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1890, May 1 - Marion Herald SOLD OUT – The
The Kansas City Coal and Coke Company have sold out their mines and
mineral property at Carbon Hill,
The mine consists of two shafts with an output of over 500 tons of
superior coal during the busy season. The output now in the dull season
is small. The trade also
includes several hundred acres of valuable coal lands in
It is said that the reason the sale was made was because the Kansas
City Coal and Coke Company, the original owners, which company was no less
than the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad Company, found
themselves at a great disadvantage in competing with other coal companies
on the line of their road. A
railroad and a coal mine didn’t seem to work well tighter. Hence the
sale.
It is said the purchasers will still further develop the mineral
wealth around Carbon Hill.
Most of the coal will be shipped to
The town of
1891 - Feb 5 - Vernon Courier (Lamar County, AL)
TROUBLE AT CARBON HILL – The Governor is Called Upon for the
Military - Much
The report of the Carbon Hill trouble found below is taken from the
Age-Herald. As will be seen
from the reports the calling out the troops was unnecessary. But Governor Jones could do
nothing else but order out the troops when called on for them by the civil
authorities. Governor Jones will always be found ready to call out the
military when the authorities are unable to restore peace and
order.
But in this instance it seems that the troops were called out to do
police duty, which it is not required to do. The trouble seems to have been
that the officers were afraid to try to do anything, fearing that trouble
would result. It is not
altogether certain that the trouble is over yet. The superintendent of the mines
wants to discharge about two hundred miners, but seemed to be afraid to do
so. If the miners are
discharged there may serious trouble result and the troops may be needed
at Carbon Hill.
The military have gone to Carbon Hill. Detachments of the Rifles and
Volunteers left about 6:30 last night, Captain Randolph Peyton of the
Rifles commanding.
About 10:30 yesterday morning, a telegram came for Col. L. V.
Clarke of the Second Regiment, from Governor Jones at
“Warn fifty men of companies at
Colonel Clark was absent in
He at once ordered out twenty-five men from each company who
assembled it their armories, prepared for marching orders, and Captain
Peyton wired the Governor that they were ready to leave any time after
1:30 p.m.
Later orders came from the governor to get a special train
ready.
Arrangements for this were promptly made, and the governor
notified.
About 4 o’clock came the order to proceed to Carbon Hill, and at
6:30 the command were marched to the depot, where they boarded a special
train on the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham consisting of two
coaches. At 6:40 they pulled
out.
On Saturday a great many sensational reports were carried in
These reports were that an unknown band of men had on Thursday
night raided a cabin containing some negro miners, killed one and wounded
nine,. It appeared to be a
case of white miners driving off negro miners, who had come in there to
take their places during the strike.
The Age-Herald wired its correspondent at Carbon Hill for
particulars, and he sent a dispatch published yesterday morning to the
effect that on Thursday night a white man had wounded a negro, and on
Saturday night a white man had killed a negro ins elf defense and given
himself up. Carbon Hill, Feb. 1 – Sheriff J. W. Sheppard got on at
Jasper and he states that he was at Carbon Hill yesterday and all was
quiet. The only thing that
had transpired was the killing of JOHN GUTHRIE, a negro by BILL MURRAY, a
white man.
At present we are on a siding, and all of the blinds have been
ordered down, and the military is quiet and determined. We arrived at 10:25. The men are still in the
rain.
LATER: - The terrible tribulation of Carbon Hill seems to be a very
small tempest in a very large tea pot, and just now Captain Peyton is
considering what he shall do.
When we arrived here
the mayor JOHN F. ANDERSON and Superintendent, B. W. WHITFIELD of the
Carbon Hill Coal and Coke Company met the train a the station. It seems that Mr. WHITFIELD who
assumed his position on yesterday morning, as anxious to discharge about
200 men who are employed at slopes 1 and 2, both within two miles of this
place, and the men have got wind of it and are preparing to resist
it. The officers of the town
seem to be afraid to take any action.
On Saturday evening BILL MURRAY, a white man, went into PATTERSON’S
boarding house and took possession of two shot guns. He then went to R. E. GOSS &
Co’s store. Complaint had
been made to the town marshal, R. L. WINDOM, and he went into the store to
arrest
Subsequently he went over to shaft No. 2 and killed GUTHRIE; the
negro to whom the guns belonged and who was at work in the mine. He is still at large and the
authorities are afraid to arrest him.
Another man who is defying arrest is SAM TAYLOR, who has threatened
to kill Pit Boss NICHOLS and still swears he will do so yet. A peace warrant was sworn out and
a constable went over to execute it.
He was run away from the miners. There were three other negroes
wounded when GUTHRIE was killed.
ARTHUR DAVIS, the one shot in the back of the neck, is now at
Superintendent WHITFIELDS’S house. The miners have notified him to leave
and he does not dare venture out.
These have been the only absolute violations of the peace, and thus
far the sheriff has not been called upon to assist in the preserving of
peace. The first telegram was sent to the governor by Mr. CALLOWAY, and
later on one was sent by Mayor ANDERSON, who advised the chief executive
that the place was in the hands of a lawless mob. Constable TAYLOR says
that he will not be able to arrest the few men against whom there are
charges without assistance. Captain PEYTON and Solicitor FERGUSON, both
sent full messages to the governor at 11
o’clock. WHY HE ORDERED
THEM
“There is a lawless mob here.
Colored people are shot and driven from home. No arrest made. We need
troops.”
It was upon this information that Captain PEYTON was ordered with
the troops to Carbon Hill.
Nothing further was heard from the sheriff till tonight when he
wired that he was proceeding from Jasper to Carbon
Hill.
At midnight, the governor got a telegram from captain PEYTON saying
all was quiet, only one man killed and the person who did the killing
would give himself up tomorrow mooring. PEYTON didn’t think the troops
would be needed. The governor
says the troops will probably be ordered home
tomorrow. CARBON HILL – Feb. 2 – The trouble in the mines of the
Carbon Hill coal and Coke company here and at Galloway may not be over in
fact, probably is not, but the lack of any necessity for calling out the
state troops becomes more apparent as an opportunity is had to look
closely into the situation.
That there had been lawlessness there is no doubt, but it could
have easily been prevented by a little nerve and grit on the part of the
local authorities, and two or three determined men could have made the
contemplated arrests that fifty soldiers have been called out to do. There
has been absolutely no resistance of the civil authorities, from the fact
that up to this writing I cannot find that they have given an opportunity
for it by taking any decisive action; but on the contrary seem to have
been awed by the fear that somebody might do
something.
1897, May 20 - Marion County News THE BALL GAME On Saturday evening, May 15, the first match game
of baseball ever played in
Carbon Hill went to the bat first, and in the first two innings and
the last half of the third managed to make 21 scores to
There was a good deal of squabbling before the game on account of
Carbon Hill wanting to play LACEY a crack pitcher from Jasper, and at one
time it looked very much like there would be no
game.
The The boys all enjoyed the game, and the best of feeling prevailed among them. The only accident that occurred happened to J. GUS PEARCE of Carbon Hill. He got two of his fingers badly hurt. (Marion County News, (Hamilton, Marion County, Ala.) May 20, 1897 - transcribed and submitted by Veneta McKinney)
1897 - July 8 - Marion County News SMALLPOX - There are various rumors from
different parts of the country about the prevalence of smallpox. We have no doubt that many of
these rumors are unfounded, or at lease exaggerated. There is no doubt that there is
smallpox at Carbon Hill and in the
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