Thomas J. Tarsney (1846 – 1902?) was a Populist politician and author in Colorado in the late 19th century.

Early life and political career

Tarsney was born in Ohio, but later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. With Governor Davis H. Waite and Lieutenant Governor Francis Carney, Tarsney was one of the organizers of the Populist party in Colorado. He was a strong advocate for the coinage of both gold and silver, and was outraged by what he perceived as the distortions practiced by advocates of the gold standard in the election of 1876. Tarsney was elected adjutant general of the Colorado state militia in April 1893 for a two-year term.

Cripple Creek Strike

During the Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894, Governor Waite, a 67-year-old Populist, dispatched 300 troops to the Cripple Creek area on March 18 under the command of Adjutant General Tarsney after the local sheriff had declared that the region was in chaos. Tarsney found the area tense but quiet. John Calderwood, president of the local affiliate of the Western Federation of Miners, assured Tarsney that union members would peacefully surrender for arrest, if that is what Tarsney wished. In his report to the governor, Tarsney described the situation: Convinced that the sheriff had wildly exaggerated the extent of the chaos in the region, Tarsney recommended that the troops be pulled out. Waite concurred. The state militia left Cripple Creek on March 20. But when the strike persisted, the sheriff—in collusion with mine owners—recruited a force of 1,300 hooligans to become deputies and break the strike. Although the mine owners and union had reached an agreement ending the strike, the deputies remained in Cripple Creek. Governor Waite ordered the force of deputies disbanded, but the sheriff told Tarsney he was no longer able to control the private army he had created. On June 5, the deputies moved into the local town of Altman, cutting telegraph and telephone wires and imprisoning a number of reporters. Aware that the paramilitary force might get out of hand, Waite had already dispatched the state militia, under the command of General E.J. Brooks and Adjuntant General Tarsney, to Cripple Creek. The Colorado state troops arrived in the Cripple Creek region early on the morning of June 6, but more violence had already broken out. The sheriff began to argue with Brooks and Tarsney about what course of action to take. But when the 'deputies' attempted to charge the miners, soldiers of the state militia quickly intercepted them and stopped their advance. The sheriff's force committed more violence in the town of Cripple Creek. But by nightfall, Brooks had seized the town and corralled all the deputies. After consulting with Tarsney, Gen. Brooks threatened to declare martial law and keep his troops in the region for another 30 days. Meeting with Tarsney, the mine owners capitulated and disbanded their private army. Gen. Brooks dispatched the 'deputies' via rail to Colorado Springs, where they began dispersing on June 11. Tarsney became widely hated in Colorado for the role he played in protecting the miners' union. On June 22, 1894, he was staying in the Alamo Hotel in Colorado Springs. Just after midnight, a group of men kidnapped him and took him several miles north of the city. They stripped him, tarred and feathered him, and left him to find his own way back to civilization.

Published works by T.J. Tarsney

Sources