Semi-weekly herald., 1914-04-30

The following letter from one of
the boys at the front who is well
known to the Herald management
written to a Durango citizen, throws
some Light on the situation as it ex-
lists in, the strike region:
Ludlow, Colo, April q.
Well | am back in the field again.
suppose you believe the newspaper
yarns Of the troops being held in
check by the strikers, etc. All this
stuff is absolute foolishness. There
are enough soldiers here to clean up
any number of red-necks they can
possibly get together. If proper ac-
tion had been taken we would have
moved on the strikers, and at least
disarmed some of them. But as it is
we are forced to stay here and sit idle
while the strikers absolutely control
a e se 81 8: country in defiance of
the constituted state authorities.
Remember, any talk of whipping
US in a battle is absolute ROT. The
strikers have already learned some
thing about machine guns, and if they
really come out in force, they are
due to learn an awful lesson about
three-inch field guns. The tiny force
of uniformed and government equip
ned militia that was available for the
state more than held it's own aaginst
tremendous odds. think some thir-
ty men have been killed around here,
the very large majority of them be-
n ing "wops" as we call them. The only
thing that kept the soldiers here from
taking everything was simply the
large territory to be covered.
|. A terrible mistake was made in
leaving the district in charge of mine
guards. The red-necks don't respect
them, partly because they don't wear
uniforms and MOSTLY because they
don't carry the U. s. Springfield rifle
which is immeasurably superior to
any other rifle known. 1t will kill a
man at $500 yards, which is going
some
They may have their Balkan war
Greeks and other veterans, but we
have some men that can shoot, too,
only begging for chance to get at
them.
Now | suppose you want to know
about the killing of women and child
rem here. 1t was an awful thing, but
can't see how either soldiers or mine
guards can be blamed for what hap
pened The UNION STARTED THE
FIGHT. The colony was warned, and
most of them left in safety. The red
necks had burrowcd around like rab-
bits under their tents, and had rifle
pits and were firing at the soldiers
from their pits and holes. What could
soldier do? Major Hamrock had to
either return that fire O. retire. He
waited a reasonable time-some say
two hours-and then replied. A bull
let probably hit cook stove and
started a blaze. No soldier went
NEAR the place. ALL WOMEN AND
CHILDREN that died were SUFFO-
GATED BY SMOKE. NOT ONE
DIED FROM A BULLET. have been
in the hole where they died, and the
only wonder to me was that so many
people could breathe at all in such a
place even without any fire.
Even if we were murderous enough
to do as union organs say we did,
does not excuse the reign Of arson
and assassination that the union has
visited on other parts of the field.
was with the boys that rescued the
men at Aguilar, and don't know of a
more wanton and dastardly piece Of
work than what they did there. Pic
ture the homes Of the "scabs" burned
and seventeen fine horses and mules
shot down. There is not single
| scab or scab sympathizer left in Agui-
lar, the mines are in ruins and prac-
tically all business at a standstill.
The survivors were mighty glad to
see us-they had been penned in =
mine three days almost without food.