The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-01-13
MINERS COMMITTEE ATTEMPT
ED TO USE FORCE.
TRAYl.OR HUNTS SHERIFF
s%urrenders Himself TO Officer and Is
Taken Cut of Town to Pre-
vent Violence.

Wells, New, Jan. 9.-Additional de-
tails were received here tonight re-
garding the tragedy yesterday at the
Keystone mine of the New York &
Nevada Copper Mining company,
when IL union miners attacked SUI
perintendent Traylor for the alleged
purpose of running him out of town.
and which attack resulted in the
death and wounding of several of the
miners party. Since a branch OF
the Western Federation of Miners
was organized a few weeks ago on
the Ely with about 100 members
drawn from the various mines in the
district, h miners are said to have
taken a decisive stand in labor mat
tiers, the particular object of their
attack being the New York & Nevada
company.
Superintendent John A. Traylor..
whose home is in Denver, and who
was formerly connected with the
Fernando Mining company of Du-
range, Mexico, and also the Union
Copper and Gold Hill mines of North
Carolina, had been notified on several
occasions that he had better leave
camp, presumably because he had or
dered a reduction in his employees
wages. kilograms were sent to New
York, it was said, threatening to flood
the mines and to take other strong
measures unless the superintendent
was removed.
Ultimatum Is Delivered.
Yesterday morning a delegation OF
three men, Bill Carothers, Frank
Wolf and M. Parker, called at Tray
lor's home at Ely and presented an
ultimatum to be signed and agreed to
within II hours. Traylor Immediately
took a buggy and started for the
mines, a few miles west of Ely. On
arriving at Lane City four miles away,
he was halted by a mob of miners
who, after some talk, allowed him to
proceed. Traylor then proceeded to
Keystone, where a smelte. md con
contractor is being erected, Sul tele-
phoned from the company's office to.
Sheriff G. F. Newman and District
Attorney Walker, asking protection.
President Lloyd of the miners I'M
ion, it is charged, sent a committee
of miners into the Office to order Tray
lor to come out and surrender, finally
going in himself and directing mat
tiers. Traylor talked with Lloyd for
some time, calling attention to the
fact that the IL hours allowed in the
ultimatum had not expired. Lloyd
said that had nothing to do with the
case, that he had another matter to
settle, and that Traylor must sign
a new scale of wages at once. The
quietly or they would be compelled
to take him dead or alive. Johnson,
one of the miners committee, re-
marked that they expected trouble,
but was ready for it.
Then the Shooting Began.
Traylor ~endeavored to argue with
the men, it is said, but Lloyd ordered
his companions to seize the superin-
tendent and bring him along. Ten OF
49,, ,~~ = o,+ OIL f@r N.o 1y1or who
grabbed a gun and began shooting.
At the first shot the miners made
a dash for the door. The men that
were shot were those who had grab
bed Traylor and were trying to over
power him. Their names are James
Stages, Sam Johnson and j. Smith.
The names of the three wounded men
are not given.
After the shooting Traylor went to
Ely by a roundabout route, the main
road down the canyon in the vicinity
of Lane City being p%atrolled by arm
ed strikers. On his arrival at Ely,
Traylor surrendered to Sheriff New
man.
Taken Out of Town.
Excitement was at fever heat and
it was deemed best to get Traylor and
his companion, J. P. Gaskell, who was
a witness to the shooting but took no
part in it, out of town. A citizens
committee was organized and sworn
in as deputy sheriffs, and any attempt
to have taken Traylor from the sher-