| OCR Text |
Show MINERS THREATEN TO DESTROY CITY Butte, Mont., Aug 81C. Miners openly threatened tonight to lay the town In ashes If either state or federal fed-eral troops attempted to enter Butte. One of the leaders of the miners declared de-clared that they do not purpose to fight tho soldiers, but they would ! wTeak vengeance upon the business men for having been Instrumental In bringing soldiers to Butte "We have quantities of dynamite and oil," said one leader, ' and the troops will find ashes." Up to today the majority of the miners did not credit the reports that the militia was being mobilized, as the local newspapers withheld the news on request of business men, who feared Ibat its publication would excite ex-cite the miners. Secret Meeting. As soon as news of the mobilization became known calls Immediately went I forth from President Huckie" Mac-Donald Mac-Donald and the other leaders for a meeting of union miners, which was held In secret to discuss the coming of the soldiers Later a committee of miners was sent hurriedly to the depots de-pots to determine whether the troops had arrived. The electric light plant and all the larger stores are guarded by many ; armed men, as are the mines On the attic floor of the courthouse there are fifty guards armed with rifles. All ammunition iu trie hardware' stores hag been removed and firing pins taken from tho rifles. P'lan March to Mine. Miners are planning a march tomorrow tomor-row by a committee of forty to the ' I Original mine of the Anaconda com pany to line up the miners there and : notify them that they must join the insurgent union, quit work or be deported. de-ported. Upon learning that the mine approaches ap-proaches arc guarded by men armed With rifles, a committee of five men j armed with rifles, a committee of five from the Mine Workers union, the Insurgent organization, called upon Sheriff Drlseoll and County Attorney J. J. McCaffery this afternoon and requested protection when the committee com-mittee visits the mine. "We ask this protection to prevent ' bloodshed," said the spokesman. The request was refused, both by the sheriff and the county attorney. McCaffery replied: 'You intend to enter private property prop-erty with the Intention of deporting mpii You talk about armed men. I have the names of more than 100 Mine Workers who have guns In their possession. You might tell the union that I Intend to prosecute every one of them." net |
