The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-06-16
Coal Operators Preparing to
Break the Strike.
Bring In Negro Miners to Pitts
burg and Fleming.
BEHIND STOCKADES.
Some OF the Imported Negroes
Promise Not to Work.
Striking Miners Offer No ViO-
lence to New Miners.


day of considerable interest and excite
ment in the strike situation here. The
attorneys for the coal companies and
the deputy United States marshals ar
rived here late Wednesday night with
subpoenas and orders of injunction and
began at once serving the same upon
the strikers. The Western Coal and
Mining company also delivered train
load of miners at it's Fleming mine
little before daylight. All day long the
marshals have been engaged in serving
the papers, and the attorneys for the
coal companies, Messrs. Richards, Ben
ton, Cliggitt and Campbell, have been
busy preparing the cases.
little before Z o'clock a train con-
sisting of three coaches and one bag
gage car arrived at Fleming from Biz
mingham, Ala, loaded with 200 negroes,
all men except seven. The train back
ed in from the west and stopped by NO.
shaft, where some of the men anght-
ed to meet about 300 miners from Chico
pee and KirkwoOd, who had waited
there all night. After those who had
wished to get off had left the train. 1t
entered the switch and ran to shaft No.
Z, where those remaining on the train
were unloaded and went into quarters
prepared by the Western Coal and Min
ing company. The company is build
ing a stockade around No. 7 shaft The
stockade is built of inch boards and is
about eight feet high. 1t incloses
space about SOO rect square Inside the
stockade are about seventy-hve tents
for the accommodation of the negroes
and persons who wish to work, also a
wash house, a dining hall, kitchen
and a storeroom for the accommodation
of the miners. The sanitary condition
of the grounds is first class. The COM
pany has provided every comfort pos
sible under the circumstances.
Those getting off the train at shaft
No. 8 scattered among the miners wait
ing for them, and were warned not to
go to work. They were somewhat
puzzled to know what to do. At IL
o'clock this morning about 200 miners
from Chicopee, accompanied by the
band, marched into Fleming, gathered
the newcomers together, treated them
and marched through the camp to
school house. where they were addressed
by several miners, and made to promise
not to work and asked to join in the
union in very short time. Those in
side the stockades are contented and
expect to go to work at once.
So far the striking miners are taking
this turn in affairs in a philosophical
manner. The miners in the district ex-
cept Litchfield and Arnott & Co. were
idle today. Even some of the strip pit
and gin shafts were stopped because of
the men preferring to lay off and learn
the result of the conference at the earli-
est possible moment.
The conference convened at 2:3O
o'clock and adjourned at o'clock, un-
til next Tuesday, after agreeing to
leave the settlement to an arbitration
board of ten-five operators and five
miners. Three of each five will be call
ed in from Missouri and two each from
Kansas.
Fort Scott. June 16.-General Fore
man Hurd and three negro miners of
the Missouri Coal and Mining company
mines at Yale and Fleming. Kan, came
here secretly Wednesday night and ear
ly Thursday morning met a train load
of 300 negro miners imported from Ala
bama to take the places of striking
miners. The three negro miners passed
through the train to assure the Ala
bama men that the mine officers would
do the right thing by them. The train
Travelled in darkness very secretly. 1t
did not stop here, but went on to the
Katy crossing and was switched to that
road, going east to Nevada and thence
south to the mine stockades.
Attorney Ralph Richards. son of Gel
J. H. Richards, attorney for the mining
company, yesterday collected a carload
of Fort Scott negroes for guards and
started with them for Fleming. At
EngleVa1e he got word that 400 miners
were waiting at Yale to attack the
guards. and he took them off and sent
them to Pittsburg in buggies. Deputy
Marshals Mooney and Trigg, with a lot
of assistants and the railroad COM
pany's attorneys, left here in a spec
ial train for the mines to serve injunc-
tions on the strikers.