The Battle of Como

The Battle of Como (also called the "Como War" or the "Chinese-Italian War"), was not so much a battle as a semi-violent attempt by Italian miners to oust the Chinese miners from the mines in Como. The most generalized version of the first three days of the "war," as described in the Fairplay Flume, recounts how six to eight Chinese miners were introduced to the Como mines. The Italian miners felt threatened by the presence of the new laborers, and thirty of them marched on the Chinese camp and ordered them to leave or be scalped. The Chinese miners promised to leave in the morning but were still at work the next day. The Italian miners set off to settle matters but were stopped by John Rowe (other accounts say W. J. Curtis), who convinced them to turn back, with the promise that the Chinese would be gone by the next day. When the situation remained the same on Tuesday, the Italian miners set out again only to be confronted this time by Edward L. Thayer. An altercation ensued and the Italian miners proceeded to beat Thayer almost to death; they then escorted the Chinese workers from the premises.[1]

Portrait of Sheriff David J. Cook (Wikipedia).

Following the event with Thayer, a telegram was sent to the superintendent of the South Park Coal Company, Col. C. W. Fisher, explaining the situation. In consultation with Governor Evans, Fisher contacted Sheriff D. J. Cook of the Rocky Mountain Detective Association and asked for a force of men to help protect the Chinese workers in the mines. Cook selected twenty men and they were put on a train to Como.[4] Much to everyone's surprise, the force served a double purpose: not only to protect the Chinese miners from any potential threat, but also to permanently evict the Italian workers from the mine.[5] While it would be nice to believe that these events were a reflection of the South Park Coal Company's commitment to justice, equality, and the Chinese miners' right to work, it seems the larger reason for the eviction of the Italian miners was that they were causing delays in freight transportation due to a lack of fuel and this was in turn hurting not only the company but also the state's economy.[6] Despite verbal attacks levied against Evans after the incident at Como, in the end he was vindicated. The discharged Italian miners went on to cause additional trouble in Erie in late December, 1879[7] and in May of 1880 Thayer was credited with the increasing success of the Como mine's output.[8]