Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-05-06
NINE KILLED IN
COLORADO WAR
!. Soldiers Fail to End
Strife.
FIERCE CLASH AT FORBES
Major in Hospital Corps Shot to Death
While Dressing Wounds OF
Comrade Near the Firing
Lines.

Denver. May With eight dead
In the Forbes camp of the Rocky
Mountain Fuel company, an officer OF
the hospital corps killed at Walsen-
burg and the blackened ruins of mines
dotting the hills of Las Animas and
HueNano counties, the first detach-
ment of United States troops to arrive
in the strike zone failed to bring peace
In Colorados mine war Wednesday,
More federal troops. will reach the
scene tomorrow.
At Forbes seven mine guards and
one striker are known to have been
killed. Two other strikers are be-
heved dead.
One officer and two enlisted men
we're wounded in the conflict at Wal
senburg. 1t was here that Major T.
P. Lester met his death.
Under a truce agreement which
stopped the fighting at Walsenburg in
the afternoon, approximately $50 strik-
ers last night were surrendering
arms to National Guard officers APP
pointed by Colonel Verdeckberg. The
strikers were not taken into custody,
but will be subject to prosecution in
the courts for killing Major P. P.
Lester of the hospital corps.
The announcement of the truce by
General Chase furnished an ex-
PLANTATION OF the withdrawal Of the
National Guard from the battlefield
north and west of Walsenburg in the
afternoon when apparently the troops
had the strikers hard pressed. From
another authentic source it was
learned that John McGregor, in com
mand of the strikers, had made it
known that he was hard pressed, but
that his men refused to retire from
the field, even though their losses
were considerable.
The suggested terms of surrender
were transmitted to General Chase and
sanction for their acceptance given
by Governor Ammons.
Although strike leaders declined to
give out any information as to their
losses, 1t was learned from an anthem
tic source they had suffered severity
At the time negotiations for the truce
we're opened they were fighting back
the National Guard on three sides.
While Colonel Verdeckberg awaited
a committee from the strikers to COM
plete arrangements for the truce,
brisk fighting continued at a point
about three miles southwest Of Wal
senburg, where 50 men and three Off
GERS of Company M, Captain Barrett,
were surrounded at Martins lake. The
soldiers had been surrounded for sew
eral hours, fighting for their lives.
They had left the military position in
an effort to turn the flank Of the
strikers who were firing from the
hog-back toward the Walsen mines.
They were trapped, however, and ex-
posed to a CALLING fire from two direc-
tons, from the southwest end of the
hog-back and from another hill on the
opposite side of Martins lake.
The Forbes camp was a scene of
desolation, practically all the mine
buildings having been destroyed by
fire. Here it was the work of only a
few fleeting hours.
Fighting that practically encircled
the town continued for five hours at
Walsenburg between strikers, state
troops and mine guards. Major P. P.
Lester of the hospital corps met his
death. shot through the left breast,
while dressing the wounds of COM
rade within $50 feet of the strikers
position. Firing ceased shortly after
three o'clock.
Washington, April 30-President
Wilson Tuesday ordered federal troops
sent to the strike ridden coal mining
district of Colorado for the restora-
ton and preservation of peace and
order.
The action OF the president resulted
from indications that violent demon
Strattons in the strike zone are in
creasing and from the refusal of the
Rockefellers to concede recognition of
the miners union, now the chief point
IN dispute between the operators and
their employees.
Secretary of War Garrison imme-
diately ordered two troops of the
Twelfth cavalry to the strike region.
II this force proves insufficient for the
restoration of order a larger body of
troops will be dispatched from Fort
d. A Russell. The cavalry will reach
the strike zone tomorrow morning.
In connection with the ordering of
troops to Colorado the president is
sued a proclamation Teciting the ex-
tstence Of instruction and admonish-
ing All good citizens of the United
Orders Officers to Commands
New York May l. Mai Gen W