The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-08

st. Louis Globe Democrat. +
Those who assert that no actual suffering has
resulted in st. Louis from the strike, are but i'll
advised as to the. condition of things around the
Missouri Pacific shops and yards. A reporter
visited the vicinity yesterday for the purpose of
ascertaining the truth of Mr.. Turner'S statement
that most of the men were in a good shape fnan-
efally, and not in need, and almost the first
thing he saw was a pathetic contradiction in the
shape Of a group of children gathering srefnse
bread in the machine-room of the shops. They
were part of the family Of : a man who had been
employed in the yards, and who went out during
the strike. The bread they were picking up had
fallen from a long table constructed for the men
to eat upon, and was thrown away before they
asked permission to gather it. For the past
week all the broken pieces and scraps of meat
have been scrambled for by children who come
in during the day, and the neighborhood has
been cleaned clean of scattered Jumps Of coal for
fuel
These are no fancy pictures; no oyerdrawn,
rare, exceptional cases. Privation has been
steadily upon the increase, and real distress
stared scores suddenly in the face yesterday
when it became known that nearly 200 men had
received notification that they would not be re-
employed. Heretofore the butcher. baker and
groceryman have kept many in necessaries. ex
pecting that they would get their pay when work
was resumed; but this shut of, credit, of course.
came to a stand-still, and talk of society aid to
the contrary, it is undoubtedly a fact that a good
many people went to bed hungry last night
The bulk of the strikers from the shops and
yards live in the vicinity of Chouteau avenue.
and most of their trading is done on that
thoroughfare. In the nature of things, nobody
Is quite as well posted on their condition as the
grocery-keepers, the majority of whom handle a
general stock. Some difficulty was experienced
in getting the bottom facts from these sources,
but in the end some important and interesting
Information was collected. They were all
visited.
At George Dueringer's, staple and fancy gro
series. No. 1928 Chouteau avenue, the clerk said
that applications for credit since the strike were
very frequent, but not granted. They had about
twenty-five railroad families dealing with them
lefore the strike, aud now only six. and they on
.redit. He had no idea where the people who
lsd been refused trust were at present getting
sheir necessities. Mrs. Dueringer said that those
who were still doing business there were denying
themselves of everything they could possibly get
along without.
Charles Windish, grocer, at No. 1900, said that
ne had been obliged to cut off mis- credit list. al
though he knew that so doing caused actual suf-
fering. We can't afford to keep them up any
longer" he said, land | am obliged to call a halt,
much as I hated to do it. Where will those folks
get their groceries now? l am sure | don't know;
and they don't either, for that matter. The gro
GERS on Chouteau avenue will have to get together
very soon and take some combined action in the
matter. Dol think there is any suffering2 Why,
= hAOW . l. pCOpiCW Qhb ilH al
and can't get them, they are bound to suffer. l
know most of my customers are good, if they
only had the money, but they haven't it, and
can't afford to let them have things without"
Joseph Bueter, at No. $500 Chouteau avenue,
sells both groceries and liquors. He was in the
back room absorbing some of the latter commod-
ity when the reporter questioned his clerk. The
clerk admitted that business had fallen off very
materially, and that there were a great many APP
plications for groceries on trust that had to be
refused, when Mr.. Bueter emerged and shut him
up. He said he was a business man and did not
propose to make any disclosures that would
damage him.
A. B. Kamman, groceries and provisions, No.
2I36 Chouteau avenue, secuted the idea that
there was no distress.
~ refused a man credit for twoloaves of bread
a little while ago" he said. Il had to do it. /
am overrun with applications for trust. and
shall probably. lose a good deal of money as it is.
/ feel, and it is the general feeling with other
grocers, that we can't carry another dollar. The
notification of so many men to-day that they
can't 90 back TO work means an enormous lot Of
suffering. Most of them can get no further
credit. / know of the families of a great many
railroad men who trade here who have actually
suffered for the necessaries OF life during the
past week. l ana n poor man myself, but Icould
well afford to give $50 if the strike was over.n