The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-08
PowDERLY,s LIFE AND WORK.
His Limited Educational Advantages-Rem
tniscences of His Youthful DAYS.

His Limited Educational Neutrality-suspicious.
iniscences of His Youthful Days.
Scranton tPa.} Special.
1T serves them right; they should organize. =
These words were often on the lips Of Terence
Powderly, the father of the present general mas
ter workman of the Knights of Labor, Terence
Vincent Powderly. When gathered with his chill
dren around the family hearthstone he would talk
to them of the importance of laboring men work
ing together for a common cause. Holding up a
bundle of sticks he would exclaim: s.See, how
easy it is to break these one by one, and how
difficult when all together" His youngest son,
Terence Vincent, was especially impressed with
these teachings and his father often said: Terry
will make his mark some day"
Mr.. Powderly's father came to this country in
1926. He was then about twenty-five years old.
He was a powerful man, fully six feet tall,
with a strong constitution. He married before
he left Ireland, and his first son was born on the
ship coming up the ST. Lawrence. He
landed where the present town of Og-
densburg, N. Y, stands to-day. Two
years were spent in Ogdensburg, and then he
started further south. He stopped at Utica for
arriving at Carbondale, his future home, early in
1929. In those days the coal was obtained by
stripping the earth off and hewing the coal out
with picks. AS the process of mining advanced.
Mr.. PoWQerIy became a mine boss, and he also
opened a small store, which was managed by his
wife. If he had been a little less careful he
might have become one of the richest men in
Pennsylvania. A farm of over four hundred
acres was offered to him for about $500. This
farm contained some OF the largest deposits of
coal in the State. It's yield has amounted to a
great many hundred thousand dollars, and still
seems inexhaustible. Mr.. Powderly, however,
had a horror of going into debt, and he re-
fused his opportunity. He thus lived and died a
poor man.
Terence v. was the youngest SON in the fam
lily of twelve children. seven of whom are now
living. Three brothers are living in Carbondale
and one on a farm in Sullivan county. Joseph,
one of the older brothers, has just been appoint
ed postmaster at Carbonate.
General Master Workman Powderly was born
on Jan. %, 1649. His studies were confined to
reading, writing. arithmetic and geography. AT
thirteen he was apprenticed to a machinist. He
was in no sense a model boy in the sense of his
never getting into mischief, though he generally
had his lessons. The schoolmaster, Mr.. Bernard
McTighe. maintained discipline, and he had occa-
sion one day to punish young Powderly severely.
McTighe, who was a small man, passed the place
where Mr.. Powderly was at work on his way to
school the next morning, and Mr.. Powderly
called out to him and said:
~ hear you thrashed my boy yesterday
Yes was the reply, Il thought it was neces-
sary.n
@What did he dot"
After the schoolmaster explained, Mr.. Powderly
said: You did perfectly right."
Young Powderly'se studies did not end with
his apprenticeship TO the machinist trade. His