 A shooting war was triggered when one of the strikers, believed to have been unarmed, had been shot through the throat by a deputized mine guard.In spite of intense pressure from others, Coates helped to persuade the governor not to send the Colorado National Guard.The commission was able to effect a settlement between the miners and the company, negotiating between union leader Vincent St. John and the Smuggler-Union Mine Company's general manager, Arthur L. Collins.