566 



MISSOURI. 



men named Matthews were first tried and 

 convicted, receiving the death sentence on 

 March 28. The Knobber chief was tried early 

 in April, and was sentenced to death on April 

 12, at which time three other leader?, having 

 confessed their guilt, were sentenced to prison, 

 one for twelve years and two for twenty-one 

 years each. The execution of the four con- 

 demned men was set for May 18; but, an ap- 

 peal being taken to the State Supreme Court, 

 the date was postponed to December 28. In 

 October the Supreme Court affirmed the de- 

 cision of the lower court. Seeing that no 

 hope was left, the Bald-Knobber friends of 

 the condemned leaders determined to have 

 vengeance, and on the night of November 14 

 visited the homes of five of the witnesses 

 against the prisoners, seized them, and hanged 

 them together. A large number of men were 

 engaged in this raid, none of whom were dis- 

 covered. Emboldened by this, on December 

 28 (a second postponement of the execution 

 having been had) they attempted a rescue of 

 their friends from the county jail. The two 

 Matthews and other prisoners escaped ; the 

 Walkers refused to accept the opportunity. 

 Two days later one of the Matthews was capt- 

 ured. 



Bevier Troubles. The Governor says in his 

 message : " There has been for several years a 

 bad state of affairs existing at Bevier, in Macon 

 County, where are located some of the best 

 coal-mines in the State. Labor strikes have 

 been frequent, riots have occurred, and deaths 

 and murders have been the result. The civic 

 authorities have been unsuccessful in bringing 

 the offenders to justice, although strenuous 

 efforts have been made in that direction. The 

 last strike at Bevier occurred the last of Sep- 

 tember. The mine-owners brought in new 

 men to take the place of strikers. One of the 

 operators, Thomas Ward ell, was killed, it is to 

 be supposed, by the miners on the night ofr 

 December 7. The strikers and the employes 

 of Messrs. Loomis & Snively's mine engaged 

 in a fusillade of firearms, in which several hun- 

 dred shots were fired, endangering the lives of 

 the citizens of Bevier. One of Loomis & 

 Snively's men was wounded, from the effects 

 of which he died. On December 9 I visited 

 Bevier and found a deplorable state of affairs. 

 The people were alarmed, fearing that at any 

 time the town would be the scene of riot and 

 bloodshed. I therefore ordered some forty 

 members of the National Guard at Kansas 

 City to Bevier. I believed that all parties 

 feared that they would be injured in their per- 

 son or property by the other side, and that if 

 they were afforded protection for a short time 

 they would adjust their difficulties; but I am 

 not prepared to say that my hopes have been 

 realized or that the feeling is much better be- 

 tween the contending elements than before the 

 troops were ordered there." Before the end 

 of the year, by order of the Governor, the 

 troops were withdrawn. 



Political. The Republican Convention was 

 held at Sedalia on May 15, and the following 

 State ticket was nominated without a contest : 

 For Governor, E. E. Kimball; Lieutenant- 

 Governor, George H. Wallace; Secretary of 

 State F. W. Mott; State Treasurer, A. P. 

 Frowein ; State Auditor, George W. Martin ; 

 Attorney-General, L. L. Bridges: Register of 

 Lands, John H. Chase ; Railroad Commission- 

 er, B. W. Vedder; Supreme Judge, J. S. Bots- 

 ford. Delegates to the National Republican 

 Convention and State electors at large were 

 chosen at the same time. The following is 

 from the platform adopted : 



Monopolies and trusts oppressing the people, or 

 unfairly discriminating against local interests, are 

 wrong 'in principle, and should be restrained by 

 law. 



We demand a free vote and an honest count of 

 every legal ballot ; that one vote in the South should 

 count as much as one vote in the North, East, or 

 "West, and no more ; that one vote in the North, East, 

 or West should count as much as one vote in the 

 South, and no more. And we do especially denounce 

 the frauds in the ballot-box in the Southern States as 

 publicly admitted by the leaders of the Democratic 

 party. 



While we at all times favor a proper revision and 

 adjustment of the tariff so as to give legitimate en- 

 couragement to commerce, we demand that such re- 

 vision shall be made on the basis of protecting Amer- 

 ican industries and labor and of preserving the home 

 market to the home producer, and we are unalterably 

 opposed to the doctrine proclaimed by President 

 Cleveland in his annual message and to the fruit 

 thereof, known as the Mills Tariff Bill. 



The placing of wool, lead, zinc, and iron on the 

 free list is a direct blow at the material interests and 

 prosperity of the State of M issouri. 



The Union soldiers are entitled to the gratitude of 

 the nation. It was their heroic services that made 

 freedom national and preserved the Government. Be- 

 lief for disabled veterans should be extended, not as 

 alms to paupers, but as a partial compensation for serv- 

 ices rendered, and we condemn the action of Presi- 

 dent Cleveland in indiscriminately vetoing the pen- 

 sion bills passed by Congress. 



We approve of equitable taxation, reaching corpo- 

 rations as well as individuals, as a correct system 

 which should be perfected and enforced throughout 

 the State. 



We arraign the Democratic party of Missouri for 

 its refusal to adopt means whereby litigants in the 

 Supreme Court may have a speedy determination of 

 their case. Delays for years are suffered by them, 

 which work great hardships upon the people, and in 

 many instances amount to a denial of justice. 



A Democratic convention for the nomina- 

 tion of a candidate for Supreme Judge and for 

 district judges met at Springfield on August 15. 

 Judge Shepard Barclay was nominated for the 

 former office after eighteen ballots. One week 

 later a second convention met at Jefferson 

 City, and nominated the following Democratic 

 candidates for executive offices : For Gov- 

 ernor, David R. Francis; Lieutenant-Govern- 

 or, Stephen H. Claycomb ; Secretary of State, 

 Alexander A. Lesueur ; Auditor, James M. 

 Seibert; Treasurer, Edward T. Noland ; At- 

 torney-General, John M. Wood ; Register of 

 Lands, Robert McCulloch ; Railroad Commis- 

 sioner, James Hennessy. The platform con- 

 tains the following : 



