Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-10-15
TANNERS LATEST
ORDERS THAT NO NEGRO MINERS
BE ALLOWED TO LAND.
MILITIA WILL PREVENT 1T
UNION MEN ORDERED TO ARM TO
GIVE ASSISTANCE.
Negroes Who Were Prevented From
Landing mt Virden Were Taken
to st. Louis Ycsterday-Five
Hundred Troops Now
Mt Nirden.

out at Virden. a conference was imme-
| diately held by telephone between Captain
Harris. Company G, Aurora, ILL.,, command
| ing the militia here, and Adjutant General
| Reece and Governor Tanner, at Springfield
| The conference resulted in the governor
ordering Captain Harris Immediately TO
put on guard at each of the coal mines
| and at the approaches of each railroad in
| to Pana, and under no circumstances to
permit any imported negroes to land in
Pana. Captain Harris has only fifty-seven
men under his command, and he was or
| dered to call on citizens to assist him, if
necessary. The union miners, through
| their president G. G. Cravens. Immediate
| ly volunteered their services The citizens
| volunteered their aid. Captain Harris told
| them to be in readiness where he could
find them. Thereupon the miners assem-
bled in waiting for a call to arms. while
Captain Harris Immediately followed the
governors Instructions and placed a guard
at each mine and railroad crossing.
In an interview, Captain Harris said:
''The governors orders shall be strictly
obeyed, and If any negroes are brought
into Pana while am in charge, and they
refuse to retreat when ordered to do so,
1 will order my men to fire. All armed
guards will be similarly dealt with. The
governors orders shall be strictly obeyed.
If 1 lose every man under my command,
no negroes shall land In Pana."
The reported coming of negroes caused
most intense excitement and miners and
citizens generally at once got ready to aid
Captain Harris. Governor Tanners name
is on the end of every miners tongue, and
he is being warmly praised for the quick
action he has taken to prevent any more
negroes from landing in Pana-
Captain Harris, in conference with the
miners president, Cravens, ordered the
miners to get their guns and be in read
iress to assist him IL preventing the me-
groes from landing. The miners readily
complied with his request
SPRINGFIELD, ILL, Oct 14.-While
over 2,000 miners were lined up in the street
near the Church of the Immaculate Con-
ception ready to follow the remains of their
deceased companion, Edward Walsh, who
was killed at the riot at Virden, Wednes-
day, to the cemetery, the loo imported ne
groes from Alabama Were quietly SNUG
gled out of the city and sent to st. Louis.
About 3 o'clock the negroes were hustled
out Of Aliens hall, guarded by a platoon
OF police and Company X. of Macon, Sons
of Veterans. and Troop B. First Illinois
cavalry, Bloomington, and were hurried to
the railway station, put on special train
and taken to st. Louis, leaving Springfield
at $50 o'clock. A subscription was taken
Up among the business men this noon, and
the money hurriedIy raised to get the ne
groes out Of town.
Captain Harris, of Company G, Sons of
Veterans, telegraphed Adjutant General
Reece from Pana to-day that it was u.
lieved the negroes who were prevented
from landing at Virden last evening would
a
negroes there. He was ordered to guard
all the coal mines and railway approaches
and prevent any negroes from landing, and
to call on citizens to assist him if neces-
sary: As Company G is the only com
Macon. and Troop P, First cavalry, of
Bloomington, with a gating gun, were
sent TO Pana. on special train on the
B. o.. Southwestern at 3:45 p. m. to re-
inforce him.
The funeral of Edward Walsh. held at
the Church of the Immaculate Conception
this afternoon, was one of the largest
attended ever held in Springfield. Vicar
Timothy Hickey officia led, and 1000 miners,
headed by the Fourth Regiment band fol-
lowed the remains to the cemetery There
was no disturbance.
VIRDEN, ILL, Oct. IA new CULVER Of
excitement swept over this town hourly
throughout the afternoon and from 2
o'clock till nightfall rumor followed rumor
and not even the best informed had any
definite idea as to what would develop
during the night. Rumors that another
trainload of negroes was on its way here
kept the excitement at a high tension
but the militia are in complete possession
of the stockade and are closely guarding
the railroad property.
The coroners jury heard a large num-
Der of witnesses to-day, but did not con-
Clude its work. The inquest will last un-
til Monday or Tuesday.
Warrants were sworn out to-day before
the local magistrate by an officer of the
miners union, charging President Loucks,
Manager Lukens and others with con
military officers in charge here they We're
not served This action, however, caused
Colonel Young to refuse to allow several
guards who had been employed by the coal
company to depart for their homes in Chi
cago, as he thought they might be needed
as witnesses. Six guards from St. Louis.
who came upon the train carrying the
blacks Wednesday. and who Were more or
less seriously wounded. We're allowed to
ticipated in by Colonel Young. Manager
Lukens, Coroner Hart, Police Magistrate
Roberts and Attorney Patton. Three of
the men were so badly injured that il was
General Manager Lukens. of the Chicago
Eirden Coal Company, to-day made the fol-
lowing statement in regard to the wages
paid by. his company, and the demands of
the strikers:
Under the old scale of wages. prfor to
the summer of 1897, the pay at our mines
was 25c per ton mine run and fairly good
miners could and did earn SIPS per day
i'i Tree Oi all expenses. The
pay rolls show an average of SOS per day
net Tor every miner in the mine with a
range of Sl.10 to A56 per day. The price
of powder has been reduced 80 cents keg
since then: which makes material in
crease in the miners wages. At the price
miners are demanding. 30 cents per ton an
average miner can make from So to 81 per
day, and a good workman would have no
difficulty in earning Sc per day. We have
had men in our Virden mine. working at
SOC per ton screened coal, which equals
about Is cents per ton at mine run, make
over Sc per day.
The charge that the Chicago-virden Coal
Company is depressing its miners and is
not willing to pay its employees living wages
is perfectly absurd, and is not entertained
for a moment by people who are familiar
with the situation. The miners are fighting
to get all they possibly can for their labor.
wages. the more the better. All We desire
is an opportunity to get our coal dug at a
price that will allow US to enter the mar
ket and sell our coal without loss to our.
of pay demanded by the union workmen."
1.-The state has taken absolute possession
of our property" he said, land has prac-
tically prohibited us from operating our
mines"
Sheriff Davenport who left virden dur
ing the battle on Wednesday, returned from
Carlinvile to-day. He was summoned here
to appear before the coroners jury to give
testimony bearing on the riot.
All trains with freight or passengers
stopping here are carefully searched for
negroes Two hundred members of the
First cavalry and Third infantry, under
command of Colonel Young, are here to-
day, and 115 more are expected tonight
These, with the 12s men in the Galesburg
battery and Elgin company of the Sons of
Veterans, will give Colonel Young force
of over 500 men.
TOWER HILL, ILL, Oct. 1i-Four men.