUS Miners.
SUPERINTENDENT EYsTER'S ESCAPE
Friends Spirited Him Away
and Deceived Strikers With
News of His Death.
SUPERINTENDENT EYSTER'S ESCAPI

NVIRDEN, Ill. Oct. 13. 1S9S.-Tle town Is
as quiet as a country church yard today
Two gatling guns of the Gagesburg Bat
terry on the public square and blue clad
infantryman at each corner in the buslf
ness district, is about the only egidenctl
0f yesterdays riot nUtsida Of The O'SeiIi
home. a story and half cottage. In The
front yard of this humble home stands
hve black covered coffins, on each Of
which is a simple plate, engraved with.
the words, AT rest
Under the lids are me remains Of the
five victims of yesterdays battle at the
stockade of the Chieago-yir Coal
Company.
Coroner Hart has impanelled jury and
will endeavor to place the responsibility
for the shooting.
Colonel McK1light. of the Governors
staff accompanied by Adlutant General
of the Chicag agO- Virden Coal Company and.
served formal notice on Manager HLukens
who has been inside the stockade
throughout the trouble, that the soldiers
would visit the stoc6aese today and dis
arm all inmates. Colonel Mcknight says
that no objections were offered TO this
proposition. lie anticipated no trouble at
that point, and he expresses his opinion
that there WAL be no further outbreak on
the part of either the Union miners or
guards at the stochade-
Colonel Mcknight said that he drove
over from his hone at Girard last night.
On the way he passed numerous squads
Of miners, returning to their homes in
Girard, Mount Olive and neighboring
towns. The parties numbered from half
a dozen to twenty-five or thirty, and in
most cases 13e men were well armed.
" lille martial law has not vet been
declared the town is virtually under con-
troll of tse state troops, under Captain
Craig Of Battery B. First Artillery
Upon arrival of the soldiers from Pana
two Sailing guns We're taken to the pub
lic square, where they command the
business section.
Guards were thrown out and the re-
mainder Of the soldiers were quartered
int he Opera House.
Adjutant General Reese expects troops
A, p, G and p of the First Illinois Cav
airy, and four companies of Sons of
Veterans from Rockford, De Kalb, Ore
gon and Macomb today On their arrival
the special guards in the stockade Will
be disarIned and the soldiers will take
possession.
Two hundred of the striking miners who
have been sleeping in the Miners Union
Hall for several weeks were somewhat
surprised on coming from their quarters
duty at the dor. Each m an was met
with Hold up your hands. The re-
quest was good-naturedly assented to-
however. Each man was thoroughly
searched fruitlessiy for fire arms. Among
the crowds We're several negroes and
from outward appearances there appar-
entity existed the best of feeling between
the white and black union miners
ssGsners,ls. Bradley 4 unique character
among the mine workers and leader OF
delegation of sixty miners from Mount
Olive, returned home today with the re-
mains of the dead Mount Olive miners.
4 think this has been one of the most
internal outrages ever perpetrated on
laboring public he said. Our men We're
shot down like dogs. Our men had orders
to talk the matter over with the mine
people when il came to a crisis and not
to shoot unless fired upon. Instead of ar
bitrating the question, leave for home
with baggage ear Of dead men.
II do not expect any further trouble in
Virden for. the present but j cannot an
swer for the future for there is q day of
reckoning coming when the laboring man
will be given bread instead of bullets
There is a feeling among the people Of
the town who are connected with the
mines that the ViI'den miners are not re-
sponsible for yes terday's tragedy.
One citizen expressed his views in
very emphatic manner. saying that all
the trouble had been caused by outsiders
who came here and induced the local
strikers to acts of violence A striking
incident that bears out this statement is
the fact that in yesterdays bloody work
no single Virden miner was killed and
only one slightly injured
There was a report ont he streets early
that 100 negroes at Pana had been killed
last night and one of the shafts burned.
The report came from Springfield and
thing tranquil there.
The strikers here but lily concealed their
happiness at the first news and there were
many regrets and expressions of hatred
when the story proved false.
Latest reports are that T. F. Eyster.
Superintendent of the Climax Trading
Company. the establishment controlled by
the Chicago-Nirden Coal Company. who
was 50 severely beaten in the scrimmage.
has improved slightly.
Mr.. Eyster is member of the Knights
hi II e-t1 md 40
lodge He was spirited away from the
Buckles Hotel during the night by his
fellow Masons and is now IN hiding at a
private residence. 1t is thought he win
recover.
Rumors to the effect that he died last
night were circulated in order to deceive
the strikers as it was believed by his
friends that should it become known that
he still lived there would be a concerted
action on the part of the miners to fin
iSh their bloody work. Mr.. Eyster. is Il
years old and WAS born in PENNSYLVANIA
INIT came here from Kansas City.
Coroner John Hart to-day went to the
stockade and subpoenaed a number of the
company's miners as witnesses. II is ~
question as 10 whether amy violence Viii
be offered the stoekade miners when tsgex
come from their barrieade to attend the in
quest
q Coroner Hart expressed himself as posi-
i've that no demonstration would be
made saying that all feeling had al las
temD0rarily been subdued by the presence
uf the soldiers but at the same time add
ing Significantly that the subpoenaed
miners would be looked after carefully
while en route to the town hail.
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