Huntsville gazette., 1884-12-06
THE HOOKING VALLEY.

Hunger and Suffering Among the Miners
Stories of Lawlessness Exaggerated-
The Syndicate Whom the Miners are
Fighting.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, December /. !.
Speaking of the situation in the Hooking
Valley, a correspondent of the Times,
who is on the ground investigating the
strike, says: During my brief stay in
New Straitsville, l have clearly ascer-
tanned that the reports of the situation
here, as wired throughout the coun-
try, have generally been sent from
Columbus, Ohio. These reports have,
as rule, been exaggerated, or Alto
gether false, and are furnished to the
various correspondents who have never
been outside of Columbus, by the
friends of the operators, and that it is
just as unfair to the miners and the
reading public as one-sided report in ia
vor of the miners would be to the pub
lie and the operators. Some of the Co.
lumbus papers daily publish statements
bitterly unfair to the miners, in that
almost every little thing transpiring,
it being magnifed into ridiculous i'm
portance.
After citing numerous instances of gross
exaggeration, the correspondent con-
tinues: ''There is no cause for great
alarm. While do not say there has been
no occasion whatever for alarm, l am
confident that there is not such an alarm
ing state of anarchy prevailing in this
great coal-bearing region as has been re-
ported. There is hunger and suffering
intense enough to create a fearful and
savage revolt, but deny that any general
plan of revolt has been foreshadowed by
the strikers, and most certainly few
words of intelligent and gentlemanly ad-
vice would have better effect than the
presence of the whole of Pinkerton's
force, which, under present circumstances,
is but an incitement to rebellion"
In Straitsville, town of about 5000
inhabitants, there are six of these detect
ives, and it is but foolishness to suppose
that were there any desire to kill one, or
to engage in riot, the presence OF but six
men among SO great a number of strikers
would cause hesitation
A more bitter fight between capital and
labor never took place. This strike
means the almost certain death of a mon
led coal and iron syndicate, or the death
of trades unionism in the Hooking Val
ley"
After giving history Of the syndicate,
the correspondent says: SIT is the Off
spring of gigantic, but comparatively
untried body, now deceased, viz: The
well-known Standard Coal and Iron Com
pany. The pretensons of this body, with
its $75,0OO,0O0 capital, were enormous,
and during the depression in the coal
trade in 1SS1-S2 it secured control of the
entire system of mines in the Hooking
Valley by perforced consolidation with
the various corporations then struggling
for existence in that district.
The present syndicate was formed in
March, 1888, the principal members OF
which are: General Thomas j. r. Buch-
tel, Walter Craft, L. Longstreth, ii. ID.
Twiney and MessrS. Moss and Marshall.
Failure to realize their expectations in
securing control of the entire lake mar
ket, and denied similar power over other
places, prices went down, and the only
hope they had of continuing operations
was to reduce the wages of the miners,
which went into effect on the 2lst of
June last.
A special dispatch from Nelsonville says
that about thirty of the striking miners,
at meeting Saturday night, resolved to
resume work to-day at the employers
terms. A large mass meeting of strikers
will be held to-day to discuss the situa-
ton. Several strikers at Sand Run
mine have also threatened to resume
work. Citizens of Nelsonville have issued
a circular guaranteeing protection to all
desiring to return to work, no matter at
what terms. Their circular also pledges
protection to all miners who may come
here to work at the reduced price. This
has also given great offense to the
strikers, but there is no sign whatever Of
a general break. A fight among the ''col-
ored blacklegs," at Buchtel Saturday
night, resulted in the fatal shooting in the
head of one of their number. The row,
which promised to be a large one, was
subdued by the Pinkerton guards.