The Indianapolis journal., 1904-02-08
MINE STRIKE TRAGEDY
CAUSES FOUR DEATHS
Three Men Killed by Guards in
Tennessee, and Deputy Sher-
iff Killed in Making Arrest.
THREE PERSONS INJURED

KNOXVILLE, Tenn, Feb. IA bloody
tragedy was enacted to-day in the little
mining town of Coal Creek, Tenn, forty
miles northwest of Knoxville, as the result
of which four lives were snuffed out ant
three persons wounded, one perhaps fatally
The clash was the elimination of the trou.
bic between union and nonunion labor.
Three of the dead men were killed by
guards employed by the Coal Creek Goa
Company. while the fourth victim. a dep
uty sheriff, was killed by a guard he had
gone to arrest
The Dead
MONROE BLACK, MINER aged twenty
four. married, left a widow.
w. w. TAYLOR, miner aged thirty-one,
left widow and four children.
JACOB SHARP, section hand. bystand-
er, aged thirty-five, left a widow and six
children.
ROBERT S. HARMON. deputy sheriff.
killed by Cal Burton, a guard at the Brice-
vile mine.
The Wounded
A. r. WATTS, merchant, of Coal Creek,
a bystander, shot through both cheeks.
NOTE COX, miner, shot through the left
arm.
JEFF HOSKINS. engineer on the South
When the wage scale was signed in Dis
trict 19. United Mine Workers of America
the Coal Creek Coal Company refused to
comply with the demands of the men.
They refused to resume work in the
Fraterville and Thistle mines, and for sew
eral months these two mines were shut
down. Efforts were made to resume with
nonunion men, but these were either in
duced to join the union or were
chased Tsn away away presumably by union union
was invoked to oust families of union
miners from the houses owned by the COM
panleS. Scores of arrests were made for
trespassing. and further illfeeling was thus
engendered. Recently a dozen guards in
charge of Jun Reeder, who served as lieu
tenant of police in this city for many years,
were employed to guard the mines and pro-
tect the men who had been induced TO go
to work. Nonunion men were being
brought TO the mines every few days and
Reeder and twelve guards would go TO the
railroad station and meet them. To-day the
guards came from the mines to meet a few
nonunion men who were to arrive on the
morning train. When the nonunion men
got off the train and were seen by number
OF small boys, they began yelling 'Scab'
and the killing grew out of this taunt.
1t is hard to tell what the provocation
was but the miners are said to have crowded
union men bodily or offered some direct in
suit to the guards. Reeder and another
guard drew their pistols and began shoot
ing, Reeder doing most of it. Miners and
bystanders were taken by surprise and be-
fore they could realize what had happened
the guards had climbed into their wagon
and driven back TO the mines About u
o'clock a dispute arose between Deputy
Sheriff Bob Harmon and Guard Cal Burton
Burton shot Harmon twice, killing him in
stantly.
Three guards-Reeder, Bolton and Burton
were placed under arrest by Sheriff Moore
of Anderson county, and taken overland to
Clinton, the county seat. Later for safe
keeping they were brought 10 this city
where they are being guarded tonight
none of them having been put in Jail The
guards claim that they were forced to shoot
and had sufficient prOvocation. Sheriff
Moore has asked for troops. in view of re-
sultant excitement, and Governor Frazer
has wired Lieutenant Colonel Spence of the
second battalion of the Third Regiment
Knoxville, to have his men IN readiness to
go TO the scene. All the guards are away
from the mines at Coal Creek tonight
leaving the nonunion men and their families
unprotected in case an attack should be
made on them.