The record-union., 1898-10-13
BLOODSHED AT
vIRDEN, ILLINOIS.
Clash Between Union Miners and
Imported Negroes.
Terrific Firing, Resulting in Many Losses
Of Life.
Seven People Killed and Eighteen
Wounded the Latest Estimates
of the Battle-The Little Town
Comparatively Quiet at a Late
Hour Last Night.


Hour Last Night.
vIRDEN Ql), Oct. 12.-The little
town Of Virden is comparatively quiet
tonight, after day of riot and blood
shed, the long expected clash between
the union miners and imported negroes.
At 12:4O o'clock this afternoon a
Chicago and Alton special train bear
ing ZOO negroes from the South arrived
at the stockade around the Chicago
Virden Coal Company's mines, and in-
mediately terrific firing began. The
list at 10 o'clock tonight stands eleven
dead and eighteen wounded.
The dead: Ed. Welsh, Springfield; !;
Frank Bilyeau, Springfield; Albert
Smith, Mount Olive; Joe Kitterly,
Mount Olive; Ernesy Keutner, Mount
Olive; A. H. Brennan, Gerard; d. H.
Kiley, Chicago and Alton detective.
Wounded: Ansk Ankel, Mount Olive;
Gustav Weesiepe, Mount Olive; Ed.
Upton, Springfield; Thomas Jennings.
Springfeld; Joe Hannes, Gerard, shot
in leg; Joe Runk, Gerard, shot in stom-
ach; w. A. Herman, Gerard, shot IN
hand; Joe Baston, Mount Olive, shot in
stomach: Joe Sprim, Mount Olive,
shot in arm; Bart Tigar, engineer Chi
cago and Alton, shot in arm; j. F.
Eyster, Superintendent Climax Trading
Company, shot and beaten.
1t is said that six men were wounded
inside the stockade, but this has not
been verified, and those inside the
stockade refuse to communicate with
outsiders.
For the past two weeks rumors have
reached Virden daily that train hav-
ing negroes from Alabama would reach
the city, and the Chicago and Alton
depot has been surrounded day and
night by vigilant miners determlnedly
awaiting their arrival. To-day the
Chicago and Alton limited, due to pass
here at 10 o'clock, shot through en-
route to Chicago an hour late, display
ing a flag on the rear, indicating that
a special was following. Immediately ~
the word was spread, and dense
crowd of miners lined the station plat
form, while another crowd collected at
the entrance of the stOckade half
mile north of the station
D. B. Kiley, a Chicago and Alton de-
tective, stood guard at switch at the
south end of the station platform, TO
see that it was not tampered with.
AT 12:40 the special train passed the
station, and signal shots were fired
from the south end of the train, an
nouncing the specials arrival. Imme-
diately shots were fired from the NOV
ing train and outside, and the battle
was on. A few minutes after 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 bullet
through his brain. He was the first
man killed. The train continued to the
stockade, the miners firing into 1t ali
along the route, and the negro pas
sengers returning the fire. The mo-
ment the train reached the stockade
the miners opened desperate fire with
Winchesters and revolverS and hre-
arms of all descriptions. The negroes
on the train answered with a steady
fire. The miners and the train were
enveloped in a, cloud of smoke, and the
shooting sounded like a continuous vol
ley.
Engineer Burt Tigar received a bullet
in the arm and dropped from his seat.
His fireman seized the throttle, pulled
it open with a jerk, and the train was
under full speed, carrying load OF
wounded negro passengers to Spring
field. How many We're wounded is not
known.
The train stopped at the stockade but
two minutes. It's departure did not
cause the firing to cease. The tower of
the stockade was filed with sharp
shooters, armed with Winchesters, and
thev kept up a steady fire into the
crowd of union miners. Eye witnesses
say that miners were killed after
the train hadl departed. 1t is not known
how many men are stationed behind
the walls of the stockade, but an eSti-
mate is placed at between twenty-five
and forty. 1t is claimed that six within
the stockade were wounded, but those
inside refuse to hold any communica-
ton with the outside, and nothing au-
thentic can be learned. Word was,
however. sent from the stockade to the
nhysicians in town that their services
were needed The supply and provis-
ion store of the hicago-Virden Coal
Company is known as the Climax
Trading Company, with Superintendent
]. F. Eyster in charge.
At 2 o'clock, after the firing at the
stockade had subsided, an attack with
out 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 stoekade 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. climb
ed out of his wagon, and was just en-
tering the door when the cry was raised
that Manager Fred I.ukens was with
him. A rush, a throng of infuriated
miners. pressed toward the store. Eys-
fer ran behind a counter with a revol-
yer in each hand. The miners pressed
hard after him, and as Eyster sprang
upstairs. he and the miners began
shooting simultaneously. He ran to the
top of his building and jumped behind
a chimney, while the miners ran into
the street and opened fire on him again.
Chips flew from the brick chimney,
and Eyster ran from cover across to the
roof of another store, firing into the
street below as he ran. From there he
crossed to the roof of the Bank of Vir-
DON ubpro ha raIOadp1 bic raxol1varS