The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1904-11-30
OPEN fire ON
ILLINOIS TOWN
HIRED DETECTIVE SEND OUT wAR.LIKE REPORTS FROM
z1loleR BUT CONDITIONS UNION CAMP BELLE TIE
STORIES

uighta battle. A report Il current
to-day tina. several wounded men
were removed from the scene. The
detectives say pools of blood were
found az several places outside the
atockadc.
The union miners encnmped near
here disciaim any knowledge Of the
shooting and It ia II
HfGNiFTCANT FACT
that strangers and Investigators IRE
Welcome Ia the camps Of the latter
and the miners vigorously deny any
arin Of violence. A stranger - as
welcome In Zelgier sH he II Ia
ihHHaa. but from the sacred pre-
sluta of this forbidden city come
vigorous deniala Of aggression and
black charges against the ancumpcd
miners.
Joe Letter. son Of the late multi
millionaire Levi Letter. got uu idea
that he'd like 20 be real coal mag
nate. 80 he went down Into Southern
Illinois and bought 1900 acres Of
land. nearly NJ square miles. spend
Ing about $500. 600 for the land and
% build the town Of ZeiEier. IL
vas 10 be a model mining town
from the operators stand point It
has a fine. substantial ntoekade. n
standuipc. which g. used for a watch
tower and IL H. alleged that these Ia
a big electric aearchiiEht and Cat
Ting guns II IL quite
PORT AHTHuRtsH.
The bcnaiginR fore d. enrampcd
some four miles away in a grove
and It numbers 80. including women
aud babies. They are the cvicted
miners aud their families and have
passed the summer in tents. They
have dug a well. cleaned out the
brush and spent the summer in rails
Ing vegetables. They say they don't
intend 90 blow Zeigler up. They
have elected a mayor Tor their little
canvas city aud he has posted no.
tIeeH absolutely fofbiddinE the
bringing or liquor into the camp and
decreelnE exile for any camper who
might be found under the Influence
Of liquor A big tent IN used for n
public school and Mayor Turner. =
Nho IL an ordained minister uses
the school tent 20 conduct religious
services on Sunday and Tor prayer
meetings during the week A little
Catholic church. near by. ministers
. these Of the campers belonging
70 that church. The visitor can see
no magazine for the storage Of dyna-
mite OF other explosive.
Fifteen months ago Letter started
the toxin Of zeigier. 4 generous and
satisfactory arrangement WAS made
| Tor union men To work II a daily
wage. a. u was necessary that ex-
pert miners. rather than day labor
ers. do the preliminary WORK Of de-
Vcioplng the property. Tho men
MOVED INTO ZEIGLER
and for nearly a year the work 81
development went on untit az last a
is-foot vein Of coal was opened
/ ready for operations.
Just about this time an electric
shovel man got IN his work. though
| II IN said he only claimed that HIS
machine would handle lee tons a
day. The enpwnsivc machinery was
Installed and Letter came down
from Chicago and called the expert
miners In. Letter got out his pencil
aud showed them how. with the
6eo-ton- day electric loading ma
chine, two men ought TO be able 20
make from SIC to 81 a DAY between
them The men couldn't see u that
way. They were willing to try the
machine. but not TO sign a years
ngals on the basis Of what Joe
thought the machine could do.
Letter stuck BY hts machine and
told the men they must either work
at his price or get cut. lie allowed
them four days to set their wives
ana children out OF the company's
houses. They got out.
To this day the miners insist that
there's no strike on. They say they
we're hired 10 leave their jobs IN
Williamson county and when they
found the wages were not satisfac-
tory IN ZsiEier they quit work. that
then they we're evicted. and that's
all there is 20 Il. They say they are
camping -four miles from ZsigieT and
that that II nohady's business. They
are being assisted BY the United