The weekly examiner., 1901-08-03
That washed poor sinner like me. Will you, will you, Will you now wash and be cleanf

| NJ | All who enter that glorious city A Have made their garments of wfzM. Fl Have trod in the Saviour's footstepss f They've battled for God and for Eseht. I long, long, long to meet you there.
 | Had ever singer such an audience, such an occasion or such a purpose in
 using the divine passion of song? Long
 before she had finished Erie had faint ] ed dead away, and Stuart and the doc | tor were caring for him as he lay on
 the floor of the band stand, his up
 turned face as ghastly white as those two below. But Stuaits senses throb- bed to that song as they never had to any triumphant aria that ever swept
 through the gilded, perfumed opefa ] houses of Europe. What were all
 those singers there to this one who was
 using her gift to help save life and pre-
 vent crime? It is probable that Stuart
 Duncan laid his heart at the feet of
 Rhena Dwight that evening. He had already surrendered his soul to God.
 1t was no less sacred mingling of
 that with all the rest of his recent ex-
 perience that he lifted up his heart to
 the height of loving this woman. The song ceased. The men breathed deeper, as if they had been holding
 their breath during the singing, and a
 murmur swelled over the square. It
 grew every second, but the mob was not the same. The better purposes in hundreds of the men had been stirred. They were not brutal or cruel or law less men for the most part: but, on the
 contrary, very many of them were deeply religious, and above all else
 they desired to see the cause of labor
 triumph The facts clearly pre-
 sented by Erie were undeniable. One
 of the older men began to speak now
 from the stand. They lad come up to
 Champion to take the law into their
 own hands The question was, in the
 light of sober reason, what would the
 results be if they should do this thing
 in hot blood? Eric was right about it.
 There arose a storm of cries from the
 crowd at this point for a division on the question, "What did the union de- cide?" "Bide by the union in the mat terY' "Aye. aye; that's reason!' Voter ''Decisionr'
 The vote was accordingly taken. Should the soldiers and officers be dealt with by the miners for the death of the two men or should they be handed over to the authorities to await due process of law? The vote was taken by hands. Less than fourth of the msn thrust up their hands with clubs in them On the vote to deal with the soldiers as they pleased On the nega- tive an overwhelming majority carried the day to submit the entire affair to
 the law.
 Instantly every man in the band stand came down. Stuart and the doc tor assisted in bearing Eric back to the doctors buggy. Erie revived a little as he was being carried and asked to be taken to his own Eouse. The doctor thought that would be wiser than to take him back to Stuart,s. and Stuart reluctantly consented to the transfer. He went himself with Erie, saw him comfortable and then returned to the square.
 The decision of the union was being faithfully carried out. The troops and their officers were placed under guard in the engine house, and the police of Champion were assisted by the miners, who claimed that the firing of the troops had been without excuse and that the placing of them under arrest was called for by every dictate of jus tice and fair play.
 AS we pass this incident in the course of this narrative which is connected with the story of our lives in Cham pion it is sufficient to say that next day the troops were taken back to De Mott by the authorities, and in the trial which came of afterward the case was dismissed on the ground of insufficient evidence to convict. As a matter of fact, there had been great provocation on both sides, but the fir ing of the troops was always consid- cred by the miners as not warranted by the facts. They always spoke of the killing of the two men as "mur- der' and looked upon the acquittal of the officer who gave the command to fire as an outrage and a clear miscar- riage of justice.
 So ended that memorable night. Stuart went home at last, feeling that the problem was no neauer solution, so far the strike was concerned, and agitated as never before by the great rising within him of emotions and thoughts heretofore entirely unknown to him. The sight of the conflict these men were making for a few cents more a day for labor, which meant the risk of life every 24 hours, was sight. that grew more and more significant to him as he watched the struggle unfold. He could not see the end. He dared not anticipate the final result.
 As the days went by the situation re- mained practically the same. The ef-