The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-06-29
PLOTTERS USE DYNAMITE
Non-Union Miners Murdered ar a
Colorado Railway Station.
INTERNAL MACHINES HAVOC

Explosive Placed Under Station Plat
form at Independence, Where Night
shift Was Waiting For a Train-Dis-
charged by a Revolver Operated From
a Distance by a Wire.
Cripple Greek, Cola large guam
tity of dynamite placed under the plat.
from of the Florence & Cripple Creek
Railroad station at Independence was
purposely exploded at , o'clock a. m.
while a number of strike breakers
were awaiting the arrival of the train
from Altamont to go to their homes at
Victor and Cripple Creek. Fifteen of
the miners were instantly killed and
a dozen others were fatally injured.
Following is a partial list of the
dead: August Augustine, thirty-three
years old; lived at the American
House, Victor. Arthur Muhlesen,
thirty-fve years old: lived at the Err
ickson House, Victor. Henry J. Haag.
Eleck McLain, shift boss; Charles E.
Barber. Herbert Mccoy. William
Standard, eager. thirty-four years
old; came to Cripple Creek with Com.
pany l, First Regiment, sfrom Fort
Morgan. j. P. Hartsock, ffty-ire years
old; has a family at Cripple Creek.
The explosion was the result Of a
| plot against the non-union miners on
the night shift at the Shurtleff. Find
lay and Lost Dollar Mines, who had
just finished work and were about to
return to their homes. The explosion
was beneath the platform on which
the men were waiting for a train, and
hurled many of them high in the air,
destroying the adjoining station and
tearing a'great hole in the earth.
The machine which set off the dy-
Mantle was found under the platform.
1t consists of a revolver and 800 feet
of steel wire. The revolver was placed
underneath the platform close to the
explosive, and the other end of the
wire was fastened to a chair leg, which
was used as a lever at the cribbings
of the Delmonico property.
The conspirators evidently did not
wish to kill or injure any of the crew
in charge of the train which the i'll.
fated miners intended to take for
their homes in Victor and Cripple
Creek. When within s~eventy-fve feet
of the station at independence the en-
CINE whistle sounded as q signal for
the men at the station to get ready to
board, and to warn Sny laggards to
make haste if they wished to catch the
train.
The whistle was the death signal.
for no sooner had the shrill blast
sounded than a mufled roar was
heard. and the mountain trembled as
If rocked by an earthquake. The
train, which was running very slowly.
was brought to a sudden stop by the
engineer, and members of the train
crew ran hastily forward to investi.
gate. When they appreciated the ter.
rible situation, messengers were hur-
ried away for assistance.
The scene about the station was
sickening. Portions Of human bodies
were scattered over the right of way,
and in the twenty-foot hole made by
the explosion were found severed
skulls. arms. legs and hands. Every
object within a radius Of fifty feet
from the hole was despatched with
blood.
Charles Rector. Of the Shurtlef
mine. describing the explosion, said:
There were about fifty or sixty of
us waiting for our train. which was
coming up the track a few hundred
feet distant. A number of miners who
had not yet reached the platform were
running toward it with their dinner
buckets in hand. The train ap-
preached the station at a moderate
rate, and the crowd on the platform
began to move around to secure points
Of vantage in getting aboard as soon
as the train stopped.
"At this moment a great explosion
occurred right under our feet. The
Impact shook the buildings in the
town. and everything became abso.
lutely dark. A few moments later the
groans Of the injured were heard, and
people came ruuuing from residences
and stores to the scene. I was I'm.
injured. The depot, the platform and
the surroundings were rent to spin,
tiers. The work of rescue was begun
at once. Six badly wounded miners
were picked up at different points
near the scene. and were quickly car.
ried to the train and sent to Victor.
Tho dead were found after much diff.
Guilty"
A snecial train from Cripple Creek
took the dead and injured to Victor.