New-York tribune., 1886-05-30
MARTIN IRONS.
HIS EXPERIENCES AS RELATED BY HIMSELF
PICTURESQUE CAREER AS A DEFENDER OF THE
WEAK
From LiDpjncofrs Ma


growth was not much In height as In breadth;
Though snort in stature. my weight reached good
bernne quite a sturdy leader amorg my playmatcs:
As far back as can remember always felt keen,
to the weak by the strong and many youthful riot
nave ircited among my paymates at the dscovery OF
| some elaring piece OF cruelty oppression. 1ou
wouldn; do that If Martin Irons WAS here" was said
Thought OF fso or b" when the sane
Insult has been offered OF weaker friends, was
was fourteen Years Of axe Wen. with mr. parents,
landed IN New York and saw my first Yankee and my
yaller dog tor shilling the dog persisted In follow
Ing tho Yankee, and the black wanted the money
refunded Then the white man ran away, and the dog
followed him soon learned this to DO an old trick
played alike on black or white. and ever siuce have
| hdd an aversion to q man WIN owns yaller dog.
shortly after my arrival in Nsw-York I entered a
soP G as an I G the y
foreman vas coarse, rude and oyeroearing man. who
seemed to think men best ruloi by profanity and
fault finding soon learned to hate bim with all fhe
powers OF ms nature. AL tue because OF his seeming
nachinsi as miserable as ossble The little man WIS
really good mechanic, faithful and Industrious. but he
criticism and constant threats OF discharge The fore
man had habit OF standing about feet from the little
man aud gowerIns upon him like Iersonied Fury;
Although was only a boy determined that would
avengc the little machnist who was tayorte with
everybody save his tsskmaster Immediately over tho
SPOT where the foreman was IN tho habit OF standing 10
overawe anda abuse my little friend gIrder TO which
the shaft hangers attached One day noon when
the hands were all out at dinner obtained an od oy ser
can and filed 1t with black oil from the bolt cutter
so that a mere touch woud knock It over. then a
trigger to winch attached a black thread. THIS ran
over another girder and down the wall to near where
was ~ work 40 that the least jerk OF the thread would
NJ the spll IL fifteen minutes
alter the blast OF the / o'clock whistle when the 10
man pounced upon my little friend like tiger for not
having two days job done IN six hours Ihe eyes oi
every man 10 the shop turned on Linn as he stood
there scowng and swearing. reached ior my thread.
anu IN moment he was drenchel IN shower oatu OF
OH was work ne very indIstrlously. All eyes wero
instantly urne to- work. no one dared TO smile; no one
saw what happened but the little man. VINO WAS almost
parayzed with fcar. But the profanity ccased The
foreman looked unutterabo tuIy but ia his feeling
that nc cOuld not 40 justice 10 tie occd7ion, was
speechcss Gathering lot OF waste lie wiped away as
room to wash. While he was away I drew tho black
thread down. Though be made careful investigation
the oil from But aitsrwad ho avoided that
spot and treated NY le mau with less cruelty. did
nJi delight IL malicious mischief, out rather sought 10
infct instructive mishaps on tuose whose position
placed them above the reach OF reason or force:
was very painfully i'm ressci about this ilme Dy tue
discovery OF tue treatment noted 10 poor women VINO
earned tleis bread and sometimes bread tor several
needle from early m9rahg WI late at niSh III oruer @
TO 0o'an a. woff G AT M az, iry wep ~ iue ts AZ
five cents apiece and their anxiety ~ great that
the mercicss manufacturer would encourage cut
throat rivalry among thrm In order to force tie pce
lower still. Besides this learned that often after po.r
weak had nisned shirts the souiless eIl
ploJer would ind fault about Iew misscd stitches anu
discount half her pay.
shall Lever forget one instance that oamo under my
kno ledge. poor young creature h"d Dern des rteu
| by q brutal husband ole was left WIN . sweet HttIe
| yirl OF nfteen months which WAS pining away with
consumpton Her work binding shoes; aud Dy
hcessant toll she mad kept tho wolf from the door and
| provided for her dyins babe She had frequently
noisrened It's pirched and fcvered lips With juice
squeezed from an orange one day, whoh she hat hat
almost pleted work enough 70 earn % cents sne
suddenly great change had sken place IN
the child She knew 1t was death. Ono iitle wasted
hand lifted as 10 plead FOR tue olange put oae
| she hal none, money with which To buy IT, Hastily
summoning neghbOr to watch her babe sue ran 20 ne
store with what completed and told mo story
of her dying child. she wanted lew pennies 10 Duy
the orange before 1t was too ale ior the e m
lips IL taste again. sne Was resed unless All tno Work
were completed and brought ~. She hastenet nome.
