The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-10-22

Y,4l Q SeTleS OI TdllTOdU UOLLlUALlj . Fractional mine union strife n the Illinois coal fields took @ toll of more than 60 lives and resulted in property damage of millions oi dollars because of bombed railroad trains, mines and miners homes from 1882 to 1887.
 All of the 30 who will go on trial Nov. l allegedly are connected or were connected at some time with tho Progressive Miners of America, composed of men who rebelled In aeS2 against the older United Mine Workers of America and set up the new union.
 During the period from 1882 to 1885, 24 trains of four railroads were bombed. In addition there were six attempted bombings. The railroads were those carrying coal from diggings worked by UMWA miners,
 Bombing of the railroads brought that part of the conflict under the Jurisdiction of the Federal govern ment, and the Department ot Justice sent corps of men from the Federal Bureau of Investiga- tion to root out evidence on the bombing plots.
 Sg G.Men Round Up 200
 After Investigating tho eXplo- slons, d-Men paraded more than 200 witnesses before lengthy grand jury session, which ended with the return of indictments against 4l men named on two or more counts.
 All of the defeneants were charged with violation of the sherman anti-tust laws, forbtd- ding restraint of interstate com merce, and the reeently-enaeted Federal anti racketeering, which prohibits use of violence or CO., ercion to affect interstate com Merce.
 Twenty.four of the group wero named in an indictment charging conspiracy to ohstruet the malls
 Two of the q defendants are nov serving sentences on state charges and may not appear for the Federal trial,
 The defendants, who include a former president of the union and an Illinois county sheriff, were arrRgined Sept, l3. All pleaded not guilty.
 Forty Lives Lost
 The bombings occurred during a period of violence that cost the lives of more than two score per- sons and resulted In bombing of many homes In addition to the railroads. Nearly all the deaths have been unsolved and are not involved in tho federal case.
 Of those killed, ono was e min CTS wife, struck by stray bullet while she watched rioting from the front porch of her home in Taylor. vile. Another was a girl high school student.
 Railroads whose property was damaged in tho explosions were the Illinois Central, Chicago. Bur- lington & quincy, Chicago & Illinois Midland, and tho Big Four,
 The Progressive Miners union is affiliated with tho American Fed- eration of Labor since the suSpen- sion of tho UMWA for It's support of tho Committee for Industrial Organization.
 Peace Ovcrtures Made
 Only minor outbreaks of violence have occurred In recent months and oVertures have been made to bring about peace between the rival unions. Progressive union officials, however, have opposed any peace which would dissolve their organization.
 The strife had It's inception m tho Spring of lo32. following a state referendum on Q reduced wage scale agreement, negotiated with Illinois coal operators by state UMWA officials und e wage scale committee.
 Indications were that tho agree- ihent had been defeated but in the midst of tho vote count, tellers were robbed of ballots in c myS. terious holdup,
 John L. Lewis, international president whose home was ip Springfield at that time and who was hero because of tho turmoil within his state organization, i'm. modiately declared the situation an Emergency" and approved the agreement.
 Rank and File" Organize
 Shortly after. robellious miners mostly in Springfield. Gillespie and in Harrisburg and BelleVille, held