Pana riot facts for kids

The Pana riot, also known as the Pana massacre, was a serious conflict that happened on April 10, 1899. It took place in Pana, Illinois. This event involved both a coal mining labor dispute and racial tensions. Seven people lost their lives during the conflict. The Pana riot was one of many similar clashes in Illinois coal mining areas around 1898 and 1899.

The United Mine Workers of America union had called for a strike, which stopped work at many mines. Mine owners responded by hiring guards and about 300 African-American miners from Alabama. These new workers were brought in to replace the striking miners. After a fight where a white union miner was killed, the striking miners turned on the black workers. They believed the black workers were responsible for the death. In the violence, two white people died, and five black people were killed. Six more African Americans were also hurt.

Why the Pana Conflict Started

Striking white miners had been without work for almost a year. The Overholt brothers, who owned part of a Pana mine, went to Alabama. They wanted to hire African-American workers to help reopen their mines. These new workers were called "scabs" or strikebreakers because they crossed the picket lines. Earlier attempts to open the mines with white non-union workers had failed due to violence.

The state government had sent soldiers to Pana to keep the peace. About 300 African Americans were hired to work in the mines and end the strike.

New Miners and Their Lives

According to stories collected in the 1940s, the new African-American miners from Alabama were told they would work in brand-new mines. They did not know about the strike until they arrived in Pana. The mining company housed these black non-union workers in poor conditions. They stayed either inside the Springside Mine area or in a building near the Penwell mine. Local people called this building the "Alabama Hotel" in a disrespectful way.

Black workers were promised better pay in the North. However, they were paid in coupons or special money that could only be used at stores chosen by the mine owners. They earned less than the white striking miners, getting only 27.5 cents for each ton of coal.

Forming the Afro-Anglo Mutual Association

In early 1899, the black coal miners in Pana formed their own group. It was called the Afro-Anglo Mutual Association (AAMA). Their goal was to protect their interests against the white union miners. The local newspaper described the AAMA's leader, Henry Stevens, as a very strong man. He was about six feet, two inches tall and weighed around 200 pounds.

Because of earlier labor problems in Pana, the AAMA asked Governor John Riley Tanner for help. They wanted to make sure that black and non-union miners would get the same protection from the National Guard as the union miners. However, it seems their requests were not heard. Soon after, Governor Tanner removed the soldiers who were keeping order. This left the black strikebreakers unprotected from local white people, who were very unfriendly towards them. Stevens sent someone to Governor Tanner to ask for the soldiers to stay, but his request was ignored. This effort showed that the black miners wanted to solve the problem peacefully.

The Gun Battle in Pana

On April 10, 1899, a fight broke out in Pana. It was between the AAMA members and the union miners, with some police nearby. During the event, a struggle happened, and a union miner was shot and killed. It was later discovered that a white policeman fired the shot that killed him. However, the situation quickly turned into a riot between white and black groups.

At least five black people were killed, and six more were injured. Two white men also died, including the miner. The second white person killed was the son of the county sheriff. He was also believed to have been killed by a white man.

Victims of the Violence

The local newspaper mainly reported on the union miners and the two white deaths. Historians have found that the black people who died included Henry Johnson, Louis Hooks, James L. James, and Charles Watkins from Georgia. Julia Dash, the wife of a black miner, also died. The black people who were wounded included Clinton Rolo, Louis Whitfield, Charles York, Ed Delinquest, F. C. Dorsey, and George Freak.

Right after the massacre, union miners gathered all the black people they saw. They held them at the city jail. There were fears that the black people would be attacked and killed by a mob. Finally, Governor Tanner ordered the state militia to come to Pana. This helped bring peace back to the town. It was later found that the conflict partly started because of a failed plan. This plan was to gather a large group of union miners to force the black workers out of Pana.

After the Conflict

After the violence on April 10, many black residents of Pana moved away. The union even helped them with travel. Mine owners and union miners started talking to try and end the strike. However, the black miners were upset because they were not included in these talks.

To show they were serious about finding a solution, and also because they feared more violence, the mine operators temporarily closed all of Pana's mines in late June. The black community had no support systems and became very poor. This was due to the extremely low wages they had been paid by the mine owners. They asked Governor Tanner for money to help them return to Alabama.

New Beginnings for Miners

In the end, many black miners paid their own way to go to Weir, Kansas. They were recruited there to work during another mining strike. According to historian Millie Meyerholtz, 211 black people moved west, mostly to Weir. Only 63 returned to Alabama and the Jim Crow South, where unfair laws treated black people differently. Those black miners who stayed in Pana were forced out during the rest of the summer. Many ended up in Springfield. Sadly, those who settled there faced violence again during the Springfield Race Riot of 1908.