The Coal Creek Massacre: A Coroner’s Inquest into the Battle Between Knights of Labor and Mine Owners

At four o'clock yesterday morning Col. J. G. Haines took command D. I. Captain Kellogg, and company E, Captain Carr, out to Newcastle by special train. The force including staff officers numbered near seventy, and the militiamen, with their arms and accouterments, well-nigh filled the two coaches of the special. Newcastle was reached about six o'clock, and Col. Haines immediately placed his command at the disposal of Sheriff Cochrane, who had been guarding the town and the mine at Coal Creek during the night with his deputies. The train and the militiamen were ordered on up to Coal Creek, where a renewal of the riot of the day before, if any were contemplated, would probably occur. No rioters, nor signs of any, were to be found, and the soldiery was ordered back to Newcastle for breakfast, a detail of eight men under Lieutenant Corham being left to guard the mine with the deputy sheriffs.

The presence of the militia went far toward restoring the confidence of 'the people of Newcastle, and 1,10 men reported for work at the mine in the morning and began labor as if nothing unusual had taken place on the preceding day.

Carr Expresses Himself. The companies remained at Newcastle until it was evident that no disturbance would take place that morning, and then it was decided to leave one company at Newcastle while the other should return to Seattle, and, if it were considered advisable to continue the force at the mine, should go back to Newcastle and relieve the other company. By priority of his commission, Capt. Carr was entitled to the first detail, but the captain had made in the presence of Sheriff Cochrane and Deputy Quilter a statement concerning the part the Knights of Labor had taken in the difficulty that did not seem altogether to please the sheriff, and he decided to allow Captain Carr and Company E to remain. The sheriff further emphasized his refusal by reducing it to writing, in the following rather extraordinary pronouncement:

'SEATTLE, W.T., Jan. 8, 1890. To J. C. Haines: I have to request that you decline the assistance of Captain Carr and his company for the reason that I think that Captain Carr is too excitable and impulsive to have charge of a company, and for the further reason that Captain Carr intimated me while in the discharge of his duties that he was standing in with the Knights of Labor and that relating thereto has made me doubt my duties as sheriff. Sincerely, Wm. Cochrane, Sheriff King County.'

Cochrane may not have been aware that if he asked for a detail of militia, it was entirely in the province of Col. Haines to select the company to remain with him. In view of the situation of affairs at Newcastle, Col. Haines decided to waive any question of military etiquette and to leave Company D, under Capt. Kellogg, with the sheriff. The colonel, staff officers and Company E then returned to Seattle, arriving at noon.

Ten Arrested Indicted. In addition to the four men, viz: Howell T. Jones, who were secured at Newcastle Friday night on suspicion as a witness and later, when they had been into the trap, were brought on the warrants issued by Justice Jones, Constable Caldwell brought in five more men yesterday day. The names of the ten men are Howell T. Jones, who is charged with murder, on complaint of both James W. Agnew and Dave Worley; John Bittner, who is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily injury to Agnew and County Commissioner L. S. Wilkes, named Marker; Dave Worley, Frank Terrace, Cyrus Ablev, Kelly Ramsey, Robert Cox, and James Fox, who are charged with riot upon Constable Caldwell's information. All those men were arrested upon warrants by Justice Jones, County Commissioner Wilkes, and the other men, Marker, Worley, Terrace, Ablev, Ramsey, Fox, and Wood, were taken before Justice Jones in the afternoon, and were released on bail in the sum of $1,000. County Commissioner Alexander S. Wornum surety for Mr. Wilkes, and John Howling, John Toole, Harry Bloom and a brother of Robert Wood signing the bail.

Bail has been bond for the arrest of Thomas Prole and Win. Jones, on complaint made by Agnew at 4 o'clock; they had been brought down to day by John Johnson, the father of Thomas. The three are Miners' Union men and they are anxious to stand trial. Prole, senior, was one of those at Newcastle that day the Knights received a bullet hole through his trousers and his coat-tails.

Howell Jones Case. Although Howell T. Jones had been arrested Friday upon a warrant issued by Jones, on Dave Worley's complaint, Justice Caldwell issued another warrant for him on Agnew's complaint and he was then before Justice Cochrane about 5:30 p.m. to see if bail could be allowed. A short time thereafter another member of the Miner's rioters, named James Evans, with murder. Evans is a short, youthful, dejected looking man, and not without his complaint against Wm. Jones and the persons accused of generally beating him, he did not show any indications of having been hurt at all, except that some fine birds had penetrated his chin and hat. The elder Wilson was admitted to the bail with James Harvey and David W. Morgan.

Harvey's Story. Sheriff Cochrane opposed the murder case until 2 p.m. Tuesday. Constable Caldwell was notified by warrant for Thomas Marker, who is charged with a assault upon Agnew, and for James Evans, Wm. Jones, and Wm. Fox for a battery on Agnew. The men were Agnew with rifles. The case was committed by Justice Cochrane until Tuesday at 10 a.m.

