Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-10
TIE GAzETTE. F0RT WORTH TEXAS. SATURDAY. MA1lo

P.o11Aeu, dnd lnere were very Few fam
lies in the town, whose bread winner.
we're cotton workers, who were not ex-
perieneing the bitter pangs of hunger.
A relief fund had been started but the
donations received were 8oefully made
quate to meet tbs demands Of the hungry
thousands, and the utmost help thai
could be given, even to the most dssti-
tute, was barely sufficient to keep body
and soul together.
All day long, fran gray wintrv day-
break TO bleak bitter nightfali, the
streets were filled with the strikers
Gangs of men and women walled the
slushY thoroughfares; others louuged AT
the corners of the principal streets, 9TH
ers thronged the old Market sauare. and
all talked of the situation, ana won
dered, or guessed how long their idle
ness and privations would continue.
Several gangs of operatives had organ
lied themselves into musical (?l hands
and were securing the country east
west, north and south in search of aims
to fill their own mouths and those of the
patient women and hungry children they
had left behind in werringham
Every morning, after the first week of
the strike, singular procession had
paraded the leading streets. This was
formed of long file of handcarts, each
one drawn by cotton worker, and one
by one every provision shop in the town
was visited.
Some of the shopkeepers would give a
loaf, another few potatoes, another an
egg or two, a pound of flour or meal
Everything was gladly accepted, and
stored away in the carts and when after
noon came, and the vehicles were filed
with edible things the men atruok home
ward and divided the spoil.
During the last few weeks the pawn
shops had been doing roaring trade,
and thousands of things which had
formerly adorned the persons or homes
of the operatives were now stored away
on the shelves of the Knights of Lom-
hardy.
The public-house too, appeared to be
doing well. Somehow, many of the
strikers could often enough find penny
for gill of ale when twopence for loaf
seemed an imposslbility. And 1t was
quite common for the pltman and other
workers to treat their worthless COM
panions to numberless pots of beer when
they met them of an evening, but they
rarely thought of giving them a sixpence
to buy food for the ill-fed ones at home.
And thus the weary war between capt.
tai and labor dragged on day after day,
the workers wondering how much longer
the masters would persist in their evil
way, the employers asking themselves
how much longer their employees could
stand out.
One thing was certain. The men
could not continue the unequal fight
much longer. Starvation would at last
subdue them, and that point wonld soon
be reached unless help came from other
towns.
A bitter feeling against the mill own
ers naturally enough filled the minds of
all the strikers, and this feeling was
strongest of all against Richard Har-
wood, for rumor had gone round that
he was the most relentless aud impla-
cable of sll the employers.
1t was even stated, with what truth no
one could say, that HARDWOOD had said he
would starve his hands into submission.
After that statement went forth. it
would have been extremely perilous for
to have shown himself in the
public streets. The inoensed, despa iring
men and women would have torn him to
pieces. But the merciless mill owner
heard of this and he wisely kept out OF
harm IS way.
Fortunately for themselves, Mark Eliot
and Nellie Pemberton were much more
happily situated than the immense bulk
of their workmates. A strike of any
length would not have made much differ
enoe TO the girl now. She was sure
of food and shelter so long as Dan
Ashton had means to provide them.
As for Mark, he had oontrived TO put
few pounds by, and upon this little hoard
he was now living. Although he had
done more than any other man in Obtain
ing subscriptions to the relief fund, he
had never touched penny of the money
SO procured.
With so many hundreds on the verge of
he felt that 1t would be in
toierably mean, unspeakably vile of
him, were he to take the price of single
loaf when he had money OF his own. And
30 he permitted il to go to those who
needed it more than he and drew upon
his own slender savings.
But black and bitter as was that weary
time to most Of the cotton workers, it
was not all trouble and pain to Mark and
Nellie. They had health and strength
and their love, and all the future lay be-
fore them full of promise.
When Mark was not busy among the
strikers he and his sweetheart went for
ong walk in the snow swathed country. |
And out there mid the white fields, by the |
loar mantled hedgerows, they built |
heir castles in the air and dreamed their
owe dreams, never thinking that SO
much sorrow tor them both lay hidden
behind the veil of the near future.
For another week the strike continued, |
ind then the battle was suddenly termi- |
lated by the employers giving way.
They had hsld a meeting and decided to |
the notice of reduction.
So the intelligence ran, and it spread |
ike lightning over the town. Many de-
dared the news was too good to be true; |
,thers affirmed it was only what they ex-
,ected all along. Not few of the lead
ng operatives went 70 the various man.
gers houses to have the statement con-
irmed, as it was; ana in the evening all
loubt on the matter was settled, for the
own crier went round the streets ringing
lis bell and announcing that all the
Mills would re-eommence work on the
ollowing morning ct the old prices.
What joy such an announcement
,rought to many barren households may
,e imagined. How the men and women,
orely tried and hardly used, compli-
nented themselves on the victory they
lad SO braveIy won. AT that moment