The Worcester spy., 1898-10-13
.L00DSHED
Rioting at Vir-
den.
MANY KILLED
Long Expected Clash Be-
tween Miners and Negroes.

night, after a day of riot and blood
shed, and the long expected clash be-
tween the Union miners and imported
a Chicago and Alton special train, bear
ing 200 negro miners from the south,
arrived at the stockade around the
Chicago -Virden Coal company's mines,
and Immediately terrific firing began.
The list at 10 o'clock tonight stands
seven dead and Is wounded. The dead;
Ed Welch of Springfield.
Frank Bilyeu of Springfield.
Albert Smith of Mt. olive,
Joe Kitterels Of Mt. Olive.
Ernest Keutner of Mt. Olive.
A. H. Breneman of Girard.
D. H. Kiley, Chicago and Alton de-
tective
The wounded:
Ans Ankle of Mt. Olive; Gustav Wev-
siep of Mt. Olive, Fred Upton of Spring
field Thomas Jennings of Springfield,
Joe Haines Of Girard shot in the leg;
Joe Runk of Girard, shot in the arm;
George Runk of Girard shot in the
stomach; William Herman of Girard,
shot in the hand; Joe Barton of Mt.
Of Mt. Olive shot in the arm; Bart tt
gar, engineer, shot in the arm; J. F.
Eyster, superintendent Climax Trad
ing Co., shot and beaten.
1t Is said that six men were wounded
inside the stockade but this has not
been verified, and those inside the
stockade refuse to communicate with
outsiders.
For the past two weeks rumors have
Nof %Haf IN n
ing negroes from Alabama would reach
the city, and the Chicago and Alton de-
pot has been surrounded day and night
by vigilant miners determinedly await
ing their arrival
Today the Chicago and Alton limited
due to pass here at 10 o'clock, shot
through to Chicago an hour late, dis
playing flags on the rear indicating
that O. special was following.
Immediately the word was spread
and dense crowd of miners lined the
station platform, while another col
lected at the entrance of the stockade
half-mile north Of the station. D. 3.
Kiley, a Chicago and Alton detective,
stood guard at a swithch at the south
end of the station platform, to see that
1t was not taInpered with.
At 12.40 o'clock the special train
passed the station and signal shots
train, announcing the specials ar
rival.
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 sta
toned, and while he was talking with
two citizens. he threw up his arms and
dropped dead, with a bullet through
X q uya no fire. III
The train continued to the stockade,
the miners firing into it all along the
route and the negro passengers re-
turning the fire.
The moment the train reached the
stockade the miners opened desperate
fire with Winchesters, revolvers and
firearms of all kinds
The train stopped at the stockade but
two minutes. Its departure did not
cause the firing to cease. The tower Of
the stockade was filled with sharp
shooters 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 are stationed behind the
walls OF the stockade, but they are es-
timated at between 25 and 49,
The supply and provision store of the
Chicago-V -Virden Coal Company Is
known as the Climax Trading Company
with Supt. J. F. Eyster In charge At
2 o'clock after the firing at the stock.
ade had subsided, an attack without a
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 sitting in his store when his
telephone rang and he was instructed
from the stockade to secure physicians
and hurry them to the place. Eyster
jumped into his delivery wagon and Sc
curing two doctors rushed them to the
mines He returned to his store, climbed
out Of his wagon and was just entering
the door when the cry was raised that
Manager Fred Lukins of the mines was
with him. A throng of infuriated miners
rushed toward the store Eyster ran
behind a counter with a revolver in
each hand. The miners pressed hard
after him and as Eyster sprang up
stairs, he and the miners began shoot
ing simultaneously.
He ran to the top Of his, building and
jumped behind a chimney while the
miners ran into the street and opened
fire on him again. Chips flew from the
brick chimney and Eystsr ran from
cover across to the roof Of another store,
firing into the street below as he ran.
From there he crossed 10 the roof OF
the bank of Virden where he reloaded
his revolvers. Blood was flowing from
a wound in his side, but with dogged
determination against terrible odds, he
continued his flight. Jumping to the
roof Of the Rae and Gish drug store,
he halted behind a projection from the
roof of the building he had just left,
and emptied both his six chambered
revolvers. Then springing from cover,
Eyster dashed ahead amid the rain of
bullets to the roof OF the Sreed build
ing, the upper story Of which is known
as Miners Hall. He either fell or
jumped through the shyilght and land
ed In the arms of crowd of miners,
who seized him and carried him down
stairs to the street Other hands seized
the almost unconscious man, and he
was dragged into the middle Of the
street. Local policement drove back
the crowd and carried Eyster to the
city square, across the street. and laid
him on the grass. Eyster was notion
less and supposedly dead. The police
left him lying there and attempted to
disperse the crowd In a few minutes
Eyster was seen to raise his hand and
wipe the blood from his face, Two
men sprang at him, and with the fe-
rocity of tigers began Jumping on his
body and striking him OF the head with