The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-09-24
Tom MCNeaI'S Travels.


don't like to seem to knock on
town, but really 10 seems 80 me tina
If l had property in Cripple Greer
and had a chance to trade it for rea
estate In Hades that l would max
the trade. And yet it W, uld bt
possible to make Cripple Creek one o.
the most attractive towns in Colorado
Cripple Creek has the appearance OF
town were nobody expects to stay
Outside of the main business part oil
the town there is not graded street
or a decent walk. There IS not tres
so far as l know growing that has
been planted on the townsite. And
yet withln a mile CT two are thous-
AIDS of the silver spruce, growing at
an altitude greater than that OF
Cripple Creek. If the streets were
graded, sidewalks built and the
streets lined with transplanted silver
spruces, what fine looking city that
would be.
But as a matter of fact l think
nobody really expects to live and die
Ia Cripple Creek. Lots OF them do
but they don't figure that they will
Hence they pay little or no attention
to appearances. or all the men who
have made fortunes out of the Cripple
Creek district not one SO far as l Can
learn has Invested dollar 10 trying
20 improve or beautify either Cripple
Creek or ' icbor.
Stratton, who discovered the Inde-
pendence mine and made or 10
million dollars out Of it, spent a good
deal of money in parks and a home
for disab led miners, or something of
that sort at Colorado Springs, but
not dollar at Cripple Creek or
Victor, where his money was made
So 1T has been with Jim Burns and
all the rest Of the successful mine
operators.
There is much complaint just now
that the amount Of labor employed
ia and about the mines has fallen of.
This comes In part from the fact
shat there 10 more aud more Of I'M
nrnV. j labor saving machinery USED
at the mines aud thea there is not
so much prospecting done. The mines
1t seems are now mostly operated by
lessees. The men who make the
leases get along as cheaply as they
can. 1t is rather more Of poor
mans camp In that respect than it
USED to be,
The first time l visited Cripple
Creek the Western Federation OF
Miners was 10 full control. A man
couldn't haul you from the depot to
any part of the town unless he
belonged to some kind OF union. The
Whole camp and both towns were
under the absolute control OF the
labor unions of which the Western
Federation was at the head. Til N
came the bloody aud prolonged strug-
gle betweea the mine owners and the
western Federation; the blowing up
Of the depot In Victor resulting In
she killing aud wounding Of half
hundred men; the loLg struggle
between the militia and the strikers,
finally resulting In a complete victory
for the militia and omplete defeat OF
the strikers.
The sequel was the famous trial
OF Meyer and Haywood In Idaho and
the marvellous story told by Orchard,
the self.confessed murderer Of Gov.
Steunenburg. One Of the wives Of
Orchard still lives 10 Cripple Greek.
1 asked a man who lived at Cripple
Creek during the entire trouble and
who knew Haywood and Meyer and
Orchard and who was not identified
with either the mine owners or tue
strikers, II he believed the story told
BY Orchard on the stand. Somewhat
10 my surprise he told me that he
had every reason to believe that the
story was true.
whether 1t was or was not, the
fact remains that the Western
Federation seems TO have been CON-
uletely defeated. So far as 1 can
learn the Equalization cuts but little
figure now anywhere in Colorado.
HAYWOOD still holds bis place at the
mead Of the Organization and makes
some money lecturinR through the
country, but the organization at
least 90 far as Colorado Is concerned,
seems to have lost its power almost
entirely.
Outside OF Colorado there 10 az