Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-10-15

oSeying the law and had exhibited an
entirely different spirit from what they
showed after the interview was pub
lished. Most of them were ignorant
enough to believe that they had right
to do as the governor said they had.
His statement that the miner had the
same right to fight for his property,
which was his labor as the mine owner
did to protect his property inspired these
men to the action which they took In
firing upon this train as soon as it came
into our town. At least 500 shots We're
fired into that train by the time ii
reached the shaft, and no shots were
fired from the train until at least 150
shots were fired into it, I think killing
and wounding a good many of the peo-
pie on the train. No shots were fired
from the stockade until after several Of
our men had been wounded. Several
of the men came back without having
fired their guns at all. Most of the
shooting was done by the guards on the
train, who were authorized by the rail-
road company"
Springfield, Ills, Oct. 13.-The special
train which brought the Alabama
negroes from Virden had eight wounded
men-all deputies, except one, who was
a colored miner--who were taken to the
Springfield city hospital. or these one
man died, w. M. Carroll, deputy sher-
iff He was shot three times. one bullet
passing through his neck from the right
eide; another passing into the temple
on the right side. and the third entering
the brain over the eye, crushing the
skull. Another train brought up six
wounded men.
John M. Hunter Of Pontiac, president
of the Illinois district of the United Mine
Workers of America, lies at the Collins
House in critical condition. Mr.. Hun
ter got on the train which bore the col
ored miners to this city and engaged in
conversation with two of them. Some
of the deputy sheriffs attacked Hunter
and pushed him off the train. man
who happened along in buggy saw
Hunter lying near the track unconscious,
placed him in his buggy and took him to
the Collins House, where a physician
dressed his wounds. He is terribly cut
about the face and his ribs are injured.
Governor Tanner wired the war depart
ment asking if the Fifth Illinois infantry
could not be placed at his disposal for
use at Virden. Colonel Culver, the COM
mander of the Fifth, has rendered his
services and those of the regiment to the
governor.
Governor Tanner said: II shall give
Captain Craig, who will command the
troops at Virden. orders to suppress the
riot. protect life and property, and to
not allow imported laborers to be I'M
loaded at that place. since he mine
owners have carried out their threats,
Influenced by avarice and gain, to pre-
ciptate this riot and bloodshed. l do
not propose that they shall further dis
turb the peace of the state. The mine
owners and managers are responsible
for and guilty of the murder brought
about by this conflict, and should be in
dicted by the grand Jury for murder, as
believe they will be-"
Virden, Oct. ia detail of militia last
night killed eX-Lieutenant of Police
Preston of Chicago at the stockade. He
was standing outside as a guard. The
militia gave the Outstanding miners the
command to halt, and Preston stepped
back to the gate. The militia fired, and
he was shot in the stomach. He was
carried into the office in the stockade,
1, D.
burg. under Captain Craig, numbering
100 men, arrived last night from Pana.
Chicago, Oct. 13.-The difficulty at the
Virden mines originated April /, 1898,
when the miners of the fourth district
Of Illinois went out on a strike insti-
tuted by the United Mine Workers
union. Trouble followed at once at
Pana, but the Virden miners remained
quiet through the summer. The strik-
ers had asked for 40 cents a ton and
were offered 20 cents. Actual distur-
Dances began Sept. Is, when the Chi
cago-Virden company, the principal
mine owner at that point, imported 100
negroes from Birmingham. When the
train arrived with them on board 1t was
met by large body Of armed miners,
who threatened to shoot the first negro
that stepped from the cars. The ne
groes We're finally prevailed upon to re-
turn to the south and the mines were
not operated. The governor steadily
refused to call out the state troops, and
charged the operators with importing
ex-convicts and an undesirab BILE class of
wOrkmen.
President G. w. Loucks made the fol-
lowing statements: I'VE simply desire
to state that our employees arrived at
Virden about 1850. We stopped the
train opposite the gates so that the
men could go from the train into our
works, when Immediately the mob
fred from all directions, and naturally
our men defended themselves. We pro-
pose to follow in the future as we have
i'm the past legal procedure in the OBJ
tanning of our legal rights, and shall
take proper steps to secure redress
against all who prompted, aided, abet-
ted or participated in the riots, whether
they are miners, miners officials, state
officials or others. We shall determine
before we are through whether the gov
ernor Of this state can class our colored
population as ex-convicts and scala
wags with impunity and whether the
co,ored citizens of this country can have
their rights under the constitution set
aside at the within and pleasure Of the
governor of Illinois. We shall deter
mine for ourselves and others in this
state just how far Il governor can annul
and evade the duties placed upon him
by the constitution and statutes Of this
state"
As Coed as Defeated.
BrocktOn, Oct. -13-There is some talk