El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-05-31

as If none of the guards would come
out alive
Naturally, these battles were de-
scrlbed in the Charleston papers, which,
ike the cabins, were owned by the
operators. and failed to tell of the
events that preceded them SO public
oopiniOn was turned against the men
at the outset and the mine owners
early victory, but Mother Jones has
habit of happening into West Nir-
slnia at most inopportune times
Mother" Jones starts Battle.
10 Just at the moment when the mine
owners of West Virginia had ceased to
consider her as q possible factor, she
suddenly swept down upon them and
decided that the mine owners intended
to make Paint Creek the entering
wedge TO win back all the free terri
tory. She started marching upon the
sJatehOuse with 5000 Miners. Cover
nor Glasscock met them upon the cap
ltOl steps and heard -heIr declaration
of war. They gave MIN p hours to
get rid of the mine guards. Then
Mother Jones travelled up and down
the Great kauaWha, the stronghold OF
the free miners. and sent the miners,
with their guns, to the SlI If Saiu-
Creek. The third and. decisive ba;rle
of MucklOw was fought July 20, 1872,
three months after the guards came
into the Greek 1t was al organized
army that moved on Jhe gUa-'Is' town
this time, an army divided INTO squalls
and companies under COMPANY ON
mauders. Each miner soldier wore g
white handkerchief bound bout ms
coat sleeve No man VAS safe who
didn't know the cOunterSign- on the
eve Of the battle the miners took their
position in the mOuntlius IN the four
sides of AluCzlOW- From thel- stations
they could look down into the basin"
They could see the lights in their old
homes. now occupied by Cle guards
The sight did not soothe. heir feelings.
Miners Open Battle.
rnn h
Mucklow by sending q nine car crash
ing down a 1000 foot Incline into the
ttpple house. where some OF the gudI Us
were playing cards. That was the sig
nal for the mountain sides to burst
into flashes of fire. Every tree seemed
TO hide an enraged miner, fighting new
like a savage, sending his bullets at
every human mark that showed Itself
in the basin below.
In the face of what seemed certain
death. one guard stepped out to man
the machine gun It was Squire
Lambert former justice of the peace
He adjusted the big gun and then COM
menced firing here and there where
he saw smoke jets in the hills on all
sides of him. The miners turned their
fire upon the big gun and three times
they silenced fl.
lIucklow was fast becoming too hot
a place for the defenders They tried
to telephone for help. The miners,
foreseeing such an attempt, had cut
the wires. The shooting, however, had
been heard in Wacomah. three miles
away. and reenfOrcements were sent
from that town. The miners met the
relief IN the hills a running fight
ensUed and one guard was killed.
Miners Driven Cut.
king" Gaujot turned the tide at
lIucklow- He and twelve companions
had been at Holley Grove when the
fighting started. While there. they {
had amused themselves by shooting i
into the miners tents, where the min +
-rs' wives and babies were quarterel- +
They drove two young girls into the I
water Of the creek up 10 their armpirs- I
Then having committed all the dew +
-OWdies of the mine operators deparLei +
Tor NucklOw. taking - prisoners OF ]
war with them
One version Of what followed is that /
5aUjOt and his twelve companions iii I
-ecred such a deadly fire into the hills {
Il MucklOW that the minerS-500 Of I
hem and mOre-Vere glad to quit
heir entrenched position and depart. (
Miners tell a different story. They say
he king Guard" marched his y pris-
lDers up to the GatlinE gun, and maCe
hem into a human shield around the
gun. Rather than Kill innocent men,
he miners in the hills withdrew.
Meantime a messenger had slipped /
through the miners picket lines. and
lad brought the news of the battle TO {
,ab-n Creek. Charles A Cabeu Of the
'arbOu Coal company had dispatched
fresh envoy TO beg him in the name J
4 Providence to send some aid 10
Iucklow-' The state troops Were at
ending the national maneu-crs in ]