New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-13
uANY SHOT IN COAL RIOTS.
Continued from First Page1

,.,oct to-day made good their threats TO land
e.;.rainload Of imported laomefs from the South,
- attempted TO put them to work In their
as .s AT the point of the bayonet and the
mm,zle of the Winchester laborers being
arswn largely. If not entirely from the crimi-
~, class ex-convicts VINO learned their trade
sus doing terms in the pententiary OF Ala
Swnr,a-after having been fully advised and hav-
&C. full knowledge that the landing of such i'm
ns laDorers would precpitete a riot. | had
,ielecraphed them that If they brought these
.rnnorted laborers they did so at their own peril
"a under the circumstances would be morally
responsible and criminally liable for anything
-, might happen. AS to what happened after
.ae stopping of the train in front OF the coal
rcd my information Is based on telegraph
and telephone communications. and from those
soming from the scene OF the conflict.
From the information | can gather at this
,yne the minute the train stopped in front Of
che coal shaft. where the doors Of the stockade
rere thrown open for the imported laborers to
enter the firing began. AS to who fired the
srst shot am at this time unable to determine.
mt all reports agree that general conflict
nrecipitated within few moments, and the
tr,ng became general from the guards on the
rain called deputies). estimated at fifty or
sixty. and was responded to by the idle miners
,,,nc back on the other side of the track The
conflict lasted several minutes. after which the
train pulled out The reports vary TO the
number Of killed and wounded. The Sheriff tele
craphed that one hundred were killed and the
fght still on.
However. from conservative estimates and
from all the information l can get there, |
from nine 10 fifteen. and possibly quite as many
wounded. The killed and wounded are largely
IDLE miners who were on the outside. The others
were the hired guards who were brought along
nv the coal company Most II not all Of them
were non-resdents Of Illinois. There is no
means OF learning their names or wherea bouts,
for the reason that they declined 10 give them
out knowing. perhaps. that they are crimlnally
liable for murder, as they had no permission
from any officer in Illinois authorizing or depu-
tlzng them 10 act as deputy marshals or deputy
sherins
TROOPS ORDERED TO THE SCENE
Instantly on learning of the trouble I directed
Ad1utant- General Reece to order Captain Craig,
Of the Galesburg battery. and one company Of
the Sons OF Veterans regiment. now stationed at
Pana 10 proceed by the quickest route to the
scene Of the trouble.
I learned later that Captain Craig met with
serious difficulties in securing a train with
coaches TO bring his command, and l directed
the Adjutant-General 10 advise him to load MS
troops freightcars and come at once to
Springfield by the Baltimore and Ohio and secure
a train on the Alton to carry the command TO
Virden These arrangements were made, and
Captain Craig arrived here at $50 and at Virden
By 40 General Reece accompanied captain
Craig and | have instructed General Reece to
select camping ground most suitable Tor tne
occasion to quell the riot and maintain order,
protect life and property, to disarm all persons
bearing arms. making an inventory Of such arms
and taking the name of the individual owner
and his postoffce address such arm to he held
until further orders, and not to allow imported
laborers 10 unload from any train within the
limits Of the city, to march in body.
These avaricious mine owners have So far for
gotten their duty TO society as to bring about
this blot upon the fair name Of our State. they
have gone far enough-yes, too far as they had
fair warning from me by telegraph and tele-
phone that the importation Of labor which
brings to State an undesirable class OF ciil-
zens had TO stop. And l say now to such and
all others that this is a thing of the past. that
II shall not be tolerated in Illinois While ! am
Governor These men, the president and Off
GERS of the company. who precipitated this riot
By the bringing in of these imported laborers,
are guilty OF murder. and should be and will. |
believe be indicted by the Grand Jury of Macou-
pin County and tried and convicted for this
heinous offence
WHAT THE RAILROAD MEN WE'RE DOING.
Chicago. Oct 12-The officials of the Chicago
and Alton Railroad made the following state
ment:
We have just received a report to the effect
that fifty miners and six officers were killed in
riot at Virden Ill. ID. II. kiley one OF the
uachmen sent from here yesterday to guard
the switches OF our road was one Of the Killed.
These switchmen sent down to Nirden FOR
the express purpose of operating the switches.
and were instructed to go unarmed. They were
also instructed 10 inform the striking miners
that they ohe switchmen) We're not come to
help the negroes. but simply to help operate
the Chicago and Alton Railroad.
ST. Louis. Oct. IA telegram to The Post
Dispatch" from Virden says
Nine men on the train were killed and thirteen
wounded. Ten miners were killed and sixteen
wounded The train pulled out for the North, and
the cars shot full Of holes. reporter
for a Chicago newspaper was killed at the Chi
cago and Alton Depot by stray bullet. J. F.
Eyster manager of the company. was shot ana
tramped on by the miners. He cannot live. The
miners are looking for Lukens. manager Of the
shaft. who has hidden. II is impossible TO find
out how many men were killed in the stOckade.
The first man killed is supposed TO have been
from he n q
took place on the square, near the Climax Build
ing A Chicago detective was also killed.
Another telegram TO The Post-Dispatch'
from Carlinville H. says:
Report says that every deputy in the stockade
a. Vrden is killed Another report says that
there are two killed and three wounded from
Mount Olive. Messages were received in Mount
Olive asking for Drs. Bereuter and Binney The
citizens of Mount Olive endeaVoring 70 Sc
cure special train to go to Virden 10 take care
Of the wounded and KILLED. The operator at
Vrden is afraid % stick his head out Of the
door on account Of flying bullets, but he saw
W ny three wagon loads of wounded