Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-17
TROOPS AND THE MINERS
Testimony Pefore the House Military
Affairs Committee.
Allan +. Gill Complains of the Con-
duct of the Soldiers at Burke on the
Day Of the Great Explosion.

The Coeur d'Alene investigation was con-
tinued before the House committee on mill
tary affairs today. The cross-examnation
Of Mr. Forney, which was in progress when
the committee adjourned yesterday, was
not resumed today, on account Of the Illness
of the witness
Allan f. Gill Of Spokane, Wash, a me-
chanical engineer, was placed on the stand
by Mr. LentZ. He held various public posi-
tions in Spokane, and was master mechanic
for the Oregon Railway and Navigation
Company before he became master me-
chanic Of the Tiger and Boorman Mining
Company of Burke. In that position, among
other duties, he was charged with the en-
ploymcnt and discharge of men in the mine.
No Need for the Troops at Burke.
He testified that ne was at Burke April
% 1899, the day the Bunker Hill mine was
blown up. The town was unusually quiet.
April 30 all the men were at work except
four. They continued at work until the Sd
or 4th day of May, when numbers of them.
including himself, were arrested by the
military. He testified that he had attempted
to continue at work.
He had explained to the officer in Charge
of the troops that the manager of the mire
was absent and that great property inter
ests depended upon him. The officer, Ma j.
Morten replied that martial law had been
declared, and that he would have to go to
Nardner. He testified that he heard Ma
Morten order some of his troops to break
into his (Gills) house. The soldiers broke
in the door.
He noticed other instances of similar
character. He testified to general rude and
harsh treatment suffered by the arrested
miners at the hands Of the troops.
Later in the day he was released and
went back to the mine with eight miners
and worked all night with them to get
the water, which had accumulated, out of
the mine. The only disturbance made in
Burke that day was the disturbance Great
ed BY the soldiery. There was no necessity
for the soldiers. he said. as civil processes
could have been served. In his opinion
the advent of military defeated the ends
of justice. The guilty parties escaped into
Montana. Had the military not been there
many of these would have returned and
could have been arrested. =
Mr.. Gill testified that he had been in
formed that no release from the bull PEN
would be made except on the order of
Bartlett Sinclair.
He had had an interview with Sinclair
and had presented affidavits regarding men
who had been at work at Burke when the
mine at Wardner was blown up, but he
(Sinclair) refused to release them, saying
that he took no stock in affidavits. Sim
clair had informed him that 1t was the duty
of reputable citizens to bring affidavits to
convict and not acQuit The witness de-
ScrlDeu cOnQ1tlOnS IN the Dull pCn.' His
testimony was similar to that of other wit
nCsSes
Trouble With the Firemen.
He testified that the deputies had had
some trouble with the fircmen under his
control, and the former had informed Lieut..
Lyons that the firemen Lad applied op-
probious epithets TO them. Lieut.. Lyons
had complained of this to him (GiD and
had said that II such epithets had been
applied to him he dyons) would have shot
the offender. Lieut. Lyons Threatened to
send the flremen to the bull PEN unless
the firemen apologiZed. The dignity of the
state officers, Lieut.. Lyons said, must be
upheld.
Later the firemen apologized and the
trouble was amicably settled. Mr.. Gill said
that the men in the Occur d'Alene district
were law-abiding. They were not, as a
class inferior to those in any other mining
community. There were some bad men
among them, blrt class they were ex-
ccptionally good men. These bad men were
not permanent residents of the district. So
| far as the Tiger and Poorman mine was
concerned the relations between the miners
and Mr.. Cuiberson, the active manager,
We're very cordial.
Without disposing of the witness the COM
mittee then adjourned until Monday.