The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-10-22
BLOODY Miners BATTLE.
An Attempt to Place Imported Ne
gro Laborers in the Mines
Brings On the Conflict.
TRAIN IS ATTACKED BY ARMED MINERS.
Ten Men Are Killed and More Than
Twice as Many Badly Wounded
Town Is Now Comparatively Quiet
How the Battle Commemorative
gineer of Train Is wounded.

Virden, H., Oct. 10. = The little town
of Virden is comparatively quiet after
day of riot and bloodshed, the long
expected clash occurring between the
union miners and imported negroes.
At 1910 o'clock Wednesday afternoon
Chicago g. Alton special train bearing
200 negro miners from the south ar
rived at the stockade around the Chi
cago-Virden Coal company's mines, and
! Immediately n terrific fire began from
| the union miners. The list at midnight
stands ten dead and 25 or more
wounded. The victims outside of the
stockade are as follows:
The Victims.
DEAD-Ed Welsh, Springfield Franb
Bilyeu, Springfield: Albert Smith, Mount
Olive; Joe Kitterly, Mount olive; Ernest
Keutner. Mount Olive; A. II. Breneman
Girard; d. II. Kelly, c. & A. detective Tom
Preston. Chicago; Ed Green, Mount Olive
WOUNDED-Ansk Anlpel. Mount Olive;
Gustav Wevsiep. Mount Olive; Ed Upton,
Springfield; Thomas Jennings. Springfield,
Joe Haines, Girard, shot in leg; Joe Runk.
Girard, shot In arm; George Runk, Girard,
shot In stomach; William Herman, Girard,
shot in hand; Joe Baston, Mount Olive,
shot in stomach: Joe Sprim, Mount Olive,
shot In ARM j. f. Eyster, superintendent
Climax Trading company, shot andbeaten,
The dead miners were removed
from the vicinity of the stockade to
hotels and livery stables, and the
wounded miners were taken on Utters
to the station and then to Springfield.
Victims In the stoclSnde.
| A press representative secured adj
mittance to the stockade late at night.
| The list of dead and wounded inside
the stockadc is as follows:
DEAD-A w. Morgan, Chicago.
! WOUNDED-H. Gritgesell, wounded in
shoulder: o. ]. Snyder, shot In face and
legs: James Sickles. Chicago, shot in leg;
I Frank Wilder. Chicago, shot in arm;
Thomas McEntee. Chicago, shot in leg:
]. w. Moonan, st. Louis, slightly injured {;
p. J. Hanan, slightly injured; J. II. Smith.
Chicago, slightly injured.
The Train Arrives.
For the past two weeks rumors have
reached Virden daily that train hav-
ing negroes from Alabama would
reach the city, and the c. & A. depot
has been surrounded day and night by
vigilan. miners determincdly awaiting
their arrival. Wednesday the c. & A.
limited, due to pass here at ten o'clock,
shot through en- route to Chicago an
hour late, displaying flags on the
rear, Indicating that special was fol-
lowing. Immediately the word was
spread and dense crowd of miners lined
the station platform, while another
crowd collected at the entrance of the
stockade, a half mile north of the sta.
| s,>n n u n q, lat
stood guard at switch at the soutL
end of the station platform to see it
was not tempered with. At 40 the
special train passed the station and
signal shots were fired from the south
end of the train announcing the spe.
calls arrival.
The Battle begins.
Immediately shots were fired from
the moving train and outside, and the
battle was on. a few moments after
the train had passed the switch where
Kiley was stationed, while he was
talking with two citizens. he threw up
his arms and dropped dead with bull
let through his brain. He was the first
man killed. The train continued to
the stockade, the miners firing into il
| I'LL ulOHB the "Oulc anu the DtBTO pas
sengers returning the fire. The mo-
ment the train reached the stockade
the miners opened IA desperate fire
with Winchesters, revolvers and fire.
arms of all descriptions. The negroes
on the train answered with n steady
fire, and the carnage of ba. tie reigned.
The miners and the train were cnvel-
oped in n cloud of smoke and the shoot
ing sounded like a continuous volley.
Engineer Burt Tigar received bullet
in the arm and dropped from his seat.
His fireman seized the throttle. pulled
1t open and with jerk the train was
under speed, carrying load of wound
ed negro passengers to Springfield.
Situation at the stockade.
The stockade surrounds about 20
acres OF ground in a square and is
made of pine boards an inch thick. .et
on edge to edge, about 12 feet high.
On each of the four sides, about
midway, is a small watch tower con-
tanning guard armed with Win
chester. There are three entrances,
which are closely guarded by half .
dozen armed sentries day and night.
The fight occurred at the east en-
trance
Given Comfortable Quarters