The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-13
KILLED IN
STRIKE RIOT
Battle Between Strikers and
Deputies at Virden, Ills.
TEN PARTICIPANTS DEAD.
l Large Number Wounded, and
: Some Of Them Dying. go.
GOVERNOR TANNERS CONTENTION

declared That the Mine Owners, in I'M
porting Negro Labor From the South,
Was Working Injury to the Fair Fame
Of the State-Mino Managers, on the
Other Hand, Declare That the Governor
Is Responsible For tho Slaughter at
Virden.
Virden, Oct. 13.-The little town Of
Yirden Is comparatively quiet after
Yesterdays rioting and bloodshed, the
Ong expected clash between the union
miners and imported negroes. At 12:4O
Iclock the Chicago and Alton special
rain, bearing 200 negro miners from
fhe south, arrived at the stockade
round the Chicago Virden Coal COM
!any's mines and Immediately the ter
hfic firing began. The list stands
Ien dead and rs or 30 wounded
The dead are: Ed Welsh. SPRING
leId; Frank Bilyeu. Springfield: Albert
Smith, Mt. Olive; Joe Kitterly, Mt.
olive; Ernest Keutner, Mt. Olive; A. II.
Breneman, Girard; D. H. Kiley, Chi
sago and Alton detective; William w.
Carroll, deputy sheriff; Tom Preston,
G Chicago; A. W. Morgan, of Chicago.
The latter was killed in the stockade,
Ehere seven others were wounded.
The wounded: Ansk Ankel, Mt.
olive; Gustav Wevsiep, Mt. Olive; Ed
Upton, Springfield; Thomas Jennings,
springfeld; Joe Haines, Girard, shot
leg; Joe Runk, Girard, shot in arm;
seorge Runk Girard shot in stomach;
William Herman, Girard, shot in hand;
Joe BastOn, Mt. Olive, shot in stomach;
Ioe Sprim, Mt. Olive. shot in arm;
burt Tigar. engineer Chicago and AL
ION road, shot in arm; J. F. Eyster,
superintendent Climax Trading COM
SRny, shot and beaten.
Yesterday the Chicago and Alton
United due to pass here at 10 o'clock
ihot through en- route to Chicago an
hour late, displaying flags on the rear
Indicating that special was following.
Immediately the word was spread, and
} dense crowd of miners collected at
Jhe entrance of the stockade a half
mile north of the station. d. B. Kiley,
} Chicago and Alton detective, stood
guard at switch at the south end
II the station platform, to see 1t was
not tampered with.
2 AT 1910 the special train passed the
nation and signal shots were fired
nom the south end of the train an
bouncing the specials arrival. In
nediately shots we're fred from the
moving train, and outside. and the bat
Ne was on. A few moments after the
Main had passed the switch where
ktley was stationed and while he was
hIking with two citizens. he threw up
his arms and dropped dead, with a
bullet through his brain. He was the
trst man killed. The train continued
10 the stockade. the miners firing into
4 all along the route and the negro
passengers returning the fire.
iHt lHt tldlH IedCHeu lHe
blockade the miners opened desper-
ate fire with Winchesters, revOlvers
md firearms Of all descriptions. The
negroes OH the train answered with a
steady fire. The miners and the train
we're enveloped in cloud of smoke
and the shooting sounded like a con-
finuous volley. Engineer Burt Tigar
received bullet in the arm and drop
ped from his seat. His fireman seized
he throttle, pulled 1t open with jerk
Ind the train was under speed carry
ng eight wounded men-al deputies
Except one, who was negro miner.
Is passengers to Springfield. One of
|heSe died after the train reached
Bprngfield. He was William w. Car
Dil. deputy sheriff. Another-William
!. Clarkson, an inmate of the soldiers
home at I4eavenworth, Kan, who was
tcting as deputy-will probably die.
Tke train stopped at the stOckade but
lwO minutes. It's departure did not
u the stockade was filled with sharp
hooters armed with Winchesters, and
hey kept up a steady fire into the
fOwd of union miners. Eye witnesses
|ay the dead miners were killed after
he train had departed II is not
tnOwn how many are stationed behind
he walls of the stockade, but an es-
innate is placed at between 25 and 40.
The supply and provision store of
be Chicago Virden company is known
% the Climax Trading company, with
superintendent J. +. Eyster in charge
1t 2 o'clock, after the firing at the
tocl;ade had subsded, an attack with
'ut parallel in the history of the
rouble was made on Eyster in his
tore on Main street. one block from
he depot, which will probably cost
lin his life. He was sitting in his
tore when his telephone rang ana he
Vas instructed from the stockade to
ecure physicians and hurry them to
he place. Eyster jumped into his de-
livery wagon and securing two doctors
ushed them to the mines. He re-
urned to his store, climbed out of
lis wagon and was just entering the
0or when the cry was raised that
Ianager Fred Lukens, of the mines, was
nth him. With rush throng Of
miners pressed toward tn,