The Advocate and news., 1898-10-19
Miners Defend
Their Rights.
Bloody Battle at VIrden, Ill., Between
Miners and Imported Negroes.
FOURTEEN ARE DEAD.

lows:
Ernest Kitterly, miner, of Mount
Olive.
ELLIS Smith, miner, Of Mount Olive
Ed Wash, miner, Of Springfield.
William Blue, miner, of Springfield.
Ernest Kemler, miner, Of Mount Olive.
A. H. BRENNAN, miner, Girard.
Frank Bilyen, miner, Springfield.
Ed Green, miner OF Mount Olive, died
in hospital at Springfield yesterday.
Ernest Long miner, Mount Olive, died
In hospital at Springfield to-day.
D. H. Kiley, chief detective, Chicago.
A. w. Carroll, guard on train, died in
hospital at Springfield yesterday.
AL w. Morgan, guard, Chicago, killed
in stockade.
Thomas Preston, guard, Chicago,
killed at stockade last night.
William Hermon, Of Girard, died at
Springfield tonight.
The number Of injured will not much
exceed twenty OF these few are in
critical condition.
INVADERS FIRED FIRST.
For the past two weeks rumors have
reached Virden daily that train hav-
Ing negroes from Alabama would reach
the city, and the Chicago & Alton has
been surrounded day and uight by Wig
iliant miners determinedly awaiting
their arrival.
Yesterday the Chicago & Alton limited
due to pass here at 10 o'clock shot
through to Chicago an hour later, dis
playing flags on the rear indicating that
a special was following. Immediately
the word was spread and a dense crowd
OF miners lined the station platform,
while another crowd collected at the en-
trance Of the stockade half mile north
Of the station. d. H. Kiley, q Chicago
& Alton detective, stood guard at q
switch at the south end of the station
platform to see that 1t was not tampered
with.
AT 12:40 the special train passed the
station and signal shots were fred from
the south end of the train, announcing
the specials arrival. Immediately shots
were fired from the moving train and
outside. A few moments after the train
had passed the switch where Kiley was
stationed, and while he was talking with
two citizens, he threw up his arms and
dropped dead with a bullet through his
brain. He was the first man killed, The
train continued to the stockade, the
miners firing into II all along the route,
and the negro passengers returning the
fire. The moment the train reached the
Etockade the miners opened desperate
fire with WinchesteTs, revolvers and flre
arms of all descriptions. The negroes In
the train answered with q steady fire
The miners and the train were enveloped
In cloud OF smoke and the shooting
: sounded like continuous volley.
Engineer Bert Tigar received bullet
In the arm and dropped from his seat
His fireman seized the throttle, pulled
1t open and with a jerk the train was
under speed, carrying load OF wounded
negro passengers to Springfield. How
many were wounded is not known. The
train stopped at the stockade but two
minutes, It's departure did not cause the
firing TO cease. The tower of the stock
ade was filled with sharpshooters, armed
with Winchesters, and they kept UP q
nteady fire into the crowd of union
miners. Eye witnesses say the dead
miners were killed after the train had
departed. II is not known how many
men are stationed behind the walls OF
the stockade, but an estimate Is placed
at between twenty-five and forty. Word
was sent from the stockade to physicians
In town that their services were needed.
TROUBLE FOR SUPT. EYsTER.
The supply and provisions store Of
the Chicago Virden Coal Company is
known as the Climax Trading Company,
with Superintendent J. r. Eyster in
charge. AT o'clock, after the firing at
the stockade had subsidized. an attack
without parallel in the history OF the
trouble was made on Eyster In this store
on Main street, one block from the de-
pot, which will probably cost him his