Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1898-10-18
Mine Operators Will Make No Fur
Their Efforts to Land Ne
groes at Virden.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECENT TRAGEDY.
Coal Company VIII Endeavor to Ftx
Il Upon Governor Tanner-Coroner
Hart Resumes the Inquest Over the
/, Bodies of Wednesdays Flight at
the Stockade.

80 the Chicago-V1rden coal mine
failed to put in an appearance during
the night, although it was reported in
the vicinity.
Attorney Will Patton is authority
Tor the statement that the coal COM
pany, Of which he is the legal rep
resentative here during the inquest,
will make no further attempt to
land the negroes here. There is also
under consideration, according to At
torney Patton, an attempt to fix the
responsibility for the north gate
tragedy upon the governor of Illinois.
The lawyer declares that it is the In
tention Of the coal company to bring
out the facts in the case, and it will be
for the grand jury of Macoupin county
to say whether he shall answer Tor
the shooting in court.
Inquest Resumed.
Coroner Hart resumed the inquest
over the bodies of the victims of
Wednesdays fight at the Chicago
virden Coal company's mine at ten
o'clock a. m. at the stockade.
Only three witnesses were examined.
They were all ex-guards of the COM
pany and the testimony was in the
general line of that introduced Friday.
They admitted that they were present
during the fight, but denied having
taken part in the battle. One witness
swore that he came here to help build
the stockade, and afterwards was en-
ployed as cook. He said that he, to-
gether with about rs others, were
sworn in by Sheriff Davenport as depu-
ties and 30 far as he knew he was still
serving in that capacity. In the cross
examination Attorney Mooney, repre-
senting the Miners union, brought out
the fact that the witness had never re-
eeived written commission or had
Aled bond. This brought out little
side play.
In conclusion the witness stated
that on the 18th Of October he and
the other men in the stockade who had
been sworn in as deputies were given
rides. He was given to understand
that the gun was loaded, but as to the
truth of this he could not swear, as he
never examined the gun OF attempted
TO fire shot from 1t.
None Of the witnesses were able to
swear that theytsaw any of their com
panions fire shot as they said they
were too busy looking after them
selves to pay any attention to any
thing else. They were all confident
that they saw no sh OTIS fred from the
shAft house tower. A recess was taken
until 1:ao p. m.
May BE Prolonged Week.
The mine officials have as yet given
mo intimation regarding the number
of witnesses they expect to present,
but from the slow and leisurely man
,ner in which the inquest was conduct
ed II may be prolonged a week at least.
Quiet Mt Pana.
Pana, Ill.,, Oct. II. - Utmost quiet
prevails in the miners strike and
military circles here, the excitement
over the reported coming Of the vir-
den negroes having abated to a con-
siderable extent.
Maj. Butler is in full charge of the
city and has a guard watching every
railroad entrance to the city. Many
OF the Pana miners who were at Viz.
den during the riot have returned.
Stranded at st. Louis.
st. Louis, Oct. II. The 81 negro
men, with their Is women and chill
dren, who were brought to st. Louis
after being driven out of Virden. are,
being cared for by the city Temporal
Irily. The negroes desire to be taken
back to Alabama, but they have no
transportation. Mayor Ziegenhein
says that he will demand that the Chi.
cago, st. Louis & Peoria Railroad COM
,pany, which landed them here penni-
less and hungry Friday night, take
them out of town again.
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