The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1898-10-20
RIOT And BLOODSHED
Desperate Fight at Virden
With Strikers.

With strikers.
IMPORTED MINERS THE CAUSE
Deaths Number Eight. and the List of
Wounded IL Large-Union Miners Try
Prevent Arrival Of Negroes.
Virden, ILL.,, Oct. 14.-The little
town of Virden is comparatively quiet
tonight, after day of riot and blood
shed, the long-expected clash between
the union miners and imported negroes.
At 1910 this afternoon Chicago &
Alton special train, bearing 200 negro
miners from the South, arrived at the
stockade around the Chicago-Virden
Coal Company's mines. and Immediate
~ terrific fight began. The list at 10
O'Clock tonight stands eight dead "ud
about 18 wounded. The dead are:
Ed Walsh, Of Springfield; Frank Bill
yeau. of Springfield; Albert Smith, of
Mount Olive; Joe Kitterly, of Mount
Olive; Ernest Keutner. of Mount Olive;
A. II. Breneman, OF Girard; D. 81.
Kiley, Chicago & Alton detectives; A.
W. Morgan, of Chicago.
For the past two weeks, rumors have
reached Virden daily that train hav-
ing negroes from Alabama would reach
the city, and the Chicago & Alton
depot has been surrounded day and
night by vigilant miners, determinedly
awaiting their arrival.
Today the Chicago & Alton limited,
due to pass here at 10 O'Clock. shot
through en- route to Chicago an hour
late, displaying flags on the rear indi-
eating that special was following.
Immediately the word was spread, and
a dense crowd of miners lined the sta
ton platform, while another crowd col
lected at the entrance Of the stockade,
half mile north of the station. D.
III. Kiley. Chicago & Alton detective.
stood guard at switch at the south
end of the station platform to see that
it was not tempered with.
At 1910 the special train passed,
and signal shots were fred from the
south end of the train, announcing the
specials arrival. Immediately shots
were fired from the moving train and
outside, and the battle was on. A few
moments after the train had passed the
switch where Kiley was stationed, 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 return
ing the fire.
The moment the train reached the
stockade. the miners opened desperate
fire with Winchesters, revolvers and
firearms of all descriptions. The me-
groes on the train answered with a
steady fire. The miners and the train
were enveloped in cloud Of smoke,
and the shooting sounded like con-
tinuous volley. Engineer Burt Tigar
received a bullet in the arm and
dropped from his seat. His fireman
seized the throttle, pulled it open, and.
with jerk, the train was under full
speed, carrying load of wounded negro
passengers to Springfield. How many
were wounded is not known. The train
stopped at the stockade but two min
utes. its departure did not cause the
firing to cease.
The tower of the stockade was filled
with sharpshooters.. armed with Win
chesters. and they kept up steady fire
into the crowd of union miners. Eye
witnesses say the dead miners were
killed after the train had departed. 1t
is not known how many men we're sta
toned behind the walls of the stockade.
but an estimate placed it at between
rs and 40. Word was sent to physi-
clans in town that their services we're
needed at the stockade.
The supply and provision store OF the
Chicago. Virden Coal Company is known
al the Climax Trading Company. with
Superintendent J. F. Eyster in charge.
At 3 O'Clock, after the firing at the
stockade had subsidized, an attack with
out q parallel in the history OF the
trouble was made on Eyster in this
store. on Main street, one block from
the depot, which will probably cost
him his life.
A detail of militia at 1890 tonight
killed ex-Lieutenant OF Police Tom
Preston, Of Chicago, at the stockade.
He was standing outside the stockade
as guard. The military gave the by
standing miners the command to halt.
and Preston stepped back to the gate.
The militia fired and he was shot IN
the stomach. He was carried into the
Office in the stockade, where he expired.
Battery d, of GalesbuTg, ILL.,, under
Captain Craig, numbering 100 men, al.
rived here tonight from Pana.
Adiutant-Ge General ]. g. Reece said
that Preston was not killed by the
militia. He said that when the guard
AZ the stockade had lodged into the
entrance at the militia's order OF
sshands up, (" q revolver shot was fred
from the darkness aad Preston fell.
mortallv wounded. General Reece said
the militia did not fire shot. and
Preston was killed with 2 revolver %
some one unknown.
The preservation Of the peace II
Europe BY means Of navies and stand
inc armies costs $3.50. 000. 900 year.