Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-10-19
DEARMED BY TROOPS.
Soldiers Now Control the Situa-
ton at virden.
FOURTEEN KILLED DURING FIGHT.

General Opinion Is That tho Worst Is
Over and That Fighting Will Not Be
Resumed-Even the Mayor of the Town
Compelled to Hand Over His Revolver
to the soldiers-Troops VIII Stop I'm
ported Men from Taking Strikers Places.
Virden, Ills, Oct. 13.-The arrival Of
1880 was followed by desperate bat
tie. Five hundred shots were exchanged
between the strikers on one side and
Sheriff Davenport and his deputies and
railroad police on the other side. 1t is
thought that at least twenty men on
both sides were killed or wounded. The
best information is that ten were killed,
five MORALLY wounded and five serious
1y wounded. A Chicago and Alton spe-
cial policeman is among the killed. His
name is said to be d. Kiley.
Virden, Ills, Oct. ia warrant has
been sworn out charging Fred Lukens,
manager of the Chicago-Virden Coal
company, with murder and conspiracy
to murder This warrant, which was
taken out before Magistrate A. j. Rob-
erts, also makes the charges against
President Loucks and number of
guards
Virden, Ills, Oct 14.-Scarred build
ings. broken glass and the subdued ex-
element of the people remain to re-
mind the onlookers of Wednesdays
riot, in which fourteen were killed and
twice as many wounded. During the
night, as near as can be ascertained,
none of the injured had died. Captain
Craig of battery B, Galesburg. with his
command and a company of militiamen
from Elgin, controls the city. The
miners have given up their arms and
the men holding the stockade have
been ordered to do likewise. The sum-
mons was delivered to them at mid
night by Colonel Mcknight of Governors
Tanner staff, and no opposition was
met. Even the mayor. it is said, was
compelled to deliver up his pistol.
Lukins Behind the stockade.
Manager Fred Lukins Of the Chicago
Virden Coal company, is behind the
stockade and fears to show himself
away from his guard. 1t is believed
that should the manager show himself
in the streets not even the presence
Of the soldiers could restrain the min
ers' fury. At present all is quiet. The
malcontents seem to realize the serious
ness of their position and the fallacy
of attempting to resist disarmament.
Two hundred who spent the night in
the miners hall were without diff
Guilty relieved of their weapons by four
soldiers Of the Galesburg battery. Ad-
jutant General Reece spent the night
In a passenger coach near the place
where the battle began the day before.
In accordance with instructions from
Springfield he gave Captain Craig d.
rections to maintain peace. to protect
property and prevent the landing of
out-of-town miners to take the place
OF the men who have been so long on
a strike. ,a
r Thinks the Trouble Is Over.
Adjutant General Reece said: II
think the trouble is all over now; there
will be no more fighting, for all the
weapons in town will soon be guarded
by the soldiers. I expect four troops
of cavalry, which, with the force al
ready here, about 140 strong, will be
sufficient to keep quiet a much larger
crowd than the miners now muster"
Sympathy here is all with the miners,
although the attack on the train is not
countenanced by thinking men. In
palliation of the offense, however, their
long siege of starvation is taken into
consideration. While neighboring OPP
orators for the most part paid a scale
out of which the laborer could make
q fair living for himself and family, ac-
cprding to the Springfield agreement,
Manager Lukens. it Is alleged. refused
to live up to his pledges, hence the
miners refused to work and suffered
terribly for the greater part Of year.
In Command OF the Stockade.
Captain Charles A. Fervier, COM
manding Company B, Sons Of Veterans.
Of Elgin, Ills. is in charge of the stock
ade built by the Chicago Virden Coal
company. With part of his men he
entered the stockade at o'clock and
disarmed the Thiel detectives from st.
Louis and the local deputies employed
by the operators. The men within the
stockade offered no objections to Cap
tain Fervier's command to lay down
their arms. At 10 o'clock Manager Luz
kens asked Captain Ferviers permits
sion to go up town to have a consulta-
ton with Adjutant General Reese. The
permission was accorded him and ten
militiamen were detailed to escort him.
Mr.. Lukens knew Of the bitter feeling
that the miners had for him and at the
last minute decided that 1t would not
he wise for him to attempt the trip.
Instead he sent a request for General
Reese to visit him at the stockade.
First Shots Fired in the Air.
M. Turner. one Of the guards sta
toned in the yards south of the town
to announce the approach of the train
carrying the negroes, says he fired the
first shot as a signal to the main body
of miners near the depot. The miners
had agreed. he says, that ten shots in
rapid succession should be the signal
that the train was approaching. Turner
says ne fired the shots. shooting in the
air, and that the men on the train
answered with volley into the crowd,
whereupon the firing became general
Men are swarming into Virden upon
every train and highway. The most of
them are miners, but those who came
into the town are unarmed.
FOURTEEN WERE KILLED.