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As Milka said, she "fought like hell," until a mounted mine guard rode her down, seized her by the hand, dragged her along, broke her wrist. After that she only addressed mass meetings. One day she went to Trinidad Jail to see some of the I. W. W. organizers and the sheriff gave her a cell of her own.
In most sections it was a fairly friendly strike, with jokes and chaffing between picketers and guards—until last week. Then Louis N. Scherf, whom Governor William H. Adams had placed in charge of the State Law Enforcement Bureau, which was revived to meet the strike conditions, heard of a mass meeting to be held at Boulder prior to an advance on the Columbine mine, one of the few properties in the northern part of the state which had been able to continue operations. Mr. Scherf took a squad of 20 state police and hurried upstate to the Columbine. Adjutant General Paul P. Newlon of the Colorado National Guard, Chairman Thomas Annear of the Industrial Commission, and other representatives of Governor Adams, went too. There was many a witness of the next dawn's happenings at the Columbine.
At daybreak 500 "Wobblies" led by Adam Bell tramped toward the gates to the Columbine property. Deputy Sheriff Lou Beynon of Weld County met them and urged them to turn back. He pointed out that the 20 State Police under Mr. Scherf were unwilling but ready to repel trespassers with gunfire. "Come on, boys, let's go!" cried Adam Bell. The "boys" went—toward the Columbine gates.
The handful of State Police met the mob first with the butts of their rifles. They clubbed and pommeled, and were treated in turn to a shower of sticks, rocks, knife-stabs. One trooper had his eye gouged nearly out. None escaped injury. Mr. Scherf ordered a retreat to the Columbine gates, where he formed the troopers in a double row of ten.
The mob growled and surged. The troopers cursed. Mr. Scherf ordered a volley over the heads of the "Wobblies." They did not wobble. The next volley, point blank into the close-packed marchers, brought shrieks, confusion a halt. Bodies began dropping to the ground—one, two. As the "Wobblies" retreated, more of the wounded fell out. Five died, 20 were wounded, including two women in men's clothing.
Adjutant General Newlon, with a proclamation of martial law in his pocket, sent for militia, tanks, a medical unit. Governor Adams pronounced the Columbine district to be in a state of insurrection. He and his witnesses absolved Mr. Scherf and the state troopers for their deeds of "self-defense." The strikers swore out warrants for the arrest of their comrades' "murderers," asserting that their part in the Columbine episode had been peaceable. They had only wanted to go to the Columbine post office, they said. Wobbly Adam Bell and others were arrested to prevent further post office visiting.
Speaking at Erie, Colo., Frank Palmer, Wobbly leader, cried out: "No one less than John D. Rockefeller is responsible for the deaths of our comrades!"