The herald., 1898-10-13


Virden is comparatively quiet tonight,
after day Of riot and bloodshed, the long
expected clash between the union miners
and imported negroes At 12:40 o'clock this
afternoon a Chicago and Alton special
train, bearing two hundred negroes from
the south, arrived at the stockade around
the Chicago-Virden Coal company's mines.
and Immediately terrific firing began. The
list at 10 O'Clock tonight stands seven dead
and eighteen wounded.
The List of Dead
ED WELSH. Springfield.
FRANK BILYEAU, Springfield.
ALBERT SMITH, Mount Olive.
JOE KITTERLY, Mount Olive.
ERNEST KEUTNER, Mount Olive.
A. H. BRENEMAN. Girard.
d. H. KILEY, Chicago and Alton detect
i've.
The Wounded
ANSK ANKEL. Mount Olive.
GUSTAVE WEVSIEP, Mount Olive.
ED UPTON, Springfield.
THOMAS JENNINGS, Springfield.
JOE HAINES, Girard, shot in leg
JOE RUNK, Grard, shot in stomach.
w. A. HERMAN, Girard shot in hand.
JOE BASTON, Mount Olive, shot In stom-
ach.
JOE sPRIM. Mount Olive. shot in arm.
BART TIGAR. engineer c. and A.. shot
J. F. EYsTER. superintendent Climax
Trading company, shot and beaten.
In the Stockade
1t Is believed that fifty men were wound
ed In the stockade, but this has not been
verified, and those inside the stockade re-
fuse to communicate with outsiders.
Vigilant Miners
For the past two weeks rumors have
reached Virden daily that a train having
negroes from Alabama would reach the
city, and the Chicago and Alton depot has
been surrounded day and night by vigilant
miners, determinedly awaiting their arri-
val. Today the Chicago and Alton limited,
due to pass here at 10 o'clock, shot through
en- route to Chicago, an hour late, display
Ing flags on the rear indicating that a
special was following. Immediately the
word was spread, and dense crowd Of
miners lined the station platform while an
other crowd collected at the entrance to the
stockade, half mile north Of the station.
D. B. Kiley, Chicago and Alton detect
i've, stood guard at switch at the south
end Of the station platform, to see that It
was not tampered with.
The Signal Shot
At. 12:40 the special train passed the sta
south end Of the train announcing the spe-
cials arrival. Immediately shots were
fired from the moving train and outside.
and the battle was on. A few minutes af
ter 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 1t all along the route and
the negro passengers returning the fire.
The moment the train reached the stockade
the miners opened desperate fire with
Winchesters and revolvers and firearms of
all descriptions The negroes on the traii
answered with q steady fire. The miners
and the train were enveloped in cloud Of
smoke and the shooting sounded like q
continuous volley. Engineer Burt Tigar
received q bullet In the arm and dropped
from his seat His fireman seized the throt-
tie. pulled 1t open and with jerkNthe train
was under speed, carrying q load Of
wounded negro passengers to Springfield
How many were wounded Is not known.
stockade Firing
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
steady fire into the crowd Of union miners.
Eve witnesses say that the dead miners
were killed after the train had departed.
It Is not known how many men are sta
toned behind the walls Of the stockade,
but an estimate is placed at between twen-
ty-flve and forty. 1t is claimed that six
within the stockade were wounded, but
those inside refuse to hold communication
with the outside and nothing authentic
can be learned Word was. however, sent
from the stockade to physicians in town
that their services were needed.
A Store Attacked
The supply and provision store Of the
Chicogo-Virden Coal company Is known
as the Climax Trading company, with SUI
perintendent ]. F. Eyster in charge. At 2
o'clock, after the firing at the stockade had
subsidized. an attack without a parallel In
the history Of the trouble was made on
Eyster In his store on Main street, one
block from the depot which will probably
cost him his life. He was sitting In his
store when his telephone rang and he was
instructed from the stockade to secure
physicians and hurry them to the place.
Eyster Jumped into his delivery wagon
and. securing two doctors. rushed to the
mines He returned to his store, climbed
out of his wagon and was Just entering
the door when the cry was raised that
Manager Fred Lukens of the mines was
with him. With a rush a throng OF In.
furiated miners pressed toward the store.
Eyster ran behind q counter with re-
volver In each hand. The miners pressed
hard after him. and as Eyster sprang up
stairs he and the miners began shooting a.
multaneously. He ran to the top of his
building and jumped behind a chimney
while the miners ran into the street and