The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-03-22
A Small Body Of Guards En-
ter the Dark Shaft and
Fire on the COnyicts
TWO Of THEM ARE WOUNDED
The Convicts had Threatened
to Wreck the Nine
Warden TOmlinsOn Refused
Everything but UncOndi-
tiOnal Surrender

Lansing, Kansas, March l0-One
mans iron will conquered and cowed
nearly three hundred desperate strik-
ing convicts late tonight, and released
from theirconfnementfou fourteen guards,
whom the convicts had prisoners in
the mine from noon yesterday till mid
night tonight That man is Warden
j. b. Tomlinson.
The convicts who work the prison
mine struck yesterday at noon and
placed the fifteen guards over them in
the mule stables under aguard of their
own. Then they sent an ultmatum to
the warden demanding that their task
be lessened and their food be in
creased. If the demands were not com
piled with, they declared, they would
do what they pleased with the guards
and the mine. The threats even went
to the extent of declaring that the mine
would be destroyed with all who were
in it. The miners sent word 10 the
surface that they would treat with the
warden only through committee and
in writing
They were answered in kind Since
then they have receded in their terms
several times, till finally they sent
word very abjectly that they would
come out if their punishment would be
overlooked and would waive all their
demands. They were told that no
terms would be made whatever; that
it was case of plain surrender. The
last message from the mine came
when, early this evening, the miners
sent up Guard McShane, who was not
feeling well.
| This action was taken as sure
sign of weakening, and when a miner
clambered 400 of the 720 feet up the air
shaft to the cage, and told his story,
how the men we're out of light and had
no food, and only some water, brack =
ish that they had found and boiled.
Tomlinson knew that the end of the
fight was at hand. He gathered two
forces of volunteers from among his
surface guards and these forces went
into the mine, one through the air
shaft and the other through the hoist
All these men were armed till they
were walking arsenals. Down into
the pitch blackness they went, taking
their lives in their hands as few men
would. The shafts end in little clear
ings, and in them the convicts haC
gathered. No more desperate chance
could be taken by men. AS the armed
forces entered the little circles, thu
desperate miners who were gathered
there melted into darkness. The
guards gathered the imprisoned guards
together and sent them to the sur
face.
the miners were gathered next anC
in squads were sent up. They wer
thoroughly cowed. Only few shot
were needed to break the strike, whel
the men first landed in the dark, bu
= no one was hurt. The ringleader
were taken and imprisoned first, anC
then the rest were corralled. Tn
warden went down and bossed the ioj
he had started and carried out sue
cessfully. Now there is not a mine
} who would rebel if he were asked, ant
the great strike is absolutely broker
\ TWO CoNVICTS WOUNDED.
Bv scupps- McRae Press Association.
Leavenworth, March 20.-In over
e aweing the striking convicts at thu
bottom of the mine shaft the guard
had to shoot one volley wounding tw
e convicts, Alfred Hatfield and Ralp
= Clark. Neither were seriously il
2 iured. Punishment for the mutineer
y has not been fixed, but the warde
y says it will discourage all simila
o outbreaks in the future.
e A man near Eureka has planted 32
e acres to potatoes.