The sun., 1901-11-20

Nmctiines. inu. Assdu'cu
In Their Homes Invaded and
Toos Burned DO Nothing.
INDIANAPOLIS. Nov. I9.-Fully 900 union
miners made an attack to-day on nom
union men at the shaft Of the Prospect
Hill Coal Mining Company near Vincennes.
The attacking party came from half
dozen counties. During the attack the
local police stood by idly and made no
effort to protect the company's property
or the lives Of the miners.
For more than a year the Prospect Hill
company has been employing non-union
miners, but has been paying the same
scale that other operators in Knox and
adjoining counties have paid their men.
The Prospect Hill company has refused
20 sign the union wage scale, and In this
they were supported by the men In their
employ. There have never been any charges
OF unfair treatment against the company
and ii conformed to all the conditions re-
garding powder. oil and other things that
the union has incorporated in its scale.
The company's employees were satisfied
with the treatment. There had been many
threats, however, by the union miners Of
the district that they would close the Pros
pect Hill mine, but these were not regarded
seriously. Late yesterday evening, a large
number of miners began to congregate in
Washington, Davies county, and a secret
conference was held With the local miners.
Before it broke up several OF the members
went to the Office of the Baltimore and Ohio
Southwestern Railroad Company and
chartered three coaches to be held subject
TO their orders. The town was rapidly
filing up with miners from all the surround
ing counties. and at 80 o'clock this morn
ing 800 miners boarded the coaches which
were attached to the westbound train. and
started for Nincennes.
Before the train pulled out from the
station the miners openly proclaimed that
they were going To close the Prospect Hill
mine and drive out the non-uniOn miners
This Information was telegrsphed 70 the
local officers at Nincennes, but though
warned of the coming invasion. they took
no steps to protect the property of the
company. Al the various mining towns
along the route accessIOns were made TO
the crowd of rioters, and when the train
pulled into Vincennes, with those on the
cars and others who arrived on foot, fully
800 men were in the party
The union miners reached Vincennes
al 3 A. NJ, and forming marching column,
went directly to the Prospect Hill mine,
Of the non-union men had gone to work.
Dick Azbell. the night vatchman, was
the only man on duty and he was running
the pumps to keep the water from filling
up the mine. The rioters csme upon HIM
unawares and he was seized by tho leaders
and taken TO the furnace. ere prepara-
tions were made TO throw him into the blaH-
ing furnace The leaders had opened tho
door and wefc preparing to throw tins
struggling man into the furnace. when
some of the older men interceded for him.
The fires were then put out, the pumps
stopped and Azbel was taken to the open
air and beaten and hen placed under guard,
where he was lett for several hours without
attention When a physician finally
reached him he was weak from loss Of blood
and was 70 chilled by the raw air that his
recovery j. regarded "a doubtful.
leaving azbeil under guard, the rioters
next went Ia n minir Z bodldir & house and
demanded admission This wa rofus, q
and they broke down the door and cnt"r,d
by force. The first man they met was
Perry Collins, "A lawyer who wa visiting
the owner Of the hous'. The r!oters were
out Tor blood and attacked Collins ard
gave him a sevcre beating, leaving hiil
Unconscious Hi the floor. By tirs tine
tho non-unipn miners were aTouS'u but
they had no arms az Yer" son oVefPow-
cr,i by tin s':p'ror fore" that came
against them. ln'y made d'7pTnt'
Tyrl.t an"c.
william scott aud loc D.vinc warr
found IN opc ruotl AZ II were Loai,U Lio
iu- lls.i.itv. OdH, iu.u and Rotor Soot
ruu- ~ Nl'.a", 'Ed r"r" y'rtt-. v.gr
al-D badly b,gt.b I'd. al fn1ltT rE's 81, M q
wi-r ~, miner, fral'v l,fr tne l.u.-s i0i.e
r,,a turd 10 rold'l,u tu a-sist lic Ia
lur-a. S.Nriu uth'r hDI-ss- were 'lHtod
hut 'uo uui ruIluT .l.N paul" hdn tt-
o',r,a notice ul iHe . ',r-. ,1iprg uid
UaI ,-.au'd
PAN y o. eud 49,, m,r. ror-union mrn.
tie uut,u,-f- o., furr.d tu tl" Pr.-I-ct H'll