The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-12
NEGRO MINERS RlOTOUS
GOVERNOR TELEPHONES THE DA-
WEISS COUNTY OFFICIALS.
Must Not Tolerate Armed Disturb ers-
Trouble Caused by Men Imported
to Take Strikers Places.

An alarming state of affairs exists in Da-
viess county. The community is being ter
rorized by a gang of armed negroes who
were imported last summer from Kentucky
to take the place of striking miners in the
Cabel 81 Hoffman mines at Washington.
These negroes have been the cause of con-
slant trouble since their importation, and
recently numerous acts of outlawry have
been committed by them. The most fragrant
of these acts occurred last Saturday night,
when five of the negroes held the whole po-
lice force of Washington at bay. Such is
the condition of affairs that one of the
prominent citizens of the town wrote to
the Governor yesterday, in which he por-
trayed a state of affairs that seems to de-
mand active measures on the part of the
State. The Governor decided to act prompt
ly and during the day called up the sheriff s
office of Daviess county by telephone, and
had a talk with the deputy sheriff.
The Governor gave the official to under
stand that the presence of armed negroes
in the town was not to be tolerated, and
that he hoped the prosecuting attorney of
the county would Immediately take steps
to prosecute all the offenders and bring to
end the lawless state of affairs. The
deputy sheriff \ protested that everything
was peaceable, but stated that three of the
gang which defied the police had been ar
rested and that each had had a revolver
two on his person. The Governor was
very emphatic in his statements to the dep
uty, and intimated that the State may take
a hand in restoring order in Washington if
the local authorities We're unequal to the
task The Governor said last night that he
had reason to believe that the trouble at
Washington was of a serious nature, and
that, while the course to be pursued by the
state authorities would depend upon the
events transpiring at the scene of trouble,
the whole matter was now receiving earnest
consideration. He said it was a difficult
problem to determine what could be done
in regard to it.
THE OPERATORS SCHEME.
The presence of the negroes has been a
source of trouble for many months. For
long time after their importation they
We're kept in an armed camp, well barri-
caded from possible assault. The labor
commissioners visited the scene and at
tempted to settle the strike, but the OPP
orators refused fatty to arbitrate. The COM
mission subsequently made report to the
Governor severely scriticising the mine own
ers, and the Governor notified the latter
that their importation of negroes to take
the place of citizens of the State in the
mines was an act prejudicial to the best
interests of the State, and that in case of
any trouble the state authorities would give
the operators but small consideration. In
stead of returning the negroes to their for
mer homes, however, the mining company
persisted in employing them and in permit
ting them to go armed. 1t is said also that
the company is determined to break up the
miners organization and to run it's mines
without much regard to the laws for the
protection of the interests of the miners.
The company exercises much influence in
the county, and is said to be instrumental
in not permitting the real state of affairs to
be made known outside the county.
The affair of Saturday night at Washing
ton is an evidence of the high-handed man
ner the negroes are conducting them
selves. Six of them took possession of the
streets of Washington, and when the city
marshal and his two deputies attempted to
stop the disturbance they leVeled their guns
at the officers and forced their retreat The
deputy sheriff says there is no doubt
but the marshals would have been
killed had they attempted an arrest Two
of the negroes were caught the next day
and lodged in Jail. One of them acknowi-
edged that he would have shot one of the
officers had he made one step toward him.
On Thursday a third armed negro came to
the jail and was sympathlZing with the
two in prison, when he was also placed
under arrest. The whites are said TO be
arming and preparing to protect them
selves