Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-10-13
NOT THE UNEXPECTED
Was It That Happened at Virden,
IIIs., Yesterday, but the
Long-Expected.
PROBABLY A SCORE OF DEAD MEN
Will Result from the Battle Between
the Striking Miners and
Officers.

Negroes from Alabama Attacked on tho
Train That Took Them to the Chicago
Yirden stoekade and a Deadly FusiIIade
Follows - Eight Strikers Killed and
Twenty Wounded-A Number of Casual
ties on the Train-Loss In the stOckade
Comment of Gov. Tanner and Supt.
Lukins on the Tragedy.
Nirden, Ills, Oct 13.-The little town
OF Virden is comparatively quiet now
after day Of riot and bloodshed-the
long expected clash between the union
miners and imported negroes. At 12:4O
y. m yesterday Chicago and Alton
special train bearing 200 negro miners
from the south arrived at the stockade
around the Clicago-Virden Coal COM
pany's mines. and Immediately a terrific
fire began from the union miners. The
casualty list at this writing stands sew
en- dead and eighteen wounded. Dead
Ed Welsh and Frank Bilyou, SPRING
field; Albert Smith, Joe Kitterly and
Ernest Keutner, Mount Olive; A H
Breneman, Girard, and d. H. Kiley,
Chicago and Alton detective; Ed Green,
Mount Olive.
Full List of the Wounded.
Wounded-Ansk Ankel and Gustav
Wevsiep. Mount Olive: Ed Upton and
Thomas Jennings. Springfield: Joe
Haines. shot in the leg: Joe Runk, shot
in arm: George Runk, shot in stomach;
William Herman. shot in hand-all OF
Girard: Joe Baston, shot in stomach;
Joe Sprim. shot in arm-both of Mount
Olive; Bart Tigar, engineer of the Chi
oago and Alton train. shot in arm; ]. F.
EystSr. superintendent of the Climax
Trading company. shot and beaten;
John Sinnegan. Mount Olive. shot in
foot; Russell Warren, CentraIia. shot in
thigh.
Beginning of the Bloody Battle.
For the past two weeks rumors had
reached Virden daily that a train having
negroes from Alabama would reach the
city, and the Chicago and Alton had been
surrounded day and night by vigilant
miners determinedly awaiting their ar
rival The Chicago and Alton limited
shot through en- route to Chicago an
hour late. displaying flags on the rear
indicating that a special was followingss \
Immediately the word was spread and a
dense crowd of miners lined the station
platform, while another crowd collected
at the entrance of the stockade, a half
mile north of the station. ID. b. Kiley.
a Chicago and Alton detective. stood
guard at a switch at the south end of
the station platform to see that it was
not tampered with. At 1910 the special
train passed the station. and signal
shots were fired from the south end of
the train announcing the specials ar
rival. Immediately shots were fired
from the moving train and outside and
the battle was on.
Kley Was the First Killed.
A few moments after the train had
passed the switch where Kiley was sta
toned while he was talking with two
citizens he threw up his arms and
dropped dead with bullet through his
brain. He was the first man killed
The train continued to the stockade. the
miners firing into il all along the route
and the negro passengers returning the
fire. The moment the train reached the
stockade the miners opened a desperate
fire with Wfrchesters. revOlvers and fire
arms OF an descriptions The negroes
on the train answered with a steady
fire, and the carnage of battle reigned
The miners and the train were en-
veloped In a cloud of smoke and the
shooting sounded like continuous VOL
ley.
DeadfySyyork At the stockade
Engineer Burt TfgAr received a bullet
in the arm and dropped from his seat.
His fireman seized the throttle pulled
IL open and with jerk the train was
under speed carrying the load of ne
gro passengers to Springfield. The
train stopped at the stoekade but two
minutes. It's departure did not cause
the firing to cease. The tower of the
stockade was filed with sharpshooters
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 an estimate is placed |
nj between twenty-fi five and forty.
ATTACK ON SUPT. j. r. KYsTER.