Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1914-04-30
SEVEN ARE SLAIN
IN BLOODY CLASH;
PROPERTY BURNED
Several Badly Wounded and
Many Missing, Following a
Battle Between Strikers
and Mine Guards.
WHOLE COAL ZONE IN ARMS
Government Troops Will Reach
the Colorado Strike District,
Tomorrow-Militia to
Be Withdrawn.

Be Withdrawn.
Forbes Colo, April 3o.-(By
Courier to Trinidad.)-Seven men
tie dead in the Forbes camp of the
Rocky Mountain Fuel company.
Most of the mine buildings are in
ashes. Nine defenders are miss
ing, but are believed to have
reached the Majestic mine. Three
are strikers who are thought to
have been killed in the latest OUT
break in the Colorado labor war.
AN army of strikers estimated at 300,
,ttacked the property shortly after
y'clock this morning. There was
sitched battle lasting several hours,
after which the strikers disappeared
n the hills
The known dead:
8. A. NEWMAN.
JACK SMITH.
ED. KESSLER.
FOUR JAPANESE, all defenders Of
he mine.
The seriously wounded:
Gus Whitney. negro. shot through
abdomen.
One Japanese, shot through shoulder.
Two of the bodies We're burned in the
uins of the mine buildings.
Buildings Are Burned.
Twenty-eig mules were burned
when strikers set fire to the mine sta
Die.
Several horses We're shot or burned.
The burned buildings include the
postoffice; the tipple, engine house,
boarding house. barn and several
homes of miners.
George Albert, wife and baby We're
taken prisoners by the strikers but re-
leased and made their way to ranch
Eyyf
released after being taken some dis
tance over the hills.
The camp had been warned late last
night of an impending attack and had
telephoned an urgent message to the
militia camp at Ludlow, few miles
away, for assistance. Superintendent
Nichol1 put the 40 women and so chill
dren of the camp in the tunnel of an
abandoned mine. built barricade of
rock in front of the opening, armed
his men, numbering 40. and prepared
to defend the property The machine
mounted on hill north of the camp.
The Forbes camp extends through a
narrow canon for a distance of more
than a mile. The tipple engine house
and Office stood at the down canon end
while the mine proper was at the fur
ther end
Attacked While Asleep.
The superintendent posted guards
and let some of his men go to sleep.
The attack came without warning.
A shot was heard on the hills south
of the mine and in an instant bull
let's poured into the camp from the
east. south and west. The defenders
returned the fire vigorously, sweep
ing the hills with the machine gun un-
til its mechanism jammed and 1t be-
came useless.
Superintendent Nicholl stayed at his
house with three companions telephon-
ing for aid until the wire was cut.
Then he dashed for the hill. where his
men were plying rifles and machine
gun.
While the fire was at it's hottest.
throngs of strikers swarmed down from
the hills in the face of the rifles of the
guards. Dashing into the mine build
tngs they applied torches and oil. In
moment red flames and black smoke
gave evidence of the destructive work
of the attackers. AS the flames
cracked and the timbers crashed the
firing continued necessarily. Smoke of
gun powder mingled with that from
the burning buildings. The vicious spit
of the machine gun punctuated the
cracking of the flames.
Greeks Tumble Down Hill.
When the fired buildings had almost
been reduced to ruins the strikers a.
vanished into the hills in the direction
OF Trinidad. During the hottest of the
flghting three Greeks were seen to
tumble down the hillside.
A party of newspaper men In an
automobile carrying a white flag enter
ed the ruined camp shortly before noon.
They We're the first persons from the
outside to. reach the place and receive
the first detailed account of the battle.
When the newspaper car drove into
camp past the still blazing tipple, the
correspondents were greeted by the de-
tenders who swarmed from their re-
fuges and surrounded the machine.
DIR. w. p. Woods. the company ply
sician was caring for the wounded
Superintendent NichoI awaiting an
other attack has his small force of de-
tenders on guard. Postmaster K. E
Cowdery. was examining the ruins OF
the mine office, in which the mail
burned.
Denver. Colo. April 2s.-"The militia
will be withdrawn as the federal troops
occupy the strike districts. We will CO.
operate in every way to restore order "
This statement was made today by
Gov. E. M. Ammons when asked
what action was contemplated by state
officials in connection with the Colo
RADIO industrial conflict.
Quiet prevailed generally throughout
the coal strike region today, according
to report received by state and union
officials here. One exception was at
Forbes. where the governors advices
said the boarding house had beer
burned during brief engagement, the
strikers retiring toward Berwind ane
Tobasco upon the approach of militia
men from Ludlow. The other was a,
Walsenburg. State reports We're thai
oy-1e I,k
Walsen mine from an attack by strik-
ers. while union headquarters claimet
strikers ceased firing during the night
In Fremont county. where troops +
and II, Twelfth cavalry. were expected
to relieve the militia about noon, nc
disorder was reported.
Upon arrival of federal soldiers the
militia were under orders to entrair
for Walsenburg.
Trinidad and the immediate vicinit,
awaited expectantly the arrival of thu
second squadron. Fifth cavalry frorr