Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1904-06-11
twenty-five MINERS killed
DASDARDLY WORK OF 4 FIEND
AT INDEPENDENCE, COL.
BY Means of an Internal Machine a
Number of Nom Union Miners, Who
We're Waiting at Railway Station
for Train to Take Them Home, Were
Blown Skyward-Fearful Scene.

! Cripple Greek, June 7.-One of the
most diabolical deeds in the black re-
cord of crime which forms part of the
mining history of this state was com
mitted when, by means of an internal
machine, 2 men were killed outright
and nine others terribly injured, some
of them fatally, at Independence. All
those killed and injured were nonunion
miners, employed on the night shift of
the Findley mine. The men had quit
work and were waiting for the surbur-
ban train on the Florence q Cripple
Greek railroad to take them to their
homes in Cripple Creek and Victor.
When the locomotive was within 10
feet of the depot charge of dynamite,
estimated at 800 pounds, was set off
underneath the platform on which ssthe
men were standing by pulling a wire at
the Delmonico mine, 400 feet away.
The result was terrible. Heads, legs,
arms and the trunks of the bodies of
the men were scattered all round.
Blood covered everything on the
platform which was splintered, and
the front end Of the depot was demol-
ished.
The injured were taken to the Victor
hospitals and the mangled bodies of
the dead, patched together as we'll as
possible, were removed to the coronor's
office at Victor. A meeting of the
mine owners association has been call
ed. Rewards aggregating many thous-
ands of dollars will be offered for the
apprehension of the criminals and
Governor Peabody will be petitioned
to send troops to the district.
Sheriff Robertson and a detective
force have found the machine which
set off the dynamite. 1t consists of
revolver and 800 feet of steel wire.
The revolver was placed underneath
the platform, close to the powder. One
end of the wire was fastened to chair
leg, which was used as a lever from
the Delmonico property.
The men employed on the night shift
at the Findley mine, who had just fin
ished work, had gathered on the plat
form to board train and return to
their homes when the explosion oc-
Cured beneath their feet, hurting them
in every direction, destroying the de-
pot and rending a great hole in the
earth.
A special train carrying physicians,
nurses, detectives, mineowners aud
other persons was dispatched from this
city as soon as possible after news of
the explosion was received, and arrived
at Independence, six miles distant, at
4 O'Clock. Sheriff Robertson and other
officers Immediately began a careful
search for clues to the pertrators of the
outrage. Although the strike of un-
ion miners in the Cripple Greek dis
trict, which began August 10, 1908,
and which led to the declaration of
NATAL law in Teller county by Cover
nor Peabody, is still in effect, good or
der has been maintained for the past
six months and the military rule has
been suspended and all troops with
drawn.
The mine owners with the exception
of the Portland company, claim to have
as many men working as they need,
and they require all miners to renounce
allegiance to the Western Federation
of Miners before giving them employ
ment.