The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-05-14

Denver, Colo, May 1O.-One of the
strongest bits of evidence introduced
by the defense is the following, writ
ten to the board of pardons by one of
the plaintiffs in the fall of 1897:
.6aulorado Springs, Colo. Oct. 1, '9I.
Secretary of Board of Pardons:
"On May %, 1894, n mob of striking
miners made a raid upon the Strong
mine. placed powder under the boilers,
lighted the fuses destroyed the proper
ty, buried three honest, hard working
men below. After keeping these three
men confined for forty-eight hours
without food, took them as prisoners,
treated them brutally, hanging them
by the neck until it was necessary TO
resort to all kinds of means to restore
life and abusing them otherwise.
The man that placed the powder, ap-
piled the match to the fuse, was Mich
olas Tully; in fact, ringleader. He
was tried and convicted and sentenced
for same and is now asking for par
don.
L, as one of the owners of the Strong
mine, request and pray that you do
not grant his pardon. but insist upon
him serving out his full sentence.
'E. w. GIDDINGS, JR.,
"Of the Strong Mine"
All llHpOTiauI Witness examined tnlS
week was Sam Mcdonald. Mr.. Nc
Donald stated that mt the time of the
strike he was the superintendent of the
Strong mine in the employ of the
plaintiffs. He holds the same position
now, for the same employers. and is
also superintendent of the Ell Paso
Gold King. On the morning of the
explosion he had gone to the Indepen-
dence boarding house for his break
fast and started back to the Strong
shaft house. When about $50 feet
from the house he saw n crowd of
from 100 to so men spread out on the
top of Battle mountain. Immediately
shots We're fired and he began to run.
The witness would not say that the
shots Were fired at him. When he
reached the shaft house he called the
men who We're inside to admit him and
Jack Goodhue opened the door. The
door was locked and bolted behind
him when he entered. and n few min
utes We're spent in loading the guns
which We're in the house. The prepara-
tons were no sooner made that n rush
was made on the house and the door
was broken in. Mcdonald drove four
or five of the mob back with his gun.
In the van of this body was Nicholas
Tully, who was the only one that the
witness was able TO recognize. He
and Tully faced each other about n
dozen feet apart, both holding their
guns at half rise.
Mcdonald and his associates then
descended the shaft to the third level
where they We're Imprisoned for TWEEN
ty-seven hours, only to be brought
forth and submitted to indignitles
much more horrible than the expert
ence of their enforced Imprisonment.
1he witness testified that he heard
three distinct explosions. They were
finally released by committee of min.
ei-s. They We're told that - they sur
rendered their arms they would be re
leased. They were taken to various
places in the vicinity and Mcdonald
was hanged by the neck in an effort
to make him reveal the place where
the arms of the deputies were stored.
Two days later he was blindfolded
and led to a place called Grass"
when he was exchanged for some of
the strikers.
The testimony of Charles NJ Robin
son, who was imprisoned with McDon-
aid. was practically the same
Judge j. w. Hun of Victor. who tes-
titled that he had practlced law for
five years in the state, was asked
about conversation he had with Mr..
Giddings on November %, 1900 He