John Chase ( doctor and soldier ) John Chase ( December 10 , 1856 – May 3 , 1918 ) was an American medical doctor and commander of the Colorado National Guard . He was the commander of the Colorado National Guard in several of the most significant confrontations between American military forces and organized labor — the Colorado Labor Wars of 1903 - 1904 and the Ludlow Massacre of April 1914 . He was a graduate of the University of Michigan where he played college football for the 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team , the first football team to represent the University of Michigan , and was captain of the 1880 team . Early years . Chase was born in Ann Arbor , Michigan , in 1856 . His father , John Manley Chase , was a New York native and a civil engineer who surveyed the site of Lansing , Michigan , and served as one of the first treasurers of the University of Michigan . His mother was Elvira L ( Ludden ) Chase . At the time of the 1860 United States Census , Chase lived with his parents and two older siblings in Ann Arbor . His father ' s occupation was listed at the time as a farmer , and the value of his real estate was listed as $ 5 , 000 . Chase was educated in the Ann Arbor public schools and graduated from Ann Arbor High School in 1875 . Chase enrolled at the University of Michigan in the fall of 1875 . He played college football for the 1879 Michigan Wolverines football team , the first football team to represent the University of Michigan , and was captain of the 1880 team . He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1879 and a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1881 . Medical practice . Chase practiced medicine in Detroit , Michigan , from 1881 to 1884 . From 1884 to 1885 , Chase traveled in Europe where he continued his studies in diseases of the eye and ear . After contracting typhoid fever , he returned to the United States . Chase moved to Colorado in 1885 and established a medical practice specializing in diseases of the eye . In 1887 , Chase was one of the organizers of Gross Medical College , which was later consolidated with Denver Medical College . He was subsequently affiliated with the University of Denver and the University of Colorado , where he served as a professor of ophthalmology and otology . Chase also had investments in the mining industry in Gunnison , Boulder and Chaffee Counties , and ranching operations in Douglas County . Military career . Early service . Chase is most remembered for his military service . His first military service was with the Michigan National Guard from 1878 to 1882 , reaching the rank of captain . After moving to Colorado , Chase joined the Colorado National Guard in 1888 . He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1895 and captain and major in 1897 . In January 1901 , Chase became a brigadier general of the Colorado National Guard . Cripple Creek . During the Colorado Labor Wars , Chase was the commander of the National Guard forces in the Lake City , Cripple Creek and Trinidad strike districts . He came under extensive criticism for ordering mass arrests and detentions of strikers and others who spoke publicly in favor of the strikers or who criticized the National Guard . When a Colorado judge issued writs of " habeas corpus " for some of the detained prisoners , Chase sent the prisoners to the courthouse accompanied by 300 troops and posted a Gatling gun in front of the court house and sharpshooters on rooftops of the National Hotel and other buildings with a view of the courthouse . When the judge ordered the prisoners released , Chase refused to follow the order from the civil court until the Governor of Colorado directed him to do so . Chase was court - martialed for his actions , but Colorado Governor James H . Peabody restored him to the command of the National Guard . Miners strikes of 1913 – 1914 . Chase and Mother Jones . From April 1909 to March 1916 , Chase was the adjutant general of the State of Colorado . When labor unrest returned to the Colorado mines in 1913 and 1914 , Chase led Colorado National Guard forces in occupation of the strike areas . He imposed martial law , deported strikers from the state , and enlisted mine guards into the National Guard . When the labor leader known as " Mother Jones " came to Colorado to support the striking workers , Chase initially arrested her and put her on a train heading out of the area with a warning not to return . When she returned the area , Chase detained her for two months under armed guard at a local hospital and refused to allow her to be seen by visitors or a doctor . The detention of Mother Jones led to demonstrations , including one in which a hundred women surrounded Chase , demanding her release . Chase reportedly ordered his men to " ride down the women , " and six of the women were injured in the incident . Jones later said of Chase , " His veins run with ice water . " Ludlow Massacre . In April 1914 , violence between the striking miners and National Guard forces under Chase ' s command escalated . One writer who reviewed Chase ' s role in the violence noted : " Adjutant - General John Chase is in private life an oculist with an office in Denver . He is usually spoken of , even by his enemies , as a man of integrity . He impressed me as a narrow - minded man and something of an egotist . He believes intensely that he is right . . . Chase doesn ' t believe in strikes and has no sympathy with the workingmen . " Deteriorating relations between the strikers and the National Guard were attributed in some accounts to the increased presence of former mine guards in the National Guard forces . The detention without charges of union members and sympathizers also added to the tension . A subordinate of Chase appeared in a court proceeding and stated , " It is a matter of supreme indifference to General Chase whether men arrested and held by him are guilty or innocent of a crime . " On the morning of April 20 , 1914 , the National Guard opened fire on the strikers at a tent colony occupied by 1 , 200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow , Colorado . The confrontation , which became known as the Ludlow Massacre , resulted in the death of 19 persons , including two women and eleven children who were asphyxiated when the tent colony was burned . The confrontation at Ludlow was the deadliest incident in the 14 - month 1913 - 1914 Colorado Coal Strike , itself the deadliest strike in the history of the United States . Family and civic organizations . Chase was active in Freemasonry and reached the 32nd degree . He was also Knight Commander of the Court of Honor and grand marshal of the Conclave in 1912 . He was also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and served as the organization ' s president in 1906 . In August 1888 , Chase married Anna Louise Sampson in the State of New York . They had six children : John Samson Chase ( born March 18 , 1890 ) , Russell Chase , Anne ( Chase ) Carlson , David T . Chase , Kate T . ( Chase ) Reed , and Abigail Chase . At the time of the 1900 United States Census , Chase lived at 923 Corona Street in Denver with his wife Anna , their five children , his parents ( John M . and Alvina L . Chase ) , and a housekeeper , Kate London . His profession was listed at that time as an oculist . At the time of the 1910 United States Census , Chase lived at the same location in Denver with his wife Anna , their six children , and one servant , Marquis Jordan . His profession was again listed as an oculist . He maintained his medical office at 412 - 415 Majestic Building in Denver . Chase died in May 1918 . The cause of death was reported as pneumonia .