Semi=weekly graphic., 1898-10-15
THE PARTICULARS
 OF THE FIGHT.
Miners Poured Shot Into the Coaches and the Occupants sent Bullets Back
 In a similar Manner.


 900 negro miners from the south arrived at the stockade around the Chicago Virden Coal company's mines and inn mediately terrific firing began.
 The Chicago and Alton limited shot through en route to Chicago Wednesday at noon an hour late, displaying flags on the rear, indicating that special was following. Immediately the word was spread and dense crowd of miners lined the the station platform, while an other crowd collected at the entrance of the stockade half mile north of the station. D. B. Riley, a Chicago and Alton detective, stood guard at a switch at the south end of the station platform to see that it was not tempered with.
 At 12: 40 o'clock 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 mov. ing train and outside and the battle was on
 A few moments after the train had passed the switch where Riley was sta tioned, 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 it all along the route and the negro passengers returning the fire. The moment the train reached the stockade the miners opened desperate fire with Winchesters, revolvers and firearms Of al descriptions. The ne- groes On the train answered with 8 steady fire. The miners and the train were enfeioped in cloud of smoke, and the shooting sounded like a continuous volley
 Engineer Burt Tigar received a bulles in the arm and dropped from his seat. The fireman seized the throttle, pulled 1t open, and with jerk the train was under speed carrying load of wounded negro passengers.
 The train stopped at the stookade but two minutes and left for Springfield. Its departure did not cause the firing to cease. The tower Of the stockade was flied with sharpsbooters, armed with W5nehesters and they kept up a steady fire into the crowd of union miners. Eyewitnesses gay the dead miners were killed after the train departed. It is not known how many men were station ed behind the walls of the stockade, but an estimate places 1t between 20 and 40. Word was sent from the stockade to the physicians of the town that their ser vices were needed. The supply and provision store of the Chicago Virden Coal company IS known as the Climax Trading company, with Super 1tendent J. F. Eyster in charge.
 At o'clock after the firing at the stockade had subsided. an attack with. out parallel in the history of the trouble was made on Eyster in bis 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 stockade to secure physicians and hurry them to the place. Eyster jumped into his delivery wagon and se- cured two doctors and rushed them to the mines. He returned to his store, climbed out of his wagon and was just entering the door when the cry was raised that Manager Fred Lukens of the mines was with him. With a rush a tbrong of infuriated miners pressed to. ward the store. Eyster ran behind a counter with 8 revolver in each hand. The miners pressed hard after Eyster and he defended himself with dogged determination. He is seriously shot and beat about the head. No hope for his life
 The dead miners were removed from the vicinity of the stockade to the hotel and livery stables and the wounded miners were taken on filters to the sta tion and taken to Springfield.
 The stockade surrounds about 20 acres of ground in square and is made of pine boards an inch thick, set edge to edge, about 12 feet high On each of the four sides about midway is small watch tower containing a guard armed with Winchester. There are three en- frances which are closely guarded by half dozen armed sentries day and night. The fight occurred at the east entrance.
 The list here, outsIfe of the stockade, stands;
 The dead are:
 Ed Welsh, Springfield
 Frank Bilyeu, Springfield
 Albert Smith, Mount Olive.
 Joe Kitterly, Mount Olive.
 Ernest Keutner, Mount Olive.
 A. H. Breneman, Girard.
 D. H. Riley, Chicago and Alton detec- tive.
 The wounded are
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