The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1913-12-20
FROM ONE WHO MAS THERE
Rev. coombe Gives an interesting Account
OF Day Of Mourning in copper Country

Rev. w. B. Coombe OF the NJ r.
church was 80 interested in the mem
orial day planned by copper country
people as a rebuKe 10 the perpetrators
OF the foul murders at South Range,
that he went up to be- present at the
services
I He resided in the copper country at
one time. was thoroughly conversant
with conditions up there prior to the
strike and he made il point when
he visited there last week, 10 get in
touch with affairs as they exist now.
He consented to write up summary
of his impressions for our readers and
the following contribution is entirely
from his pen. As he was an actual
observer, what he says may be taken
without hesitation TO be- the facts
n Wednesday, Dec 10 was the Copper
+ Country's day of mourning. Figura-
lively speaking, she put on the sable
garment of sackcloth with ashes i'm
token of the sense Of deep humiliation
il feels because OF the reign OF terror
so manifest within her borders during
the past eighteen weeks. Admitting
that there were some things which
needing adjusting, and that the toilers
In the mines there were strictly with
in their rights in asking for m adj
justment yet candor compels us TO say
that prior TO the advent of the Western
Federation of Miners here for more
than forty years there was general
peace. prosperity, and contentment
such as but few communities have
known, but from the moment the
first man consented to be inoculated
with the deadly virus Of discomfort.
furnished by the Western Federation
of Miners at 80 much per month.
trouble has been brewing. so that
when the Federation leaders thought
arrived, and that their demands
would ba speedily complied with,
they had several thousand of misled
followers ready TO obey orders. The
July %. and since that fateful day
rioting. rapine. and murder have
stalked throughout her length and
breadth with but little hindrance.
Peaceful citizens have been insulted
by having the vilest OF vile epithets
hurled at them, arson and dynamiting
OF houses have occurred, law has been
violated with impunity, officials elect
ed TO uphold and enforce law have
seemingly connived with thugs and
assassins to render law nugatory. or
il they have not connived to make
futile those laws have manifested so
much supineness In their official &C
tions az TO create the impression in
the minds of law abiding citizens that
there has been. and still Is. great
miscarriage Of Justice. Reasons for
such conclusions are furnished by the
court dockets Of Houghton county.
Those dockets show that $50 persons,
over and above those who have been
} arrested for violation Of the inlunc-
tions. have been arrested for SOME
breach of tte law, and none of them
have been punished
IL would be going beyond the bounds
of truth 10 say that none but the toll.
ers in the mines and shops and mills
were indifferent as to the outcome Of
the strike. Since the strike began. all
classes have hoped for a speedy ending
OF the trouble. but IL was hoping
against hope Matters were going
from bad TO worse People began to
feel that for some reason or other the
machinery OF government seemed SER
iously impaired Then the opinions
were crystallized into sentiment, and
ont of that sentiment the "Citizeps
A lance. was born Its primary
object was to give moral support TO
public officials in the enforcement Of
law and order That sentiment need
ed only a small spark to be applied
TO the magazine of public feeling TO
make the Alliance an active body OF
resoluie men determined TO bring
order out OF chaos. and the train 70
that magazine was touched of last
Saturday night at Painesdale when
three men. asleep in their beds. were
murdered under cover of darkness, by
the bullets of cowardly assassins. The
sounds of the assassins shots were
heard throughout the entire Copper
region. and every lover of home and
safety Immediately stood upon their
feet. The rews Of the atrocious crime
spread like wild ire and ere the Sun
day evening hour had come thousands I
of men had gathered in mass meet
ings and determined on line Of ac- /
tion With the slogan. The Western
Federation OF Miners must go. and