Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-07-03
fine COLORADO BOYS
MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD

The Oakdale Coal Company oper-
ates a coal mine at the town of Oak
view, six miles from La Veta, in Huer-
fano County, Colorado. At the time
of the strike It had about 200 men
at work, of whom about $50 quit work
on September %, 1913, the day of the
strike. and removed to the town Of
La Veta where a tent colony was es-
tablished.
about week after the strike. fifteen
or eighteen strikers were posted on
the tops of various hills overlooking
the camp OF Oakview, and for a space
of about half an hour poured a muir
derous fire into the camp. Some of
the rifles used in this attack were
high power rifles and they were shoot.
ing steel pointed bullets which pene-
trated the frame houses, going clear
through both walls of the houses.
The attack lasted about half an hour
and about one thousand shots were
fired. This was about six o'clock in
the morning. Fffty-seven holes were
put through the different buildings,
seven of which went through the
Japanese boarding houses. One bul.
let went through mattress upon
which q man was sleeping, and an
other passed within eighteen inches
of where a Mexican baby was asleep
on a bed.
Immediately after the strike. the
Oakdale company commenced to fill
up its mine with non-union men, and
soon had normal conditions restored.
1t has missed working only one day
since the strike was called, and that
was during the month of April. 1914.
when the strikers at La Veta pre-
vented the Rio Grande crew from
bringing up the empty cars, which
caused a suspension for one day.
On November z, 1913. William Gam
bling, who was the foreman on the
mine tipple, went to La Veta to have
some dentist work done. and he was
beset by the pickets upon the street
with opportunities to join the union,
which he refused to do. About one
o'clock he became passenger on
the mail stage which carries the mail
to Oakview, and as the stage reached
the outskirts of town it was over
taken by specially chartered livery
rig in which there were three union
miners who compelled Gambling and
the stage driver to dismount from the
stage and searched them. After max
ing some threats against Gambling
they compelled him to walk back to
La Veta, and while they were con-
Quoting him along the street he broke
away from them and ran into the
telephone Office for protection and tele-
phoned the Oakdale mine of the situ-
alton.
Upon receiving Gambling's tele-
phone message, three of the guards at
the mine got into an automobile, of
which Luke Terry was the chauffer.
and drove to La Veta where they
visited the telephone office and
peaceably rescued Gambling. They
then started to return to the mine
and when about a mile outside of the
city limits were fired upon from am
bush by six striking miners who were
secreted behind a reservoir dam of
the Loughead Reservoir. The first
shots were fired without warning and
the two guards, Harry f. Bryan and
w. II. Whitten, were instantly killed.
as was also the chauffer. Luke Terry.
and the guard L. A Adams was
fatally wounded, dying before the
next morning. In addition to that
was shot through the thigh.
The firing was from range of
about $50 yards and the bullets used
were soft nosed bullets, which spread
on entering the body. Forty-one
empty shells were picked up from
behind the Loughead Reservoir en-
bankment. Fourteen OF the bullets
took effect in the automobile body.
Luke Terry, the chauffer. Is son
Of w. ii. Terry OF Colorado Springs.
who was long a prominent merchant
In the San Luis Valley. He was
student ut Colorado College at Colo
RADIO Springs. and was working at the
oakdale mine as machinist and