Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-12
Wardner Miners Subjected to
Many Indignities
STORY
Many Homes Have Been Abandoned
and the Occur D'Alenes is Lost
to Union Labor.

Hon. w. r. Goldensmith, member of the
! last Idaho legislature and a prominent
citizen of Shoshone county, arrived from
Wardner last night and brings with him
a story of the abuse of military power,
authorized and without authority, that
| will elicit sympathy wherever it is told.
| Mr.. Goldensmith has just been released
| from the Wardner bull pen," where he
was imprisoned more than two months
age, because in times past he has been
the friend and sympathizer of the labor
ing men of the Wardner country. He
was held for some time before he was ac-
corded the privilege of an examination,
and finally on being released was told
that "there was no definite charge against
him. and was advised to go home land
be a good boy"
Mr.. Goldensmith says that militarism
has ridden rough shod over the miners of
northern Idaho and that the Occur
d'Alene section is lost for all time to
come as far as union miners are con-
cerned. He said that hundreds Of ION
union miners nave been shipped into the
district from Joplin. Missouri, and that
more are coming. On the other hand, of
the 1000 miners who were employed in
the district before the trouble began,
outside of those in custody, not more
than 100 are in that section, and of these
men, all of them have established to the
entire satisfaction of the military au-
thorities ar entire innocence of the riot.
The rest Of them nav been driven to the
four winds. Many have come to Butte,
many more have gone to Alaska and
British Columbia and Colorado. Of these
men, a large number nave left homes
and families in the Occur d'Alenes. Their
families are being cared for by The West
ern Federation of Miners, but their
homes, representing the savings of years,
nave been abandoned, and in a majority
Of cases will be a total loss.
Everyone is liable to arrest" said Mr..
G~oldensmith. TOO much talk on the
part ven of those entirely disinterested
will bring them under military surveil-
lance, and arrests usually follow. Then
the offender will be put into the "bull
to be released only on the caprice
of those in authority. DR.. Hugh France,
coroner of ShOshone county, and acting
sheriff since the removal Of that official,
conducts the examinations. His first
question usually is:
Ibid you see the train leave for Ward
ner on April 30 last?' and if the reply is
in the negative the prisoner is sent back
to the bull pen,' with Instructions to
think it over and endeavor to refresh his
memory.
"A great and grave mistake" continued
Mr.. Goldensmlth, was made when the
government sen colored soldiers into the
Occur d'Alene country. The while SOL
dlers did their duty properly, but they
accorded to the prisoners that respect
which was due them and treated them
like men. On the other hand the negroes
took advantage of the situation. l have
seen SEX men prodded with bayonets. on
the pretense that they We're shamming. 2
saw one man struck in the face by a coll
oredi guard, because, on the march, he
stepped a little out of the line in order to
avoid a muddy place in the road. I have
heard them taunt these men with the
threat that While they We're prisoners in
the bull pen their wives We're at the
mercy of Their captors.s And the worst Of
it all is that many of the unfortunate
women of Wardner, while their husbands
We're imprisoned We're made the object Of
Objectionable attention on the part of
the colored soldiers. | have two affidavits
in my possession. made by as reputable
and respectable women as live in Idaho.
to the effect that their homes We're visited
at night, during the absence of their hus-
bands. and proposals of a revolving ma
ture made to them. The matter was II
ported to those in authority, hut the Of
Tenders could not be located"