Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-07
A REIGN OF TERROR.
Several Disreputable Gangs Of Toughs
in the Coal Regions
BRUTALLY KILLING FOREIGNERS,
One Of the SIuggers Dances Can Can on
the Body of an Innocent Victim.
WHERE MOB RULE REIGNs SUPREME
ESPECIAL rxrreRAx TO THE DrsrArca.i

ESPECIAL TxLEeRAM TO THE DIsPArcH.i
WILKEsBARRE, July Gin some por-
tions of the coal regions the Hungarians.
Polanders and Italians, especially the new
arrivals, lead miserable existence. They
are continually in dread of their lives, and
their enemies are the hoodlum element, who
delight in maltreating and even numbering
the inofensive foreigners. This hoodlum
element is made up of the descendants of all
uationalities. They are generally young
men ranging in years from 16 to 25. In
some places they call themselves "Whyos."
In other places the "Coal Terrors," but the
name by which they are most familiarity
known is ''the Sluggers." Their greatest
pastime is the study of prize fighting liter
ature.
In the cities and larger towns the authori-
ties will not permit the young rufians to
gather in body, but in the small villages
they have full sway. They generally have
their own shanty, small frame structure,
which they build themselves. The furni-
ture consists OF few chairs and card tables.
The walls are adorned with the champions
of the prize ring. In the evening the
toughs stay in their shanties and play cards
and drink beer.
BUY THE BEER BY THE KEG.
Each member is assessed so much. The
one who acts as bartender for the evening
gets his beer without any admission fee.
After the beer is consumed the rowdies start
for their homes. They generally raise pell-
81
destroying property. No one dare molest
them for to incur the enmity of the gang"
means exile or persecution of the worst
kind.
If the "sluggers" take dislike to any
body In the neighborhood they send him
notice that he had better 60 elsewhere, as
the place will be too hot for him. If the
offending party does not move out Of
the village, some night he or some MEM
Der of his family is beaten into insen-
sibility. The Door Hungarian Polander who
falls under the ban of the ''sluggers, if he
escapes with his life he is mighty lucky.
On Thursday night last an industrious
young Hungarian met his death at the
hands Of three Lucerneborough "sluggers. I"
Lucerneborough is mining hamlet situated
five miles from this city.
A TOUGH LOCALITY.
The inhabitants are very rough and the
appearance of the town would give a
stranger the impression that he had struck
some far Western mining camp. The men
sit around the barrooms coatless and hatless
and talk sport. On Thursday night the
sluggers o. Luzerne started in early to cele-
brate the Fourth Shortly before midnight
the streets were crowded with drunken men.
John Sweeney was one of the men who
was drunk. Two companions named Boy
land and Mcclure tried to get him home.
On the way they met George Wardzig.
a Hungarian, who was on his way to sum-
mon q doctor for sick man. The
two halted him and without a word of
warning one of them dealt him a blow on
the head which fractured his skull. The
Hungarian dropped in the roadway. One
Of his assailants then proceeded to dance
can-can on the prostrate iorm. Sweeney is
now in Jail and will have to answer for the
murder.
At Sandy run, a week ago, a Polander
was waylaid in a similar manner by two
"sluggers" who took offense because the Po-
lander would not give them chew of to-
bacco. At Beaver Meadow four "sluggers"
beat three Italians almost to death. 1t has
got so now that the foreigners will not leave
their houses after dark for fear of meeting
the ''sluggers.