Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1898-10-14
MINERS' LOSS THE GREATEST
Few Fatalities Occurred on
Board the Train or Inside
the StoCkade.
Hired Guards of the Coal
Company Responsible for
Many Deaths.

Down of Virden is now comparatively
quiet after day of riot and bloodshed,
the long expected clash between the
union miners and imported negroes.
At l2:4O o'clock Chicago and Alton
special train bearing 200 negro miners
from the South arrived at the stockade
around the Chicago Virden Coal com.
pany's mines and Immediately ter.
rife firing began. The list, as far as
known, stands seven dead and eight.
cen wounded The dead are:
ED WELSH, Springfield
FRANK BILYEU, Springfield.
ALBERT SMITH, Mount Olive.
JOE KITTERLIN, Mount Olive.
ERNEST KNUTNER, Mount Olive
A. II. BRENNAN, Mount Olive.
d. II. KILEY, Chicago and Alton detec-
tive.
The wounded, mostly miners, are as
follows:
Ansk Ankcl, Mount Olive; Gustav
Weisevep Mount Olive; Ed Upton,
Springfield; Thomas Jennings, Spring
field; Joe Haines, Girard; Joe Runk,
Girard George Runk, Girard; William
Herman, Girard; Joe Baston, Mount
Olive; Joe Sprim, Mount Olive; Bart
Tigar, engineer, Chicago and Alton; j.
X. Eyster, superintendent, Climax Trad.
ing company.
Miners Were Awaiting Them.
For the past two weeks rumors have
reached Virden daily that train hav.
ing negroes from Alabama would reach
the city and the Chicago and Alton
depot has been surrounded day and
night by vigilant miners determinedly
awaiting their arrival. When the
Chicago and Alton limited passed
about 10 a. M, displaying flags on the
rear indicating that special was fol.
lowing, the word was spread and a
dense crowd of miners lined the sta
tion platform, while another crowd
collected at the entrance Of the stock.
ade, half mile north of the station.
d. B. Kiley, a Chicago and Alton de-
tective, stood guard at the switch at
the north end of the station platform
to see it was not tampered with. AT
l2:4O p. m. the train appeared at the
north end and shots were fired from
the south end announcing the specials
arrival. Immediately shots were fired
from the train and the battle was on.
Soon the train had arrived at the north
end of the switch whore Kiley was
standing. He was talking with two
companions when suddenly he threw
up his hands and fell with
Bullet Through His Brain.
He was the first man killed. The min.
ers were firing into the train and the
negro passengers were returning the
fire. AS soon as the train reached the
stockade there ensued desperate fight
with firearms of all description. The
negroes kept up a steady fire and
the carnage of battle reigned. The
miners and the train were enveloped
in cloud of smoke and the shooting
sounded like CO ntinuous volley. En-.
gineer Burt Tigar received a bullet in
his arm and dropped from his seat.
His fireman seized the throttle, pulled
it open, and with jerk the train was
under full speed, carrying the load of
wounded negroes to Springfield. The
train stopped at the stockade only two
minutes. Its departure did not cause
the firing to cease. The tower of the
stockade was filed with sharpshooters,
armed with Winchesters, and they
kept up steady fire into the crowd of
union miners. Eye witnesses say the
dead miners were killed after the train
had deprated. 1t is not known how
many men are stationed behind the
walls of the stockade, but an estimate
is placed between 25 and 10.
Afser the Company storskespsr.
The supply and provision stores Of