and flying fin and arhng heart, completed hrr
task But Oh returning 10 the sloro sue "'9 & ~ ~
refused because through her oiinins teats sue n' @
returned bedside of her babe Its lips were dis,
oooI ed eyes glazed, us spirit had ned Mhen
heard the story Of tuat mothers %Oe es'steied Now
70 he amooc the first ia comirg years help humanze
men and dcbrutaize those that have power over the
weak.
| on another occasion, learning OF clothing dealer
VINO was IT, the habit OF systematically refusing on
~ rs iione threatoning al the Same refuse thrn
work altogether II they made any complaint sathefcd
lawyer at my expense. and compelled tue payment
OF the ull amount due, together with large biil OF
costa afterward went to tuc store and told tho dealer
tuat, matter to whom he gave work should watch
hm aud nrns suit n every s ease w oi gs nv
ticesp. aud, as my pay was very small my heid OF
0ne out Of nv apprenticesnp left the shop where
had cained my trade hoping to hnI an empower OK OK
foreman VINO least recognized ordinary manhood III
| men seeing an advertisement for machlnlst III a
daily paper, is.rted out to answer It, When arrived
al tic place. found not less tnan twenty applicants Ior
! the position | discovered that the foreman was
utterly unprincpled. He ha! set nan 10 WORK Or an
hour AZ "A 0D the end of which time another man was
Ia take for another hour, and SO on through he
tweny-each man being told tD call again AT ceftai
fixed time. choice was to 10 inle uitcr tno tMeht3
had passed the testing ordeal saw tiat MS oDect
to get twenty hours work %ith3u. pay s &lid iha
resolved 10 spoil that game at once. oa' inS "on
nineteen, made an appointment to meet the us success
fu ones t place after the trial hours were over
n so appened that AS tho last man to apply for
the lob last 10 be- tried IL so hhppench also
hs' ,hs ,nponted time met the otuer pineeen and
Instructed them each 10 20 10 tho iorohn Oh Tue
dni ami wore refused, tue foreman Claiming that thoy
were employed, but were Simply app!lnS lor eni-
nlovment during their sthOur. Next day there @ere
nineteen suits fled for nineteen separate hours work
Tue AMI lawyers tees cost inc concsin Over
prosecute the se, and never PAID D so cneeiIuly III
INV life The foreman discharged when Tue concern
learned OF the SUITS but II was never known tbat was
| the nsdgatDr OF tho prosecution AFTER "othinS
several weeks, and receiving ay regularly every Satl
ments would only e made semi monthly. 80
| announcenient made that payments IN future
| would be made once month. protested strongly
80 that II we complalLed should all be cd
was indignant at my empowers anu was & NJ
thc men hut wa. compelled to nurse my wrah pcause
~ ,he slavish fear of my snopmates My employers
boosted that they we're doing cash business Ihey
pc ue cash or its equivalent for all WORK as soon as IL
Vas d,e and yet they forcing loan from tieii
em loyes the eud OF each month ior a - ~ tanU @
since it's heginnnc AMI tho employees oareo ho' GULL
plain for fear OF discharge
Thu. early IN my mechanical history began TO realize
the fearfu bondage OF the white slavery that prevailed
n,od r,a nave kuo yn mon 10 work tor employ ers
who would never pay full but put the men on M Win
dollar or two at time, keeping them III cohstant ie't Vi
DISCHARGE and threatening 10 blacklist them u as
cbarged ana all the time the men were pa! heIsJ
Interest debts which the money quo .el ~Ta a ,hs
quliacd have seen men bsselns piteHnsy al o
store "A credit when their pay as ioi ot , %
and SCARCELY dared demand that pay io ,o ~,
discharge felt dcvp desire within me 10 ehaucipato
| INV fellow workinen from their wage bondage, more
| infolerable IL seemed me, than the lhNouhlaiv
| h,ndage OF the South ern black Dlsgusteu VIII
the crIngng cowardicc OF my shopmates' l. ue"', f
| finding mors tolerant employers ana more @ HUG
| peudeut lnun | boarded vessel 1ouhd loi NOW
Trenns and was soon out the sh0Ieless oceah' :,
ON landing in New Orleans. was dlrectei 20 III
ton six miles away. aud there found no ~ ~ no
tan,nV enployment. This time my boss proven 10 %
genal feIow easy going, but fond OF liquor wnch ire
on-uIv unnamed him. Inatteuton TO business naS Poi
,niItrd dl,order and dilapldaon to creep III eVery
whsre Tools were worn aud broken down, custom
WAS impaired and everything was going 10 ruin A.ol
fev week,' STRUGGLING work with broken loolS tno
| nroprietor placed in charge OF 'no suot