Evening journal., 1914-07-01
General Chase Reports
On the Colorado Strike

some twenty or thirty weapons, many
OF them OF obsolete pattern. the strikers
topping OIL the humor Of the situation
! by including in the delivery of arms
4 child's toy pop-gun.
"Sinee that time the recovery of the
strikers arms has been attended with
the greatest difficulty; It has been a
game of hide-and-seek, and while 1 have
been able to recover, a few at time,
large number of high power weapons,
belonging to the union. from various
Finding places, | will state that there
are hundreds of guns still concealed and
waiting occasion for use.
"ln the meantime / had upon my
hands a large number of mine guards
/ whom ! had disarmed, and who, being
/ defenseless, in the presence OF enemies
thirsting for their blood, had to receive
4 protection.
"Ihese mine guards | undertook to
ship out of the strike zone For that
\ purpose | assembled a number Of them
in Trinidad. On the evening Of the 3lst
of October | had in the Coronado Hotel
at Trinidad a number Of mine guards
who had been disarmed and were await
ing train TO take them out Of the
country
Notwithstanding the representations
made to me concerning the disarma-
ment of the detcsted mine guards, and
when ! had rendered them helpless by
4 disarming them, all of which was known
( to the striking miners, great crowd
gathered around the Coronado Hotel ig
which these disarmed men We're com
tanned for the avowed purpose Of reek.
/ ing conGign vengeance upon their ems
cmes, thus, as they supposed, deliver,
ed into their hands.
The Coronado Hotel Riot
''Somc five or six hundred men as.
sembed around the Coronado Hotel with
the express design OF killing the dis
armed and defenseless guards within
This is what is known as the Coronado
/ Hotel riot.
Notwithstanding all of the fair prom.
ises Of Mr.. Lawson and other strike
leaders that induced me to disarm the
mine guards first they then rather
/ gleefullv assured me that they could
not control their people. and that tie
feeling among Che strikers, thirsting for
the blood OF the mine guards. was such
as could not be stayed by any influence
of The leaders
/ u found 1T necessary upon this oc-
casion to assemble infantry and cavalry
in the streets of Trinidad, and to dis
perse the mob thus bent upon wholesale
murder, and to protect the disarmed
mine guards until they could take the
train ont OF the district. Fortunately,
! was able to quell this riot and prevent
large loss Of life without bloodshed or
other serious consequences than a few
arrests.
A Record Of Misrepresentation.
"From this time forward, from tbs
! breach of faith concerning the disarma-
ment until this day. the history OF the
4 strike leaders has been n record Of bad
faith. subterfuge. misrepresentation and
J chicanery with the military forces Of
the state. VINO entered the field taking
no sides, having no interest in the in
dustrial conflict. intent only upon pre-
serving the peace and guaranteeing the
constitution until by these methods
the striking miners have come to look
upon the National Guard as a foe. in
/ league with their antagonist and The
Guard has come to know that no faith
can be placed, and no honesty or integ-
ritv Of purpose can be found in the
strikers camps as conducted by their
present leaders.
And say this having no interest
whatsoever in the industrial conflict
still raging"