Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-06
LIKE REAL SLAVES.
Colored Laborers Near Wilkesbarre
Are Held to Their. Tasks
AT THE MUzzLE OF REyOLVERS.
They Say Their Employer Broke Path, and
They Want to Quit.
DRIVEN TO VIOLENCE By CRUELTY

NEW YORK, Sept "a Wilkesbarre
special to the Herald says: Serious trouble
is threatened on the wilkesbarre and East
ern Railroad about eight miles from Easton
and 25 from this city, with 300 negroes who
are under contract as day laborers The
men say they are i'll fed, poorly housed,
poorly paid and treated as slaves; that they
have been compelled TO work hard and at
the muzzle of guns and pistols
The scene of the trouble is in the heart of.
a mountainous, sparsely settled district,
thickly wooded, and though but eight miles
away from large city, there are few evil
dences of any civilization and no cornmuni-
cation with town except by the railroad it
SELF cut through gullies and ravines and
along the PERCEPTIONS sides of the mountains
or over narrow paths former Indian trails.
Unless the men know the route it would be
a hard matter for them to find their way out
to Pittston, Laf1in OF 0vera, small towns
within 10 or 20 miles
The railroad company has let out con-
tracts for leveling the forest and preparing
the route for the track layers. The work is
very arduous, much of it being on the
mountain side and is necessarily slow.
The One at the Bottom OF the Trouble.
Contractor Thomas Conway has charge Of
the building of about ten miles Of the route,
aud he is the man who has caused the
trouble. Three months ago, when work
was begun near the point where the trouble
is, Conway brought up from Virginia these
negroes to work Tor him. The men say they
were attracted to the place by the alluring
promises of the contractor. He said he
would give them s.. so day, pay their fare
10 Wilkesbarre and feed and clothe them
until they were able to pay him back in
small monthly installmentS
Under these promises, and after signing
contracts for six months, the men came
here. They say they were compelled to
walk eight miles back into the mountains,
carrying heavy tools with them. When
they arrived at the camp, one biscuit of
hard-tack and tin cup OF weak coffee were
given TO each of them for their supper. At
night thev were lodged in long, dirty,
wooden sheds with no bed but the hard
floor and no bed clothing at ALL
The next dav at o'clock in the morning
they were awakened, and after breakfast
like the supper of the night before were
put TO work. At the end of the first month
there was an outbreak about the question
of wages. Instead of 81 80 a day they
were paid 81 % and the contractor wanted to
deduct from SO to $50 from their salaries
'or getting them their jobs.
Held to Work at the Pistol Point.
As this announcement was made several
Of the more decided men threw down their
shoYels and pickaxes aud refused to work
any longer. A show of pistols and billies
was made by the overseers, but the men re-
tired to their sheds While they were
holding consultation the foreman hastily
sent a messenger to Pittston, and warrants
were sworn ont before Squire Zeigler, of
Smithville, for the arrest of several of the
leaders of the laborers. The charge was
assault and battery.
With the warrants and five men armed
with winchesters and billies, who had been
hired from among street loafers, the mes
senger returned to the camp. The warrants
were held over the heads of the leaders
with the threat that if they did not 90 to
work the next day they would be Jailed.
That night u of the men deserted the
camp. The foreman and several assistants,
mounted on mules, gave chase and headed
of the deserters near o vera, and they were
taken back forcibly to camp. One of the
laborers had a revolver concealed about
him, and as they nesred camp he drew it
and fired on the foreman. Several bullets
passed through Contractor Emerson's
ClOlucS Lie plbIOl was IkKen away from
the laborer and he was led away, and, it is
said, severely punished.
The Negroes Break Out I'm Rebellion.
When the colored mans companions
learned of the harsh treatment he had re-
ceIved, they became greatly enraged They
gathered and started to wreak their fury on
the foreman. He had been warned, and
when they approached he commanded them
to disperse and return to work. A volley of
sticks and stones and several shots, accom-
panied with angry shouts and osths, was
their reply. The foreman, however, re-
volver in hand, stood his ground.
The mob advanced upon him, and he emp
tied the contents of his pistol at them. He
then retreated to the blacksmith shop, where
he was afforded protection, and the men re-
turned to their sheds The foreman at once
sent to Pittston for more men, and upon
their arrival he armed them, and the COM |
bined force managed to overawe the labor |
ers, who went quietly to work again.
From that time on to the present the out
breaks were frequent, and several men man.
aged to leave the camp and escape, without |
wages or any remuneration for the work
they had done except the poor food they |
had managed to exist upon-