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Jack Smith, age about 28 years, was a member of the Burke Miners’ Union (Western Federation of Miners) who died in the Battle of Bunker Hill near Wardner, Idaho, on April 29, 1899. Newspaper accounts of the day tell the story.
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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday May 21, 1899
Burke Miner Describes Suffering in the Wardner Bullpen of Idaho
From The Salt Lake Herald of May 17, 1899:
SUFFERINGS OF MINERS
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Imprisoned Miner Describes Experience In Bullpen
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President Edward Boyce of the Western Federation of Miners has received a letter from a friend who was among the miners rounded up after the Wardner (Ida.) riots and penned up for several days on suspicion of participation in those riots. The letter gives a graphic description of the treatment received by the miners at the hands of the Twenty-fourth infantry during the days of their imprisonment and is perhaps the first authentic description by one of the miners themselves.
It describes the arrival of the regulars at Burke and how the miners were made prisoners as they came up out of the mines off shift. Without being given the privilege of changing their clothes or of getting anything to eat they were herded into box cars and taken down the canyon to Wardner Junction. There they were kept standing in their wet clothes until midnight and then driven to a big barn called the bull pen.Between 350 and 400 men were here confined in a space about 40 by 50 feet all without food and some with wet clothes. Not until noon did the prisoners get anything to eat. Then they were divided into squads of twenty-five, and each squad was given a pail of what the author of the letter describes as “swill,” and told to eat it. Some had not had anything to eat for nearly thirty-six hours, and even then could hardly down the food.
[The letter goes on:]
We asked for soap and towels to clean ourselves a little, but the authorities did not seem to think the Canyon creek people needed such luxuries, for they would not give them to us, so, with grease and dirt sticking to us, we were driven back to our sty.
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Hellraisers Journal – Monday May 8, 1899
Wardner, Idaho – Bullpen Now Holds 1000 Men of Couer d’Alenes
From the San Francisco Examiner of May 7, 1899:
SHOSHONE’S SHERIFF IS HERDED IN
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Young Is Washing Dishes for
His Fellow-Prisoners.
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With Him in the Pen Is County
Commissioner Boyle.
—–OFFICIALS TO BE IMPEACHED
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Nearly a Thousand Prisoners Gathered In
by the Troops at Wardner.
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—–WARDNER, May 6.-Bartlett Sinclair, the Governor’s representative, to-day called upon Sheriff Young and County Commissioner Boyles to tender their resignations, and when they refused, were placed under arrest and turned into the bull-pen with the hundreds of other prisoners. They protested vigorously against this proceeding, but to show them that they were no better than the rioters, both were assigned to the culinary department of the prisoner’s pen and made to wash dishes.
Impeachment proceedings will be brought against Young and Boyles on Monday before Judge Mayhew of the First Judicial District, to remove them from office.
Prosecuting Attorney Samuels will also be taken into custody should he show up at Wardner. He is not considered of sufficient importance by General Merriam to be sent after.
The inquest is proceeding slowly behind closed doors, and is more in the nature of a Grand Jury investigation than an inquest. From a reliable source it is learned that evidence of a most satisfactory nature is being obtained. Judge Lindley is conducting the prosecution, assisted by Attorney Beale.
[The Bullpen at Wardner.]
Considerable sickness has broken out among the prisoners. This is due to the fact that many were arrested at the mines, as they came out from under ground in their wet clothes, which they had no opportunity to change. Besides, the accommodations of the bull-pen requires herding the prisoners closely. More sanitary quarters will be provided as soon as possible.
