La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-10-19
: RIOT AND BLOODSHED
PREVAIL IN ILLINOIS
Fierce Battle Between Union Miners and
!. Imported Negroes at Virden.
TROOPS HAVE BEEN ORDERED OUT
The Arrival of Two Hundred Negroes Imported From the
South Preciptaed the Con1iCt-list of the Known
Dead and Wounded on Both Sides-Story
of Revolving Brutality The Sit
uaton Serious and Further
Trouble Is Feared
TROOPS HAVE BEEN ORDERED OUT

tir6sr. Ill. Oct III ne Ftslc Town W
vlrden Is comparatively quiet toriEAi
nrtrr . day ~ riot aal bloodzhst. th'
i1ng-exptcted clash between the Hntna
riue7. aGd imported nesroeR- At
o'clock this afternoon thieogo q HlteH
tu.clsl train. beariBE ~ negro miner
On, the south. arrived at the stsrSads
gruunI the Cb!1H Sy-Nlfaen company
In4ncr and Immediately trrrtne hEins Ds
gun. Thr list AZ 20 O'Clock tonight siaaa'
Fsven dead and Is wounded.
The dead.
FD WALSH. Springfield.
FRANK BTI.YEAu. Springfield
ALBERT SMITH. Mount cHNr'
JOE KIT-TERI.I Mount Owe;
ERNEST ltEUTNER. Mount ohNs-
A II. BEE.StAiAN, G!rnTn
u, ~ IIILEY. chicago & Alton detse'
tive.
wounded.
AnsR Ankle. Mount oiiver Gustav Wss
siep. ,iouut Olive. I'D. Upton, sprlngtlnIg.
Joe fiaiues. Girara shot Ia ieE: Joe KunS
f;irard. shot in stomach: w. n HERMAN
Sirdard. shot IN hand; Joe seston. Noun,
oiiy.. shot In stomach: Joe sprtHi- haun'
Olive, sho, In arm; Bart Tisar, engine
g & A. shot n arrii J. e. f-ys.V '.,,,,,,.,S,y
ryfnferdent Climax Trading company
), /. .a,d that six ,nen were wounded
inside the HtoekHis bat ihls has no seEu
verified, and those inside the sioeNada
reftfse 10 communicates with oGfsicers'
Miners Were in @RhfhS.
For the past two weeks rumors have
reached yirden daily that "a train bAs.iis
negroes from AiBbamA wodld :cncn ihs
-t,y ard the Chicago and Alton dspot mas
been surrounded ulEbt and DAY ~ VIZ
NAnt miners dStcrminedly Rwaitine theif
arrival Today the Chicago q Alton litn'
ited due 10 pass here at 10 o'cioch- sho'
,h,ourh on route TO Chicago an hour latF
hisplA wing raEs the rear indicating
tunt n special WAS following. irnu-diaieiy
the 7ecrd wRs spread ard dense cro"as o'
miners lined the station platform. ~hise
another crowd collected at the entrance
n the stockaGe half mile north OF ;he
station. -. %. K!ley Chicago & Alton
detective stood guard at switch at 'he
,ou,h end Of tn. station platform 10 zee
that It was not tanpered "'ih
A, is:io the special tram passed the
,tation and signal shots were fired from
Tie south end OF The train, annonnclhs
the specials arrival Immediately shn's
yere nrcd from the moving train and out
ride and the battle was on. a fe" mo
,nsuts after the train had PASSED the
rwitch where Eiicy was stationed and
whlic hc was talking with two citizens.
he threw up his arms and dropped dead
with bullat through hts brain. lie was
the first man killed. The train cpntin-
,cd TO the stockade. the miners nftrS Into
Il ali along the route ard the negro pas
,rnScrs returning the IRE The moment
the train reached the stockado the min
trs opened desperate fire with WincRes-
,err revolver and firearms of all de-
scripyions The negroes on the train an
swerca with u steady FIRE.
Continuous VoIIcy.
The miners and the train were envel-
,pcd In a cloud OF smoke and the shoot
Ing sounded like continuous voifey.
Engineer Burt Tlgar received a bullet in
the arm and dropped from bis seat. His
Arcman seized the throttle pulled IL open
urts n t.rk he train under sDe%l
carrying a load OF wounded negro passen-
gers TO Springfield. How many were
wounded Is not known. The train stopped
Mt the stockade but TWO minutes. Its
departure did not cause the firing to
.eaae The stockade was flied with
,harpshoters 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 departed. 1t Is not known how many
men were stationed behind the walls of
the stockade. but an estimate Is placed at
between c5 and ~. II is claimed that six
within the stockade were wounded. but
those inside refuse TO hold any comruuni-
cation with the outside and nothing au.
thentic can be learned. Word was. how.
ever, sent from the stockadc TO physi-
clan. in town that their services were
needed. The supply and provision store
Of the Ch!cngo-Sirden Coal company is
known the Climax Trading company
with supt- }. F. Eyster IN barge.
Furioua Attack.
At ovlock. after the firing at the
etockade had subsided, an attack without
q parallel in the history of the trouble
was made on Eyster in his store on Main
street. one block from the depot which
will probably cost him his life. He was sit
ting In his store when his telephone rang
and he was instructed from the sJockade
TO secure physicians and hurry them To
the place. Eyster jumped into his dcliy
cry wagon. and. securing TWO doctors,
rushed them TO the mines. He returned
TO his store climbed out OF his wa xon and
was just entering the door when the cry
was raised that Manager Fred Lukens
of the mines. was with him With a rush
o throng OF infuriated miners pressed to-
ward the store. Eyster ran behind n
counter with revolver in each hand.
The miners pressed hard after and as
Eyster sprang upstairs he and the miners
began shooting simultaneously He ran
TO the top of his building and Jumped
behind chimney while the miners ran
into the street and opened fire on him
again. Chips flew from the brick chin
ney and Eyster ran from cover across to
the roof on another store. firing into the
street below as he ran. From there h.
crossed to the roof of the Bank OF Virden
where he reloaded his revoiv.rs. BIocd
was flowing from wound IN his side bu,
with logged determination against terri
bic odds. he continued his fight Jump
ing to the roof OF the Rae and Glsh drr..
store, he halted behind ~ projection from
the building he had just left and ernptlei
the 12 chambers of his two revo!vers
Then sprfnging from cover Eyzter dashed
ahead amid the rain OF bullet. 10 the roof
Of the Eteed building. the upper story of
which is known O Miners halt He either
landed in the arms OF a crowd OF miners
who seized him and carried him down
stnirs to the street. Other hands eeized
Ne almost unconscious man and he was