The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-07-20
FOREIGNERS EvAcUATE
(Continued from First page.)

Continued from First page.)
then visited H. G. Washburn, super
intendent of the Federal Lead Com
pany, owned by the Guggenheims,
and made the same demand. Wash
burn agreed to pay the aliens their
wages and let them go.
The procedure of the miners was to
go to tn settlements, where the for
eign workmen were housed, and order
all the men out of the cottages. They
were then formed in line and marched
to the offices of the various mining
companies, where the paymasters were
compelled to give them checks for the
wages owing them. Then the for
eigners were taken to the Miners and
Merchants Bank. or to the Bank of
Flat River, to have their checks cash
ed Next they were marched to the
railroad station, still under armed
guard, and compelled to take the first
train out of town.
There was steady downpour of
rain during much of the day and some
of the exies, with their wives and
children, were forced to stand for
hours in the rain until train time.
The women chung in terror to their
husbands, and there were many af-
fecting scenes. The miners say the
cause of the riot was the discharge of
IS American miners Monday and the
employment of alien-born workmen in
their places.
Rain Disperses Mob Temporarily.
A downpour of rain at noon today
halted the mob temporarily and it
, dispersed. But with tie clearing of
the skies it once more assembled and
resumed the work of herding togeth-
err all the aliens they could find and
bundling them out of town on the
trains.
Some of the exiles said they had no
idea they were not desired in Flat
River until the attack broke upon
them, and that the history of the dis
trict shows the alien worker is the
first man to be laid off when times are
slack and the last to be re-employed
when they improve. A large influx of
foreigners has ben attracted here by
the high wages paid-$4 to Sc day
for common labor.
/. w. w. Are Blamed.
The mob is composed of about g.
900 men who are armed and deter
mined that the mines shall remain
closed and that the foreign-born shall
leave the region. Before the rain
members of the mob, styling them
selves Americans, paraded through
the streets carrying large Ameri-
can flag and voicing their demand
that the foreigners be ousted.
/ The foreigners-men, women and
children-are leaving by every posi-
Bile conveyance along every avenue of
escape. Those who are leaving are
: not molested.
Officials of the Western Federation
of Miners say the mob is in control
, Of strangers sent into the district by
the Industrial Workers of the World,
and that the situation is develop
] ment that had been anticipated.
Between $50 and a. M, the mob
: busted itself herding the foreigners
! in groups and marching them to the
t Offices of the mines, where pay checks
e were issued them. From the mine
companies headquarters the mob then
e marched the foreigners to the town
banks, where the checks were cash
ed.
From the banks the mob took many
: of the foreigners to the depot, where
the armed mob wished the former
employees of the mines a pleasant
: voyage. Eleven o'clock Monday has
been set as positively the last hour
when any foreigner may remain in
: Flat River.
Foreign Workers Beaten.
The trouble broke out Friday night,
when a crowd of about fifty men,
: which was later augmented by. 200,
began visiting tn various mine shafts
and attacking and beating the foreign
, workers. Fifty foreign miners were
attacked, beaten and bruised. No
deaths have resulted so far. D.
4 Late in the night an attack was
made on the residence section of the
! foreigners. Their houses were stoned,
windows broken and several of the
occupants struck. 1t is said some of
the foreigners fired upon their as
sailants, but no report of injuries
from arms fired by the foreigners has
been made. Injuries to the foreigners
consist chiefly in cuts and bruises.
Company physicians were kept busy
during the night dressing the injur-
les.
According to officials of the COM
panies, the trouble has been brewing
for the past several weeks. Because
of the active conditions of the mining
industry at the present time, the wag-
es of common laborers or shovelers
have jumped to 81 day. This high
/, remuneration for labor has attracted
large floating labor group, which,
the mine owners say, responds quickly
to any agitation against the foreign-
ers who are making good wages.
Property damage Trivial.
The mob has not yet learned that
troops have been ordered here. Thus
far there has been no violence to any
: American and property damage has
been trivial. 1t is feared, however,
that the mob will lose its temper when
it is learned soldiers have been called.
Italians, Russians and Poles, in
: Orouns of from three To seventy men.