United labor bulletin. (Denver, Colo.) 19??-1915, 1910-04-21
(RY &. e. CroskeYl

In the death of former Attorney Cen
eral Eugene Engley the laboring people
of this state loses a warm friend and
champion.
When reading of his death in the news
papers Tuesday morning by memory
drifted back to those troublesome times
in the Cripple Creek district strike. Of
nearly seven years ago. when General
Engley gave his time and his funds as
sisting the miners in that strike, and SO
well did he work and fight for the min
ers' cause that he was a power that was
feared by every member of the Mine
Owners Association and their hirelings.
He was a marked man in those days,
and when the crowd of ruffians wrecked
the miners union store at Cripple Creek.
and in their wild frenzy picked up every
union sympathizer that they could get
their hands on, General Engley was one
of the men who, in company with VIM.
Higens. now the president of Denver
Carpenters Union No. So. Attorneys
Hangs and Cole and others. were brutal
ly beaten and run out of the district by
the lawless gang of thugs who operated
in the name OF law and order"
In the days of the strike became very
well acquainted with the general. for he
spent a great part of his time around
strike headquarters and in the office Of
the District Trades Assembly, of which
| was then the secretary. and also served
as press agent for the miners and many
of the official statements that appeared
in the Victor Record every day. wrote
from suggestions given me by General
Engley.
Although elected attorney general of
the state on the Populist ticket headed
by Governor Davis H. Waite in 1892, at
the time of the strike he was an ardent
and aggressive Socialist, and he never
forgave me for leaving that party to
work for the election of p. ]. Devault.
the labor candidate for county assessor.
although the nomination of Devault to
this office to fill vacancy was a strike
measure pure and simple. Devault was
the Western Federation of Miners can
didate. put UP by the strike committee
as a protest against the nomination of
Citizens Alliance and Mine Owners
candidates of the old parties. We elected
Devault a few days after General Engley
had read Charles II. Meyer, president
of the Western Federation of Miners,
and myself out of the Socialist party. at
a mass meeting on the streets Of Cripple
Creek
He was bitter fighter. and during the
trial of some miners for ore stealing.
whom he was defending. he attempted to
shoot Mine Owners Detective Frazer
for some remarks and false testimony
that it was charged he had given against
the men,
As a lawyer who thoroughly under
stood the law there were few better In
the state; it was he who advised Cover
nor Waite that the constitution did not
permit OF martial law being declared In
Colorado, and that no man could be ar
rested without proper charges being put
against him In this connection l well
remember an incident that occurred
when the first party OF union men were
arrested and confined in Camp Goidheld
by the militia. I met him coming down
the street. head in the air, kid gloves
on and gold-headed cane swinging with
the martial bearing he always had. When
he stopped me with "Croskey, have
just left Camp Goldfeld. where handed
in my card. the one with ex-attorney gen
eral en- II which use on these occasions
only, and demanded the immediate re.
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