Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-13
WILD SCENES.
Striking Miners at virden, III,
Make an Attack on Train
Bearing Negroes Imported to Take
Their Places In Coal Mines.
Eight Dead and Nineteen Wounded Strikers
Commence the Disorders.

| SV""sSWSV sWS OsoVt VSuSs
/ Virden, ILL.,, Oct. 1.-THE little town
of Virden is comparatively quiet, to-
| night, after day of riot and blood
shed, the long expected clash between
the union miners and imported negroes.
At 1910 O'Clock, this afternoon, Chi
cago & Alton special train bearing 200
negro miners from the South arrived at
the stockade around the Chicago-Vir-
den Coal Company's mines and imme-
diately terrific firing began. The list,
| at 10 O'Clock tonight, stands dead and
| Is wounded.
THE DEAD.
Ed WEIGH. Springfield.
Frank Bilyeu, Springfield
Albert Smith, Mount Olive.
Joe Kitterly, Mount Olive.
Ernest Keutner, Mount Olive,
A. II. Breneman, Girard.
d. H. Riley, Chicago & Alton detec-
| tive.
THE WOUNDED.
A. Ankle, Mount Olive.
Gustave Wevseip. Mount Olive.
Ed Upton, Springfield. !,
Thomas Jennings. Springfield.
Joe Haines. Girard, shot in leg.
Joe Runk. Girard, shot in arm.
George Runk, Girard, shot in stom-
ach.
VIM. Herman, Girard, shot in hand,
Joe kaston, Mount Olive, shot in
stomach.
Joe Sprim. Mount Olive, shot in arm.
Bert Tiger, engineer Chicago & Alton,
shot in arm.
). r. Eyster. superintendent Climax
trading Company, shot and beaten.
1t is said that six men were wound
ed inside the stockade, but this has not
been verified and those inside the stock
ade refuse to communicate with out
sders.
For the past two weeks rumors have
daily reached Virden that train lav-
ing negroes from Alabama would rea,h
the city and the Chicago & Alton depot
mas been surrounded, day and night,
by vlgilant miners determinedly await
ing their arrival. Today, the Chicago
& Alton Limited. due to pass here at
10 o'clock, shot through to Chicago an
hour late. displaying flags on the rear,
indicating that special was follow
ing.
Immediately the word was spread
and dense crowd of miners lined the
station platform while another crowd
collected at the entrance of the stock
AIDE, half mile north of the station.
ID. 3. Riley. a Chicago & Alton de-
tective. stood guard at switch at the
south end of the station platform to
see-that 1t was not tempered with,
he.
station and signal shots were fired from
the south end of the station ANNOUNCE
ing the specials arrival. Immediately
shots were fired from the moving train
and outside and the battle. was on. A
lew moments after the train had pass
ed the switch where Riley was station
ed and While he was talking with two
citizens he threw up his arms and
dropped dead with bullet through his
praln He was the first man killed.
Ihe train continued to the stockade,
the miners firing into it all along the
route and the negro passengers return
ing the fire. The moment the train
reached the stockade the miners OPEN
ed a desperate fire. The moment the
train reached the Stockade the miners
opened up a desperate fire with Win
chesters revolvers and fire aims of all
KINDS. The negroes on the train an
swered with a steady fire. The miners
and the train were enveloped in a cloud
OF smoke and the shooting sounded like
a continuous volley.
Engineer Bert Tiger received a bullet
in the arm and dropped from his seat.
tbs fireman seized the throttle pulled it
open with jerk and the train was un-
der speed, carrying load of wounded
negro passengers to Springfield. How
many were wounded is not known The
train stopped at the stockade but two
minutes. It's departure did not cause
the firing to cease. The tower of the
stockade was filled with sharp
shooters armed with Winches-
tiers and they kept up a steady
lire into the crowd Of Union miners.
Eye witnesses say the dead miners
were killed after the train had depart
ed.
1t is not known how many men are
stationed behind the walls of the stock
ade, but they are estimated at between
70 and 40. 1t is claimed that six with
n the stockade were wounded, but
hose inside refuse to hold any commu-
1lcation with the outsiders and MOTH
ng authentic can be learned Word.
however. was sent from the stockade
20 physicians in town that their SER
vices were needed. The supply and
store of the Chicago Vfrden
co.. Is known as the Climax Trading
90, with Superintendent j. F. Eyster
n charge.
AT O'Clock. after the firing at the
'tockade had subsidized. an attack with
',a parallel in the history Of the trouble
vas made on Eyster in his store on Main
street, one block from the depot, which
VIII probably cost MIN his life. He was
sitting In his store when his telephorte
'ang and he was instructed from tina
'tockade to secure physicians and hurry
hem to the place. He jumped into his
ielivery weson and securing two doctors
'ushed theu4Eto the mines.
He returned to his store, climbed out Of
us wagon and was just entering the door
Shen the cry was raised that Manager
fred Lukens of the mines was with him.