The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-14
ALL QUIET
Riot at Virden
is Over.
THE FIRST SHOTS
Miners Claim They Were
Fired From Train.

Virden, Oct. 1S.-The town is quiet
today Two gatling guns of the Gales
burg battery on the public square and
a blue-eaped infantryman at each cor
ner in the business district, is about
the only evidence of yesterdays riot
outside of the O'Neill cottage. In the
front yard of this humble home stand
five coffins containing the bodies of
Ave victims of yesterdays shooting at
the stockade of the coal company.
There is a feeling among the people
of the town who are not connected with
the mines that the Virden miners are
not responsible for yesterdays tragedy.
One citizen expressed his views In
very emphatic manner saying that all
the trouble had been caused by out
siders who came here and induced the
local strikers to acts of violence A
striking incident that bears out this
statement is the fact that in yester-
days bloody work not a single Wirden
miner was killed and only one slightly
injured.
Coroner Hartil impanelled a jury of
six today, and began the inquest The
1urymen include Justice of the Peace
y
OF the executive committee of the union
miners. Six union miners We're exam
ined. They were unanimous in testi-
| Tying that the first shots We're fred
from the train yesterday while the train
| was about 100 feet south of the station
They claim their men did not return
the fire into the train until the train
reached the stockade. They testified
that their men shot into the air until
the train came to a stop.
/ This afternoon all the arms and am
munition of the Chicago Virden Coal
| Company were confiscated by Capt.
| FerYier, commanding the state militia
There were 1875 Springfield rifles and
| $500 rounds of ammunition. The rear
Of the Climax Trading Companys store
and adjacent buildings bear evidence
Of the terrific firing that took place
/ yesterday, when j. r. Eyster was the
target. springing across the roofs.
! The plate glass windows in the front
of the store are broken. In the rear
the building is riddled with bullets and
buckshot All the window panes bear
| bullet holes, and the roof of the coal
shed was moved by charge Of buck
shot that was fired at Eyster just as he
sprang through the skylight into Min
ers' Hall. Gun wads and cartridge
shells lie scattered around the rear of
the store.
Six feet from the rear door of the
Cli/ax store stands the covered deliv-
cry wagon in which Eyster made the
trip to the stockade with physicians,
| yesterday afternoon. Loads of buck
shot riddled the rubber curtains, dents
| from the bullets being visible In the
| sides of the wagon. The tongue is bro
ken off short, and the stub end is blood
stained. 1t is learned that the team
of horses, shot and goaded to madness
| by the wounds, broke tongue and ran.
They went two blocks and fell dead
A meeting of the executive commit
tee of the strikers was held late this
afternoon. Chairman Belgar asserted
that not man among the Thiel agency
and Pinkerton detectives stationed
within the blockade had been sworn in
as deputy sheriffs. He declared that all
Of them could be held as accessories on
a charge of murder. He stated that 80
Pinkerton and Thiel men acting as
guards were on the train bearing the
negroes which stopped at the shaft yes
terday
He said none Of the men were resi-
dents of the state, and consequently
Sheriff Davenport had refused to swear
them in. The matter was discussed,
and it was decided to employ counsel
and lay the matter before the grand
jury. There was great excitement here
tonight when it became known that a
special train, consisting of one box car,
three apparently empty coaches and a
caboose, that passed through here this
evening bore two carloads of negroes,
taken through here to Springfield yes
terday. The train went south, and sue
ceeded in passing through Virden with
out interference. A big crowd of min
ers was at the station, but the militia
held them in check. When the train
stopped at the stockade, Capt. Fevior,
who was in command there, shouted
Don't allow any one to disembark
from that train"
The gate was opened and file of SOL
diers rushed out in the double quick,
with fixed bayonets and lined up along
side Of the train. General Manager
Lukens made formal request that his
employees be allowed to land and enter
the stockade Capt. Fevior declined to
grant this. Then Mr.. Lukens put it in
form of demand, but the officer re-
piled that he was under orders from
Gov. Tanner to prevent the disembark-
ing of any negro miners at the works.
General Manager Lukens protested in
vain and the train pulled out headed
south. BY this time the advance
guard of strikers gathered at the spot
had advanced up the track to within
100 yards of the stockade where they
remained until the train passed, when
they greeted it with waving hats and
cheers for Gov. Tanner. After the de-
parture of the train Mr.. Lukens said:
From my own personal knowledge
can say that no shots were fired yes
terday from the train carrying the
negro miners until at least 500 shots
had been fired into it and several of
the guards were wounded.
THE strikers commenced firing on
the train just after 1t had passed the
depot and kept it up as long as the
train was within gunshot. When the
train stopped at the gate, our guards
We're there to assist in unloading the
cars. But few shots were fired by them
most Of defense firing being done by
the train guard"
ALGER TO TANNER.