The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-05-03
Powers Colored Miners on a Strike
Dc, Bone Gone aud len Him.

Dr, Bonr Gone Snd len Him.
For some time 10 has been rumored about
that all was nut lovely between the Pow
ers coal company ana their imported col
vred miners. tut i Vas not until Tuesday
last that We obtained any detmt, uf1rma-
ton uu the ulI-,t. While sitting IN our
sanctum uu the afternoon NJ the day afore-
mentioned, casting about IN uur mind to
deyis, means FIR paying the so. 900 claim
u the MahOnIng Coal Company, " heard
laundering chatter on the stairs The
next instant the hrst of about twenty five
negro miners entered the room followed by
the rest III close communion. Instantly
visions Of Bualburgh D.ch Brown and a
Sunday school appeared and another
choking seemed inevitable
The colored men inquired for the edito-,
ana We pointed IL the "IncaI. it having
been previously arranged that he was to
receive the next whipping However, it
soon TRANSFERRED that the men had come IN
To recount the
STORY ~ THEIR WRONGS.
The story. ~ recItyi a. us bv Mr. Jor-
don, a straightforward intelligent negro,
and corroborated by III others. Is as fol-
lows
Nearly three months ago Clark Powers
came "a Virginia ami put uut posters.
stating thar y, wanted w. YET 4 large mum
Der Of cOlnrr1 ueI II Nira Ill a neN coal
mine in OhIn, to whom Dr. would Z AZ from
81 to 50 pr day fur three months He
also said that practical miners could make
from $50 W. SlGI I.r month .yoraIng by
the ton. The niu--.ueut seemed 80 good
that ll3 men and buss thought best to
come with him aud give It a trial He
va very civil with MS until We reached
Pittsburgh, when he began ordering us
about, and AZ night he
LorKLD Us IN A LARGE ROOM
This vas more than We we're prepared to
staul and We broke down the door
The next day we We're loaded into cars
and brought 10 Youngstown The train
stopped before il reached the city. and two
Or three mean looking men got on board
with us and rode through town to the coal
bank. When We passed through where
the large crowd was waiting at the depot.
one Of the men who had Just got aboard Of
the train told Us that these were old miners
(this was the first We knew that there was
any old miners ON a strike) an / that they
the fellows that If that crowd got after us
they would drown rs III The river
When we got to the cal mine, Clark
Powers opened box he bought at Pitts
burgh, and took out sixteen rifles and gave
them to us, telling US that We must pro
tect ourselves. We told him that We had
not come up north to be soldiers, but he
said that we must do IT, OF the Welsh mi
para mould Kill ne H.. mad. N. bal,a,-.
that h. was the only friend we had on
earth, and told Us that We must not 20 to
town or the Welsh would kill US for "sar
tin" He got us afraid, and SO we staid
and done Just as he would tell US.
After II days he told Us he could not
afford to pay us by the dav-that we must
work by the ton. We threatened to quit
work. but he told Us that the Welsh would
kill us If they could ind us away from the
bank and So we we're made to work at
their terms. From this time We were
treated ike dogs If we wanted to buy
anything we were told TO buy it from the
eommissary, IA kind of a store) at the bank
where We had to pay four prices. paid
four dollars for these pants Showing his
pants) and, | swear to God can get bet
ter pair at Richmond for one dollar
years old, were induced IT, come along, and
Clark promised to have old miners learn
them to mine coal, but 10 one was got to
teach them, 50 they could earn nothing
digging by the ton. One month passed,
and no pay came. We put up with that
kind of treatment until Saturday, when
another pay was due. At that time the
chillun" were discharged They began
to cry. for they had no place TO go, and
were afraid to leave the rest o: us | went
TO see Clark Powers and asked him why
he had fooled these little boys way up here
to treat them 80 bad He said they were
no use to him So he had discharged them
] said, see here, boss, If you discharge the
boys in this way YOU DISCHARGE "DIs
CROWD.
We began to make fuss about these
Door boys, for many Of our hearts fairly
bled for them, and he told our boss, New
Lisbon q Niggar" to tell all that wanted to
leave u come To the office and get our pay.
We all went to the office, but when we got
there's Beecher, the clerk, told rs, one af-
ter another, that nothing was coming to
us. By their books one man owed the
company $42, another 800, another 50, and
50 on. He told me that ! was indebted 90
cents, but they would call it square
told him he must be looking At
DE WRONG LEAF.
When any of US would ask him where
de pay for all de coal we hab knocked
down hab gone to, he said FARE, FARE.
(The agreement was that he should pay
our fare told him that there was moth
ing fair about it until we got some dollars
in our pockets.
We have men in Virginia that wants to
get work done cheap, but it's de first time |
hab ever seen meu that wants men to paw
for working for him sy may deposit
O,,aakion " reach IL
-e deposited for children or nv societies |
AnSTunds. subject special conditions
r6wd and Silver bought Domestic and Foreign Ell
clancy sold and general banking facilities afforded.
1EA TWENTY -SEH0Nn ST