The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-15
MIR. LUKENS's STORY.

General Manager Lukens, of. the Chi
cago Virden Coal company, today made
the following statement in regard to
the wages paid by his company and
the demands of the strikers:
Under the old scale of wages, prior TO the
summer OF 1897, the pay at our mines was
20 cents per ton. mine run, and fairly good
miners miners could and did earn 81 25 per day of ten
hours. free OF all expenses. The pay rolls
show an average of 1929 per day net for every
miner In the mine with a range of 81 10 To
$4.06 per day. The price of powder has haa1
reuuceo 5O cents keg since then which
makes material increase In the miners
wages. At the price miners are demanding.
40 cents per ton, an average miner can made
from ~ to "a per day and a good workman
would nave no difficulty in earning IS Ter
DAY. We have had men in our Virden mine
working at 55 cents per ton screened coal,
which equals about % cents per ton at mine
run, make over Sc per day
The charge that the Chicago-Virden Goal
company is expressing its miners and is not
willing to pay its employees living wages ia
absurd and IS not entertained for a m0ment
by people who are familiar with the SITUATION
Inc miners are fghting to get all they nos-
81 ~ can Ior their labor. We do not object
70 tne men making good wages, the more
the better. Ali we desire is an opportunitv
70 get our coal dug at a price that will
allow us to enter the market and sell our
coal without loss to ourselves end th+s 20
impossible at the rate of pay demanded bv
the union workmen. ~
property, and has prohibited us from operlt-
Ing our mines
Col. Young, the militia commander
visited the stockade during the day and
had a consultation with Manager
Lukens. 1t was at first arranged to
continue the cOrOner's inquest at the
town hall, and take the coal company
witnesses down town under miIitary
escort. This order was countermanded
by Col. Young, who instructed the cor
0ner to adjourn to the stocka6e and
there examine Manager Lukens and
the company witnesses
CORONER'S INQUEST.
When the coroner's jury arrived at
the stockade, they were accompanied
by Hon. J. w. Patton, Of Springfield.
VINO is Manager Lukens attorney, and
also by representative of the legal
department. of the Chicago & Alton
road, who is here looking after the in
terests Of the road
The most important testimony wa :
that of J. A. Debarrow, of East ST.
Louis, who was in charge of the sracial
guards on one of the cars Of the train
that was fired on in Wednesdays bat
tie In his statement Debarrow said
that when the train carrying the I'm.
ported negroes had reached a point
o1OOuC AVV ydluS SOuCn Oh the depot,
the firing began from the exterior on
either side of the tracks and that he
gave orders to the men to drop to the
floor of the car. J., After the depot was
passed, he said. the fire became very
fierce, again. from the outside, and con-
tinued until the train reached the
stockade. When the. train drew up
alongside the enclosure he said that It
was met with another volley of shots
from the east side of the track, OPP
posite to the stockade
The afternoon session lasted several
hours. The wounded guards, eleven in
| number, who were on the train with the
negroes, testified that the firing was
commenced by the strikers. Some ac-
knowledged that the guards returned
the fire, but none would acknowledge
| that he individually had fired. Tha
men said they were under strict orders
not to fire except in self-defense.