The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1898-10-19

wc.:i cut on strike instituted by the
u;tcd Mine workers. Trouble followed
at once at 'ana, BIZ, the Nirden miner:
remained quie: thorough the Summer
The strikers had asked for 70 cents 8
ton and We're offered . cents. Actua.
disturbances at Eirden began Septembe,
23. when the Chicago Nir5en company
the principal mine owner at that point,
imported l00negroes frem Birmingham,
Ala. When the train arrived with
them on board. it was met by large
body of armed union miners, who
threatened to shoot the first negro that
stepped from the cars. The negroes
were finally prevailed upon to return tc
the south and the mines were moi
operated.
President T. c. Loucks Of the Chi.
cago-Eirden company then proceeded
to make preparation to get other min,
ers. On October 9 Sheriff Davenpor,
notified Governor Tanner that there
would certainly be trouble and that
State troops were needed to preserve the
peace. Governor Tanner advised the
mine officials against importing miners
that he was opposed to the system
that while there was no law to keep
them out Of Illinois he did not feel 1t to
be his duty as governor to use the arm OF
the State to give protection to mine
owners in operating their mines with
this class of employees.
Superintendent Lukens, according to
Governor Tanner, replied that the
mines would be run at all hazards; that
the company would employ acn iavv.
as they saw fit; that they would import
this labor and operate the mines with it,
even if they had to do at the point OF
the bayonet and the muzzle Of the
Winchester. No troops were sent.
The next day Mr.. Loucks notified the
governor that his mines would be oper-
ated. and demanded the protection of
the State. The matter had been
brought before the State board Of ar
bitration and that board decided in IA
vor of the miners, but held that an in
justice had been done the Chicago ' lr-
den company.
From this point the trouble has been
a dispute between Governor Tanner
and the mine operators, carried on BY
telegraph and other communications.
The governor steadily refused to call
out the State troops, and charged the
operators with importing e1-convicts
and an undesirable class of workmen.
The operators declared that the men
they deired to bring to their mines
had been chosen for their ability and
their capacity to become good citizens.
| They also said they were willing to
take back the strikers at the scale of
% cents ton, but that they could not
open their mines at the exhorbitant de-
msnd of 10 cents. The mines, it is
claimed, are all operated in accordance
with the State law.
Sheriff Davenport has been ia SYM
pathy with the governor, and says he
! does not want to enforce laws that will
bring labor into the State, and offered
to resign rather than undertake the task.
One hundred Springfield miners rein
forced the Virden strikers on October
10, armed and determined to prevent
! the negroes from going to work. Armed
men have since been practically IN pos
session Of the town Manager Lukens
of the Chicago-Eirden company swore
out a write Of injunction against 81 of
the leading strikers, These men had
run out Of town four ex-policcmen, who
had ben hired by the operators. The
strikers had not displayed violence
against others until they began to sus-
pect that more negroes were to be
brought in.
EYsTER IN TROUBLE.
The supply and provision store Of the
| Chicago Virden Coal company is known
as the Climax Trading company, with
| Supt. J. F. Eyster in charge. At ?
o'clock after the firing at the stockade
had subsided an attack without a par
allel 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 tele,
phone rang and he was instructed from
the stockade to secure physicians and
hurry them to the place. Eyster jump,
ed into his delivery wagon and secur-
ing two doctors rushed with them to the
mines. He returned to his store cllm-
bed out of his wagon and was just en-
tering his door when the cry was rails
ed that Manager Fred Lukens of the
miners was with him. With rush q
throng Of infuriated miners pressed to-
ward the store. Eyster ran behind a
counter with revolver in each hand.
The miners pressed hard after, and as
Eyster sprang up stairs he and the min.
ers began shooting simultaneously
He ran to the top Of his building and
Jumped behind chimney while the
miners ran into the street and opened
fire on him again. Chips few from the
brick chimney and Eyster ran from
cover across the roof Of another store
firing into the street below as he ran.
From there he crossed to the roof o.
the bank of Eirden where he reloaded
his revolvers.
PLUCKy.
Blood was flowing from wound il
his side, but with dogged determination
against terrible odds he continued hi:
fight. Jumping to the roof of the Ra'
& Gish drug store he halted behind (
projection from the roof of the build
ing he had just left, and emptied boil
of six-champered revolvers. Thel
springing from cover, Eystcr dashed
ahead amid rain of bnllets, to tn
roof of the Steed bnilding, the uppe
story of which is known as Miners hall
He either fell or jumped through tn
skylight and landed in the arms Of
crowd Of miners who seized him an(
carried him down stairs to the street