Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-12-31
In the Coal Fields.

In the Coal ields.
A mob of women, half crazed from
hunger and want, made furious attack
on the "blackleg" train when 1t stopped
at syndicate mine No. the other morn
ing, says a Brazil Qnd.) correspondent
With curses and screams OF rage they
pelted the train with stones, and when
1t came to standstill they made rush
for the cars in which the "blacklegs"
were, declaring that not one OF them
shcu escape alive. Fortunately for
the men, they were we'll armed and soon
drove their savage assailants back
Several OF the miners were severely
bruised with blows from the clubs the
women carried, though none were seri-
ously In. ured There we're several
hand to-hand conflicts, but the women
were weak from want of food and were
easily overpowered The fight was
over in less than ten minutes, but for
nearly an hour the women loitered
around the mine, screaming like a band
OF Indians at a ghost dance and swear
ing vengeance against the "blacklegs."
Having vented their spleen, they
joined their husbands who had been
highly interested spectators on the top
of high bluff overlooking the mine and
then returned to aseyville.
1T was complete SUNRISE TO the
operators. They had recei ed no inti-
nation of the trouble, and for the first
time since the mine resumed operation
General Manager McClelland did not go
out with the II ain. The women were
concealed behind a long row OF coal
cars, and did not show themselves until
the train was within a few rods
OF the stopping place, when they
made a rush from their ambush, show
ering stones on the train as they
came Robert Wallace, the mine super
intendent, and August Narkais, the pit
boss, attempted to intercept them, but
they might as well have attempted to
stop torrent Mrs. Thomas Short car
ried a pick-handle, and with the fury of
bear lobbed of her wi elEs she made az
Narkais He lodged the blow and
quick as a flash seized her about the
waist and attempt d to wrest the club
from her gra p. He was not equal To
the task. W ith the strength given by
rage and desperat on she threw him of
and a second time rushed upon him,
screaming with al her might that she
would kill him. Again he lodged the
! blow, and this time he elZed her by the
! throat and threw her lack several
PAGES In her effort TO keep from fall
! ing she let go the club and the pit boss
! got it.
Mrs. Sandy Jenkins, Mrs. Falkner
and Mrs Mcdonald, who, in their efforts
| TO reach the "blacklegs," had not before
noticed the fight between Mrs. Short
and the pit boss, now came to the res
cue, ard he fed, with the women In hot
pursuit Superintendent Wallace tried
TO stop them, when he became involve
in a hand-to-hand conflict with Mrs.
Jenkins. The other women set upon
him with such fury that no had to give
il up. BY this time the "blacklegs" haC
left the train. and by pointing theiI
weapons at the women kept them at Q
safe distance.
AS soon as the women left the mine
the train was sent back to Brazil, and in
the afternoon it returned with a squad
OF police officers and General Manager
McCelland. Word was then sent to Ca
seyville that If the women came to the
mine in the evening they would be ar
rested and taken to jail. 1t had the de
sired effect, and none of them appeared
when the train pulled out
The women and men of CaSeyvilC
persist that they are not in want, bu
they condemn the State and nationa
officers in bitter terms for not sendiDl
the aid that was promised when tn,
strike was declared. When talking a
homo they are frank in expressing them
! .selvss akl-~fshine 40 go back to worl
without being ostracized as "blacklegs
when the trouble Is over.
Syndicate Mine No. is the only
place in the Brazil coal-felds where th,
"blacklegs" hava been molested. A
other mines three times as many "b'ack
legs" are at work, and none OF then
have been molested. In the communitie
away from Perth and Caseyvile tn,
strikers agree that a man is justified il
"blacklegging" to prevent his famil!
from starving.
The State officers of the United Min,
Workers OF America deny that the meI
are returning to work at the difreren
parts of the districts In spite Of thi
assertion the number of "blacklegs" Il
daily increasing. Not around Perth ant
Caseyville, to be sure, but in the mines
around Brazil and south IL is SO.