Amador ledger., 1903-04-24
STRIKE CORRESPONDENCE.

panies. Sirs: Replying to your notification q
the i7th inst, will state that no official infor
| NATION has been brought to this office and in
fact, have no information or knowIedee of any
| 1niract1on or threatened infraction of the Law
| WITHIN the limits of Amador county bv any
member or members of the Jackson Union or by
any one; ''- u y
| Furthermore, wish to inform each and all
OF you that any infraction Of the law within the
| limits OF the county will be suppressed and the
| perpetrator thereof promptly apprehended IN
conclusion, L must say that at present we
| should congratulate ourselves upon the peace
aole ana orderly conduct of affairs
Yours, respectfully,
1T. K. NORMAN, Sheriff."
10 this the officials of the Oneida
served two communications upon the
sheriff last Monday, as follows:
am at loss to understand what YOU mean
Dy "omcial information" You have been adj
vised that 1t is as much your duty to prevent the
commission OF crime as 1t Is TO apprehend the
perpetrators OF crime after its commission; the
oneida Gold Mining and Milling Companv has
large amount OF money invested in its miami
and 1t Is informed and believed that its property
stands In peril and therefore insists thai il is en-
Tilted 70 have the same protected by you. You
certainly have Information and knowledge Of
threatened tnfraction Of the law because the
notice OF April 10Th, 1903, expressly gave you
such Information.
Section 4176 Of the Political Code of Califor
MIA provides that the Sherin must "First
Preserve the peace Second: Arrest and take
pelore;the nearest magistrate for examination all
persons who attempt to commit or who have com
mitted public ofrense."
Oneida Mine. April 2O.-T, K Norman. sheriff
-Sir-On April 10th the Oneida Gold Mining and
M1i1ng company, acting together with. other
mining companies in this district, notified and
Informed you in writing that its mine and mine
plant had been closed by a strike ordered by the
jackson Union, and that the members of said
union were threatening violence to its employees
and destruction to its properties; and the Onei-
da, with said other companies therefore deman-
n won Qf
Der OF deputies to protect its men and mines and
on your failure to do SO you and your bondsmen
would be held responsible for all loss and in
Jury sustained, notwithstanding this notice and
information, you replied on April 18th by saving
tnat you had no official information, and in fact
no information or knowledge OF any infraction
or threatened infracton OF the law within the
units OF Amador county by any member or men,
pers OF the jackson Union, or by any one And
Notwithstanding that nearly every one of the
employees OF the Oneida Gold Mining and Milling
company had before said time been coerced into
quitting their work at said mine by members
OF said union, you expressed congratulations to
the mining companies affected by the strike
upon the peaceful and orderly conduct OF affairs
Section 4452 of the Political Code provides
Every municipal corporation is responsible for
injuries TO real or personal property situate
Within Its corporate limits done or caused by
mobs or riots" you certainly know that Anna
dor county is municipal corporation within
the meaning of this Act.
As sherin of this county 1t seems to me that
you ought TO use all reasonable diligence to pro-
tect the county and its taxpayers from this lia-
bility; you ought to indulge in extra caution on
the side OF safety II those supporting the strike
IN good faith intend 70 maintain it only by law
ful means they can surely not object to your
taxing adequate measures to protect all parties
concerned, You cannot be heard to say thai
you are without funds to provide for all require
mentS, because you have been assured that all
funds necessary would be forthcoming and AT
your service, do not assume to even suggest
to you whom you shall appoint as deputies hnt
laav We a
and Judgment, insisting only that critical con
dition has arisen to meet which it is your duty
to make prompt and adequate provision. AS an
evidence that our apprehensions in the premises
and our notice and Information to you were well
founded, we now apprtse you Of the fact that
since our notice was given to you the belt OF
our mill connected with our mine has been
mallciously and wantonly cut in two and rem
dered useless, Again l demand that you aflord
the Oneida Company. its property and employees,
prompt and adequate protection.
Superintendent Oneida Gold Mining
and Milling Company.
T. K, Norman, Sheriff.
S1r:-lt is unnecessary to call your of1cial
attention to the conditions existing at the
oneida mine and the other mines in the vicinity
OF jackson. The employees of the Oneida mine
have been threatened with violence If they con-
tlnued IN our employment. Members OF the
outside members Of the Western Federation OF
Miners, have approached our property and
threatened injury thereto unless our company
accede to their arbitrary demands. 1t is ap-
parent to even the casual observer that the
premonitory symptoms of mob rule and mob
violence are present, and there is no telling
when riotous and unlawful attempts to destroy
the property of the Oneida Company may be
initiated and successfully carried out. Con-
spiracies to destroy property are not publicly
advertised, and property owners rarely have
suficient notice Of the criminal intention of |
mobs organized or unorganized to destroy prop
erty, to enable them to give warning to the
mn n Ind fho loxrr r,f Cnlf
fornia, the county Of Amador, as a municipal
corporation, will be responsible to the Oneida
Company for any and all damage done to it's
property by mobS OF riotous aSsemblageS. 1t
may be that the law contemplateS that when a
property owner acquires information of an in
tention on the part Of such mobs, organized or
unorganiZed, to perpetrate crimes of this char
acter and to destroy his property, such prop
erty owner should notify the sheriff of the coun-
ty in order that proper police protection should
Company therefore demands that you in your
official capacity take adequate measures to
protect tho property OF said company from acts
of violence, and hereby gives you notice that in
its judgment there is danger of its property
being destroyed or injured through riotous and
unlawful assemblages. Should any damage be
done to Its property through your neglect to
take proper precautions to prevent it, the
Oneida Company will hold the county of Anna
dor responsibletherefor and will also hold you
and your bOndSmen personally responsible.
Yours very truly,
ONEIDA GOLD MINING & MILLING COMPANY.
By F. w. BRADLEY, Pres.
By JOSEPH n. MoosRR, Sec'y.
NoRMAN's REPLY.
jackson, April 2O-Oneida Mining Company
Sirs- Replying to yours OF this date will state
that most positively refuse to appoint any dep
uties suggested by you.
While you call my attention to several pro-
visions OF the codes of this state, relevant to the
duties OF my office, beg to inform you that if 1
have failed or do fail to perform such duties you
have your remedy by virtue OF the writ Of man
date to compel me to perform all duties enjoined
by law. Yours respectfully, Tx. NORMAN,
Shertn of Amador county.