The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-14
NEGROES ARE HOUNDED
WHITE MINERS AT WASHINGTON
WORKING TO CAUSE TROUBLE.
Eravate the Situation, and Sc
rious Outbreaks Feared.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

OF the mining situation in DavieSS county
which is SO grossly incorrect that it seems
the situation should be restated and the
facts put before the public. The only idle
miners are few men who are prescribed
by the Cabel Coal Company because of
their constantly troublesome dispositions.
Most of them are now resting under per-
petual injunction order given several
months ago because they held up the COM
pany's workingmen and superintendent on
a public highway and forced them to re-
turn to the city and abandon for time
their intention to go to work. At that time
there was a strike and about 125 were
involved But the company. after repeated
efforts to get the men to return to their
places and accept the scale adopted by the
State, found it necessary to import men to
operate their No. mine. Most of the i'm
ported men were negroes, and when they
came here to go to work there were fire.
quent threats made against them by the
disgruntled miners, and for a while the
coIored miners lived in a building near the
niue and guarded it from assault day and
night. Matters quoted down gradually,
most of the old No. miners found work
in other mines hereabouts and the negroes
toop up their residence in the city. The
fifteen or eighteen miners who refused to
accept work anywhere unless they could get
it at No. mine, and who have been living
on contributions donated by other miners
of the State, have been constant element
of torment. They hound the colored and
white miners of No. 8 about, throw bricks
and coal at them from hidden retreats and
taunt them with the most insulting Ian
guage. On several occasions they have as
sailed the working miners, white and black,
s.,er ii
But the industrious workingmen have, with
few exceptions, borne the insults without
the least show of resistance. Occasionally
the insults have been more than human
nature could withstand, and a defense has
been made that was applauded by all GOOD
citizens.
terially until the city campaign opened,
when at once it appeared that the local
Democratic officials had hit on the idea or
creating sentiment against the negroes 50
strong that they would be forced to leave
the city. Everything presentaole is USED as
a pretext for berating the negro, ana Ilots
We're reported when they did not occur.
few mornings ago a party of negro miners
were on their way to work when they came
upon party OF white miners VINO W sS,
waiting for q train to Montgomery. lne
Bryan papers here reported that the WHITES
were sitting ON q coal car tossing coal az
one another when ''one little piece happened
to fall on one of the negroes, and TINS was
a signal for a general firing into the whites
The facts Of the case were gwen 10 the
Journal correspondent by a byStanuer' ne
said the negroes had only passed when
shower of coal was rained at them, StIlh-
ing several and infiicttng painful injuries.
The negroes withstood the assault ana JeeIs
of the crowd for a moment and two or
three of them stopped ana hred severai
shots at the whites. a rev WEEKS asC {.
miner was passing along a ROAD lSdulAS ~
the mine when he was assaulted by nan
dozen examiners and beaten into lnsenslpl-
ity. Last Saturday night negro miner was
Z mn MAR u
named Carr knocked him OFF the walk: IN
falling his hat dropped. When ne got up
he ran for his life. me n ,n c9 gbreds The
negro looked up some OF MS IrlenaS, anu ~
their company returned to the place 10 set
his hat. When he found 1t had peen GUY 70
pieces he was naturally very much wrought
up, and the party set out to 1lna poucss
man to have the negro assallant drres s!.;e
In the meantime number or the ldle Wnlle
miners, under the leadership OF Arne wal
lace a miner, held q consultation ana re-
solved to do the "cOOnS' They reported
That the negroes were marching up and
down the streets insulting people ana look
ing for trouble. Presently Marshal BolmeTl
appeared and with crowd at ms heels
started for the negroes, who We're then on
a back street. The officer wears no UNI
form, and when he got near the negroes tS
one of them commanded him to malt, at the
same time covering the officer with re-
volver The scene soon attracted crowd;
two policemen came up IN the oarR ,res d hnn
thew too, were covered. The negroes pe-
neved at first that the men before them
were their old enemies, and when they saw
that the officers we're IN me r lean anu mn
in part of their enemies and strangers they
concluded that they might be lyncned
time Thereupon they backed away, ana,
when at a safe distance, dispersed and re-
turned to their homes Neither atteLnPteda
to escape, and two Of them We're arrested
next day without difficulty. The night roll
lowing Carr, who started the trouble ana
companion almost Drained two Cd n men n
Cd Gxy1Up
for assault and battery. The mayor saved
him from Jail by staying his fine. The ne,
groes were held on information and placed
in Jail, where it was hoped they would
have to remain until next month, when
court convenes. Carr had barely peen re-
leased when he assaulted a son OF Coun,
Gilman Kocher. who is miner, employed
by Cabel & Kaufman. Yet he was not ar
rested.
groes were being prosecuted for political
effect a number of prominent republicans
took the matter IN hand and Chairman man, r.
central committee, and Charles IL. Brown,
a prominent Republican contractor, joined
member of the coal firm in bond which
Last Sunday night, the night following
the Saturday might disturbance, keg Of
beer was furnished several of the negroes
on the order of Mayor Spencer himself and
another key by Democratic candidate for
Council. The purpose, It would seem, was was
resulted. The reports sent out that the
people are intimidated are false. The Dem
ocratic and Populist papers here have col
ored and msrepresented the most trivial
matters, and have apparently attempted to
incite the men to an outbreak, with a pl1r-
pose of demonstrating Washington politics.
The situation seems to have been misrepre-
scented to Governor Mount, who has made
many very unfair statements in reference
to the situation. The Governor was in tele-
phonic consultation with Deputy Sheriff
Winterbottom on Friday, but the result Of
the conference is not known Winterbot-
tom was taken from the ranks of the dis
turbing miners. and. while usually fair
minded, his sympathies are with his old
associates and he is prejudiced strongly
against the new miners
The situation in Washington is unfortu-
nate because of the partiality Of the police
and the sheriff, but there. is no occasion for
the inhammatory dispatches that have been
sent out from here, and they are read with
anger by the good people of Washington