The Cairo bulletin., 1904-11-30
brief HISTORY OF
ZE|GLER TROUBLE
Situation Has Been Greatly Ex.
aggerated, 1t is Said
MINERS DENY VIOLENCE
JOSEPH Letter HAS A MODEL
TOWN AND OWNS TWELVE
SCARE MILES OF LAND
ADJuTANT GENERAL
SCOTT TALKS.

1evil day Tor the miners OF this section
when smooth tpngued agent sold
Joe Letter a pateat electric shovel.
This was loading machine which
Letter claims will handle 500 tons of
coal a day. Expert miners claim it
will handle saventy-tive tons a day
and the folks WAC make the machine
have an estimate somewhere between
he two. II is this SHOVEL that caused
all the trouble.
Joe Letter is the son OF the late
Levi Letter, millionaire, and is the
young man who, taking fancy to
play with the wheat market a few
years ago. succeeded In losing sever
al millions Of his fathers money,
raising tho price Of bread to half the
inhabitants of the civilized world,
disrupting financial and commercial
conditions and finally bursting the
bubble in grand pyrotechnical finale
which wrecked the speculato.s who
nad been following Joe Letter and
who hadn't rich fathers to stand By
them on settlement day.
The story Of the struggle which
has wagsl at Zeigler since July is
one of the most remarkable on record.
# 1t weren't for tie pathos of it. 1t
would be absolutely funny, II is the
story Of a conaic, between the stub
born notion OF the spoiled child OF a
rich father and the surprised. indig-
nant and angry protest Of men who
have worked from childhood at the
harl ant disagreeable task Of coal
mining, and who can't understand
how stranger, who DOESN'T know
anything about the business. can. ly
mere virtue Of the fact that he has
some money, oyerturn the laws and
Of coal mining.
To Try Baroning.
some time ago Letter got an idea
that he'd like to be real coal mag
nate, SO he went down into Southern
illinois and bought 1900 acres of land
yearly twelve square miles. spending
4bout si,500.000 for the land and To
ouild the town Of Zeigler II was TO
he a mrlcl mining town-from the
1neratcr's standpoint It has hna.
substantial stockade. standnipe,
which Is ued for watch tower, and
II is all that there is big cleo
trio seaschIght and Gatling guns.
When ae Is In town Letter carries
revolver Stacked In his office are a
couple CT Winchester rifles. His sup
ariutansant does business with his
aand on a gun. There are guards
md guard houses. cartridges and
eountersigns, pickets and passes. 1t is
all quite Port Arthurish
How He Started.
Fifteen months ago Letter started
The town of Zeigler All the mines OF
.linois X ere then as now operated by
len working under the scale of the
United Mine Workers Of America, and
by mears Of annual conferences and
Joint conventions between the miners
and operators, a peaceful and prosper
ous condition obtained in the Industry
in the state.
When Letter started out TO become
coal baron he went 10 the ada
cent m ming fields in Williamson
county and hired lot Of union men.
/ They We told about the new houses
in the model town and that the Zeig
Ter mines we're 10 be union mines
1t was explained. however that il
would be a long time before there
would te any coal To- mine, as tua
nels ami shafts and other workings
would have to be opened before the
coal itaen could be come at and dug
4 generous aad satisfactory arrange
ment was made for the men to work
1t daily wage. as it waG necessary
/ that expert miners, rather than day
laborers. do the preliminary work Of
developing the property.
The men moved to Zeigler and for
nearly year the work of develop
ment went on until al last a twelve
foot vcln Of coal was opened, ready
for operations,
Then Came the Shovel.
Just about this time the electric
shoyelman got in his work, though It
is said he only claimed that his ma.
chine would handle 100 tons a day
The expensive machinery was install
ed anl Letter came down from Chics
go and called the expert miners in.
In substance he told them that the
developing work was now ended and
that tha production ~ coal was to be
gin lie told them that an agreement
as &c wages was in order and made a
proposition which the miners claim
! Wsa cguiva, nt 70 2 cut Of about le
cents 2 ten on the regular scale. The
/ men protested Letter got out his
pencil and showed them how. with
the 500ton.a-Jay electric loading ma
chine. two men ought 20 be able TO
make from SIG 10 $l7 a day between
them. The men couldn't see il that