Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-05-12

MhCHWVIM 0~H| 0A 1ASOOhhlu III III
WlllAGliRy little force were summoned to point,
lar and near to put down disturbance
and to check agitation.
Not long after the bank murder at Wichita Falls
and the capture of Lewis and Crawford, Can't. Bill
mcdonald was summoned there again, this time t.
investigate a strike on the Forth Worth and Den
yer railroad. Things were in bad shane al III,
Faiis- Trains were not allowed to run; engine,
were not permitted to move. Riot and bloodsbe,
were imminent,
captain Bill went up to Wichita Falls alone. anf
learning where the main body of the strikers wa,
assembled, went over there. They had gathered II
a nall and were holding a secret meeting when h,
aiiiveu- captain Bill knocked on the door. A
doorkeeper came but refused admission.
I am Captain Mcdonald of the Rangers 4" sal,
Mcdonald quietly, "and I'm here to talk to Won me,
ana see what the trouble is. You're all here now
ana thlnk I'll talk to you together"
inc doorkeeper went away and reported. an,
presently returned. '
Where are your Rangers?" he asked.
l didn't bring any. l don't need any Rangers +,
nelp me talk. I'm pretty good at that sin.1o
handed" " 'nsie
There was another consultation inside ord ~,
door opened. Captain Bill went in with a friend1,
sreetlng Tor everybody, given in his genial nat,ro
way. Ihen he got up where he could see his sndi
ence. N' auui
BOYS he said, in his slow, friendly wav &C
understand you-al are acting mighty sorry owe,
mere, interfering with business and making on+ ~.
you're going to tear up things generally. Now va,
know me, and you know that don't wan+'on -.
tnlng that amt right, and if a man behaves btn,
sen III Try to get him what's right, if can =
suppose you think you have a grievance and
perhaps you nave, but you'll never get it set.
tied this way, and it's my business, as you.all
hho", not TO nave this sort of work going on. 7
you nave a perfect right to quit work. but Won ;
haven't anV right m boar o+Ia, - -
working, or to injure peoples business. or TO
ofeak up property. Nothing good can come ont L
ol such aolngs. l didn't bring any of nv men :
along, because l didn't believe I'd need 'em '
ana | don't think so now; but of course if This q
tnlnS goes on, I'll have to bring 'em, and then =
II wiz De TOO late to talk all friendly here to. :
gether as we're talking now. =
I'm well acquainted with President Good op L
TINS road, and | know you can't get anything
this way; and if you take my advice vou,1 % p
back to work and tell him your troubles after
ward. Now, boys, that's all I've got to saw and "
4 reckon If you listen to it you'll come ont a
good deal better than if you listen to one or t
TWO men that for some reason of their own are s
trying to stir up a lot of trouble, and will he s
an jail before night, as like as not.r Il
captain Bill went down on the street. and ii
the crowd soon followed. A good MANY came g
10 MIN and expressed willingness to go TO
work. Here and there he talked to a LITTLE .
group in his friendly earnest way. The strike :,
at Wichita Falls was over. -
From Wichita Falls, Mcdonald went over IN it
Fort Worth where there was similar trouble. n
Dut learned that a more serious situation ex- IN
lsIeu at the Ihurber coal mines, in Erath coun- II
". Inc Ranger captain was urged to take his p
AInen to Thurber, but decided to go alone. h
Arriving at Thurber, he hunted up the mine e
'ohic1als for consultation. Colonel Hunter, pres. Il
IuG0f nj tho minno Ion1yAI 81 H--L-. ~,Y, f
Dent over from his wounds and battered IN 81
from Hines and exposure-and shook his head. t!
You should have brought your men" he Ii
SAID You can't do anything with a gang like q
ours, alone o
! Well, colonel, I'm using my men in other =
places. I'll look around a little and do what U
can, anyway" 9
Lettering about the town, he discovered that :,
a number of kegs of beer were going out to i
a high hill, beyond the Observation-Disclosures y
of the striking miners. He learned that there =
was to be a sort of mass meeting there that u
night. when the leaders and chief a~gitators -
would be on hand. He decided to be present.
1t was well after dark when he set out, and &
a good crowd had assembled when he reached :,
the place. <
1t was nearly II o'clock, and a speaker had
come to the conclusion that the crowd was in l.
the proper condition to take some good radical =
advice-advice which might be followed by i
prompt action-and he proceeded to give it. -
He told them how they had been mistreated
and what they should do. They were to begin
by blowing up the mines and the superinten-
dents office, and he told them which mine to :
blow up first. Then he told them what they 9
were to do to "Old Hunter and it was clear 4
from the faces and the mutterings of the lis
teners that they were ready to do these things. a
Captain Bill worked his way through the :
crowd until he was close to the speakers log. =
When the agitator reached what seemed a good
stopping place, the Ranger captain suddenly =
stepped up beside him. The speaker stopped !
dead still in his surprise. 1t was Captain Bills i
turn. !
Men," he said, this rascal that has been b
talking to you is an enemy to you and to the f
country. He's trying to get you to commit MUIR b
der, and to get you sent to the penitentiary, 3
or hung. You can quit work, but you can't kill j
people and destroy property, not In this state. 3
These walking delegates and leaders that are 6
telling you to do these things are just a sorry /
lot of damned scoundrels, and I'm going to put 4
them where they belong, and where they're &
trying to get you. I'm captain of Company B, v
Ranger service, and I'm here alone, but I'll
have my men here, if l need them, and I'll :
hang just such fellows as this man s
Captain Bill turned to indicate his selected
victim, but he was no longer there. He had Z
melted into the crowd, and was seen no more. q