The Rioters. Dave Worley of the present excitement and he is charged in strong terms with being one of the old miners of Newcastle that at some time there were at the head of the Knights of Labor. He has had no part of the old miner's side against whom the Miner's Union felt so strongly at the time of all the trouble. Marker was a man of two or three years' standing in the Knights of Labor but he is not now one of them. There is not doubt in their minds that it has been the men who have been the instigators of the trouble.

The Miners' Meeting. A letter written by Postmaster Speyer, at Newcastle, says: 'The laboring men of this camp feel kindly toward the business people for the same favor shown them this morning in free uniform and armed, to that they will patrol.' All the people of Newcastle ask him that some be deputed by the sheriff either from their own midst or from the outside. They claim that these can then hold the fort under cover until next day.

At o'clock yesterday Coroner Boot empaneled the following jury to sit in an inquest over the body of William Boston, who was killed at Newcastle during the late riot: Wm. Ballar, G. F. Raymond, N. Chilber, A. J. Adams and others. A number of witnesses were examined when the court adjourned until 2 p.m.

At the afternoon session the following witnesses were examined: Fred Cox, William Hedden, James Marker, William Marshall, Bill Ablev, Burnett Marker, James Cox, T. S. Prole, Cyrus Ramsey, Robert Cox, David Worley and Dr. Lavien. The testimony was very one-sided. The witnesses with the exception of J. Raymond and Dr. Cox were Knights of Labor and all held firmly to the statement that only union men did the shooting.

The evidence of one of these men is much more material than that of the other witness—given below:

A Knight of Labor from Gilman: 'I came to Newcastle with 16 or more Knights to aid in making a peaceful settlement of the trouble existing between the Knights of Labor and the Miners' Union of that place. I did not see any of our men with pistols or guns in their possession. Some of the boys had a fag or two but were not drunk. In the morning we met some of the men going to work, did not see anyone abused or hurt, but for some reason the men turned back. No shots were fired. About 25 of our men got on the train and went to Newcastle. When we were getting off the train two men got into a flat light, and the next thing I knew Llewellyn Jones came rushing down at the crowd with a clubbed shotgun. He was partly undressed and his face was covered with leather. He made a sweep with the gun at one of the crowd, and the stroke was dodged and the gun clipped from Jones' hand, and Boston both grabbed the gun and a struggle ensued. Boston said: 'Move it to me and I'll scare em.' I gave Boston the gun and then James Foster and another woman ran down and tried to drag him gone back to the house. Boston told the woman to go to the house and get out of the way. He was holding the gun this way' Here the witness indicated the position of the butt, resting near the lower part of the abdomen and the barrels were at an inclination of about 65 degrees. About this time the firing began and I ran behind a shanty, presently Boston came round and sort of leaned against the shanty. Marshall asked him if he was shot and he said 'I am.' About a dozen shots were fired. After the shooting I broke the shotgun over a rail.

The shotgun was brought in and the witness testified that that was the gun Boston had when shot. The other witnesses corroborated the evidence of Mr. Cox, with a variation in the time and as to who did the shooting.

Dr. Lavien exhibited the ball as taken from Boston's body and testified to the course of the bullet after entering the body. The bullet was much flattened and bent. The jury adjourned until seven o'clock. The witness called next was Llewellyn Jones. He was the first Miners' Union man on the stand and testified as follows:

'I live at Newcastle. I belong to the Miners' Union. At about 9 o'clock in the morning, while at work, I hear shots and firing at the top of the slope. Followed by a number of union men I ran up to the top where I saw a crowd of unknown men coming towards us. I cried 'halt,' and they stopped. They then went back and wanted us to send a committee to them to settle the matter and we would not do it. Finally the Knights and Union men met half way. I saw Commissioner Wilkes with a pair of pistols which he was trying to hide behind his back. I did not wait for the train but went home to wash. While washing I heard cries of murder, and upon looking out saw a man lying helpless on the platform. Supposing it to be my father, I grabbed my shotgun and ran down to the spot. Knowing that the gun was broken, I used it as a club, taking my hold on the gun. I turned and met my sister and another lady. My sister threw a shawl over my head and I could not see the men's faces. I did not see Boston when he was shot. I then went to the house where I met my father. He had two revolvers, one 44 and one 32 calibre. I examined them and neither had been discharged. Evans went to work with me in the morning. He had no gun, but I afterward saw him with a rifle. The Gilman men abused two old men shamefully. The shooting occurred between Wm. and M. I did not see the gun at Coal Creek.'

Thomas S. Prole was the next witness, but could offer no evidence regarding the deceased.

John Dotson was next called. He showed the jury a bullet hole in his overcoat and testified that Boston held a rifle in his hand, and that the rifle was held as if to be fired. Witness did not remember having seen the broken shotgun and pistol. Gave no material evidence bearing directly on the shooting.

At 9 p.m. at the request of the jury, Coroner Boot adjourned the inquest until Monday at 10 a.m.