The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-20

took up their own headquarters at the
foot OF the shaft
This amt your fight. This is our
fight You just keep out OF II, the lead
in the mule stable.
When they had completed the conquest
OF the mine the mutineers sent up woro
of what they had done and forbade any
one to come down. Then they scrawled
an ultimatum to Warden Tonllinson
This read:
we have concluded to wreck every
thing in the mine unless you accede to
cur demands. We demand that you
give US three square meals a day, every
day in the week. and that you cut the
task TO two cars day
I'VE don't want any more corn or corn
beef or peas. any more corn bread, liver
or pigs feet We are willing to do right,
and demand YOU do the same. We want
those men taken off punishment, and
this must be- This is our proposition,
and we demand an answer inside half an
hour"
This was not signed
Warden Tomlinson sent down the fol-
lowing reply:
To the miners. I cannot agree to
your demands; they are not right OF
course. you can wreck everything in the
mine If you want TO do it. but that viii
not help you out Every officer on the
bottom must be sent up in safety to the
top before the miners are brought up
Warden"
The names OF the fifteen officers held
In the mine by the convicts were. H. Nc
Shane. W. w. Gavin. a. E. Derby shire,
Hugh Monahan, John Sonnezfeldt w
NJ French, Thomas Bagl1n, David F1r-
Wis W. r Kinsiey, A. ]. Hill. W. H
Owens. A. Huycke, c R Stanbuck, W.
H. Bird and NJ K. Hainline-
An hour after the peace committee
came up to confer with Warden Tomlin-
son. Guard AIcShane was let up.
According to the officials. (which at
present is the only version obtainable,
McShane said he was not feeling well,
and the mutineerS allowed him to come
up. This looks like only a half truth.
AIcShane came up with mission, no
doubt, and was not allowed to go down
~again. The convicts' only club was
their guard prisoners If they had
starved. the guards would have starved
with them If they went thirsty, so
would the guards
That's hard lines for the guards
suggested the State Journal reporter to
Officer Barnes.
Part Of the load a man assumes when
he takes a penitentiary job was the
philosophical rejoinder-
Water supply was a pressing question
with the underground strikers There
We're fifteen barrels Of water for the
men and twelve mules down there when
the thing started. When this was ex-
hausted the convicts went to q brackish
pool of salt mine water. This they boiled
and allowed to cool Last night they
made coffee out of this boiled water. and
nad some roasted corn 1neS shared
their little stimulant with the captive
guards
Floyd Graham. five year prisoner
rnad- his escape in the mine by climbing
the air shaft. He climbed timbers dis
tance Of 400 feet and there came upon "a
mine carriage, because the carriages are
allowed to repose halfway down all
three shafts during the trouble He gave
a signal and was hoisted to the top
The sir-shaft is some distance from
the main shaft and the cage holds but
four men This cage is not used general
" and IS maintained only for case uf
emergency. There are two cages In the
main shaft. holding eight men eacn
Graham's climb was a renarka Bile feat
He reported that the men had intend
cd "a begin on mule meat today.
Warden Tomlinson said in an inter-
view: The trouble was not brewing
IContinued on Sixth Page.l