The Holly chieftain., 1898-12-30
Xu.-CoSTISCED.
Copyright. 1894. by Mary HalIock Foo.s.l

XII.-CoSTISuED.
On the twelfth day of July there were
gathered at the Mission some 60 or
20 non-union miners, prisoners from
the surrounding mines, awaiting trans
| portation across the lake, and out of
the Coeur d'Alene. The fast little
lake boat Georgia Oakes was unac-
countably many hours behind her
usual time, and there were no officials
Mt the landing in her service, who could
be interviewed on the subject of this
delay. Rumors passed from mouth to
mouth, and it was whispered: "She is
held back under military orders; she
will bring the troops!" But so many
contradictory kilograms had been fly
ing across the wires, which were now
controlled by the union, that the hope
was barely breathed-so many were
the counter-doubts and fears.
The old Mission is one of the most
dream-like spots ever chosen by travel
ar the trysting-place of n steamboat and
n railroad. The Northern Pacific lake
steamer and the narrow-guage railroad.
n noisy adyenturer from the mountain
camps and roaring canyons of the
| Occur dAlcne, here transact their daily
meetings with the most publicity; yet.
| 10 land upon the wharf-boat and to
step aboard the train is to stroll Cby
steam up steel pathway between the
fields of sleep" beside the waters of
forgetfulness." The charming place,
in its deep, sweet, sunshiny scclusion,
seems to have been half reluctantly
yielded by nature long ago to the TEN.
porary occupation of man, and then
fondly reclaimed into her own wild
tendance. The Mission meadows are as
rich as those upland pastures where
the mil<-white huldcr maidens of the
northern legends fed their fairy herds.
| The wis flowers in their beauty unite
the influence of the west and the north
| with the breath of the soft chinook to
atone for the neighborhood of snow
! slides. The river slips in silence past
bowers of blossoming shrubs and lean
| ing birches, and sombcr pines lift their
dark spires out of the tender mass of
deciduous green.
In it all there is an effect of abiding
peace strangely in contrast with some
of the scenes which the historic Mission
has been called to witness. Needless
to say, it is the ideal resort of the sum
mer eXcursionist, whether he came for
fishing or Irritation, or to search the
poetic past, or merely from the COM
mon gregarious instinct of people
that loves to do everything in crowds.
But it was no holiday company gath
cred this day at the Mission. The great
er number were men who carried their
worldly goods in their hands; they
wore their best clothes and their latest
earned wages were in their pockets;
but the thought was not wanting that
safety, and life itself, had been risked
for these few dollars which they were
taking with them, and that they were
passing out of the country under n
shameful ban. There was no traveller
from Altruria to ask: Who are these
decent poor men? Why have they
come here, and why do they go, by
common. sad impulse. as if through
fear and force? And if so, who COM
pcls them? And what is their offense
that they should be looked at askancc
and herded apart, like tainted cattle?
deeper question, this would be. than
most of us are prepared to answer.
Even the'facts can hardly be trusted to
answer; for facts are cruel, and they
frequently lie, in the larger sense of
truth. Hence it is with extreme re-
luctance that one approaches the story
of what was done at the Mission on
the night of July 12, during the labor
trouble of 1892. The differences must
speak for themselves; no one would
dare to be responsible for the logic OF
these cruel facts, which seem to ac-
cuse generally, yet really accuse only
few-the blind guides and faithless
shepherds who We're condemned in the
communities where they were best
known, and were brought to an made
quate punishment, but were afterward
get free, through technicality of the
law, which in effect pronounced them
guiltless. These are not "laboring
men," but they are clothed and fed by
laboring men, who in turn are betrayed
by their injurious counse!s.
The rank and file of the non-union
prisoners were of the ordinary class of
western miners who pack" their
blankets from camp to camp, but
among the number were several men OF
better condition, and of more than
average ability and intelligence, who
had held responsible positions at the
mines; and these, as if unconscious OF
unfriendly observation-both aboard
of the train, where union men. armed
with Winchcsters, sat in the same
car with them, and at the Mission, after
the guards had left them and returned
kept apart by themselves, and were
quiet and wary.
Michael Casson, ex-foreman of the
Caltrop, one of the upper-country
mines, had his wife and children with
him on the train. The wife, comely,
high-spirited woman, with well-sea-
soned nerves, but soft heart in
trouble, kept a motherly watch upon
Faith, coming down in the same car
with her from Wallace. Faith was
known to be Manager Bingham's
daughter, leaving the country under
the special protection and guarantee
Of the union leaders; but the signs
of recent trouble in her tear-fushed
face aroused Mrs. Casson's SYM
pathies, and that neighborly wom-
an soon discovered that the man
ayers daughter, Notwithstanding her
l 81. :. ~