Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-10-17

And Persist In Their Intention to Put
Negro Miners into the Mine-statement
of the Counsel and Manager of the Com
Pany Progress of the Inquest-L kins
Gives the Full Record OF the Case for the
Side of the Company.
st Louis. oct. I7.-Acting Manager
+. c Mills. Of the Thiel Detective
agency in this city. says his company is
paying the board of negro miners who
were not permitted to stay in Illinois.
He said: We were instructed to do
that by the Virden people. The Chica-
go-Virden Coal company will reimburse
us and. we think the state Of Illinois
Will have to reimburse the coal com
pany- At least a strong effort will be
made to have the state pay" Later
Mills received u telegram from the Chi
cagO- Virden Coal company. telling him
TO kcs y the negro miners here. the coal
company TO pay their expenses. The
telegram said that the negroes would
Il kept In St Louis until protection for
them at NiTden could be had. and then
they would be taken there and put to
work in the mines at that place.
Company Will Prosecute for Redress.
Nirden. Ills, oct. 17.-'This company
intends TO pursue all legal means to OBJ
tain redress for the outrage ii has suf-
feTod and to punish the Violators OF the
law without respect to persons or off,
oial position" The foregoing was signed
by a w. Patton. counsel. and F. w
Lukins. manager of the Chicago-Virden
Coal company. The statement ard n
telegram from st. Louis giving the in
struCtions of the company to the Thiel
Detective agency. gave the policy of the
coal company briefly as II is announced
here. Patton said further: Our posi-
tion is that the Chicago-Virden Coai
company has the legal right to employ
men to work in its mine without respect
10 their place Of residence and to take
such measures as are necessary to put
them to work.
Alleged Duty Of the Governor.
when the sheriff of Macoupin coun-
ty notified Governor Tanner that he
was unable to preserve the peace. the
governor should have sent at once ii
military force sufficient to have dis
persed the rioters and to preserve the
peace. and he had no right to refuse the
aid on the ground that the employees
were not citizens OF this state. The as
semblage Of a large body OF men. armed
with the avowed purpose of prevent
ing the colored employees OF the com
pany from engaging in its service is
violation Of the criminal code of this
state. For three days 10 word of definite
plans could be obtained from the Off
ciais."
Progress ofthe Coronor's Report.
The coroner's jury had two sessions
Saturday at the stockade. where j. eX-
amined several witnesses. They were
all eX-guards who are under nominal
arrest by the militia. The testimony
was corroborative OF that given by the
guards Friday The coal company has
several witnesses to examine. including
Manager LukIns. and IL will take one or
more days to conclude. one witness
s~ore that he and twenty-five others
were sworn in by Sheriff Davenport as
deputies. and so far he knew he was
still serving in that capacity.
Lawyers Have n SkIrmish.
In the cross-eNamination Attorney
Mooney. representing the miners un-
ion. brought out the fact that the wit
ness had never received a written COM
mission and had not filed a bond. At
torney Patten asked Mooney if II was
necessary To- take a written commission
and bonds: II so. he would like to see
the authority. Mooney said the statutes
so provided. whereupon one OF the Jurors
declared that he had served as deputy
sheriff many times and had never given
bond OF received a written commission