Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-09-02

CURED, and couple Of the mon who had re-
fused 20 Join the strike were assaulted,
though, ~ u seems, without serious couse-
quenceA This was made a prctext for
charge of conspiracy against the principal
men In thestrike lnformations were sworn
out by coalaud-iron policeman, and
large number Of the men who had been
active In organizing the strike were arrested,
and those who could not give ball committed
10 jail. The strike proved q failure, the men
being finally forced to return to work at
the old price But the companies were
determined to take the opportunity TO pun.
ish the ringleaders, aud virtually prosecuted
the csseS employing three lawyers for the
purpose On their part the miners secured
the services OF w. J. Bremen, OF Pittshurg,
and two lawyers Of the county. The
cases were tried at the county seat In
the agricultural part OF Washington county,
In May. The only miner ON the panel
was peremptorily challenged by the prose-
cution, and the jury was made up
almost entirely of farmers. who In this part
of the country, II not throughout the state,
have class prejudice against miners and
miners strikes, which reduce the market
for their produce, and as some OF them think
increase the tendency OF poultry, etc, To
mysteriously disappear. The eases a. to
some OF the men indicted were dismissed by
the prosecution, the real reason being, IL
Is said, that the men were OF use politically
or owed money to the mpanies and twenty.
seven were put on trial. Against three of
these no evidence Whatever could be adduced,
and In their cases verdicts of not guilty were
entered during the progress of trial 10y
direction OF the court. One of the men thus
released had already lain in jail for fourteen
weeks, another for seven weeks, and In the
case Of the third IL was shown that he had
been working In Ohio for nearly year, aud
had only returned to Penusylvsnla a few
days before the grand jury had found bill
In the case Yet his name had been inserted
in the indictment without any preliminary
hearing and he had been taken out Of his
bed at midnight on q bench warrant, and had
lain in jail until the trial. Only two OF the
others were In any way connected by the
evidence with the violence, but the theory OF
the prosecution, enforced in the charge OF the
Judge, was that the violence was a result of a
conspiracy in which all who took part in the
miners strike and meetings were concerned.
IL was proved as TO some OF them that they
were not even In the neighborhcod when the
violence occurred, and that their counsels had
always been against force or threats of force,
and one of the things incidentally shown
in the trial was that the strike In Its incep.
ton had been encouraged by the principal
mine owner, who at that time had consid-
erable stock OF coal on hand. The twenty
four were, however, all found guilty In a
body, and with one exception were all sen.
fenced to eight months Imprisonment win
hard labor. The exception was in the case OF
q man who was In the last stages of con-
sumption, and who was condemned 10 six
months Imprisonment In the county Iail.
Among the men thus sentenced were num-
Der who bear the very highest character In
their neighborhooda One OF them, n
veteran of the war, In which he was
wounded himself, and lost his father and two
brothers, and who has a wife and eight
children dependent upon him, was connect
ed with the conspiracy only by the max.
ing of q speech In which, while he sup
ported the strike, he had been careful 10
warn the men against any iufrlugements OF
the law /; another is a Methodist local preach.
or, devoted Christian and ardent temper.
ance advocate. Such IL the reputation OF
these men, that the deputy sheriff who took
them to prison to serve out their sentences
allowed them while waiting for train IN
PittsburR to go about the town on their
promise 70 return. What they were really
convicted OF was not violence or melting to
violence, but participating in strike,
which by fiction OF the old English conspir.
acy law ia made to involve all who partici.
pated In Ii, In an ofiense which was only an
accidental incident After serving out about
month OF their sentences writ OF allocdtur
was granted by Judge Clark OF the supreme
court, which brings the case before that ,ri.
bunal In October for review upon points ex.
cepted to by their counsel during the trial.
and an order WAS made directing their re-.
lease In the meantime upon $1,000 bail each.
ball, at the time write, has been found for
all but three. II the power lay in the hands
OF Governor Pattisor 1t Is probable that tur.
ther legal proceedings would have been dis.
penset with by prompt pardon but any
application must be passed on by the board
OF Pardons, and they do not meet during the
hot season.
In the meantime the anthracite coal carry.
Ing companies have limited the August out.
put to 5O0,0oO tons less than last year, with.
out the slightest fear of the conspiracy law,
the city OF Philadelphia Is compelled TO pay
black-mail prices for her fuel and gas coal,
and the Standard Oil company rolls up its
millions and pushes out new tentaces.
The term spool" In connection with Penn.
sylvania coal mining does not refer to comblna.
lions like the railroad pools but means the mi n,
Ing section between one river dam and another