Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-08-18
INJUNCTION CASE ON.
Battle BatWeen Coal Operators and
Strikers is Now Being
Waged in Court.

in the equity case of the New York and
| Cleveland Gas Coal company against the
! United Mine Workers of America was
called at 10 o'clock this morning i'll com
mon pleas No / before Judges Stowe
and Collier. The courtroom was crowd
| ed an hour before the case was called.
| The company was represented by Attor-
neys SchOyer, kaufman and Hall, while
| a. j. Brennan appeared for the defend
| ants.
| Affidavit on which the preliminary in
| junction was issued, made by William
| z. De Armitt, president of the New
| York and Cleveland Coal company, were
read, They set forth that plaintiffs eEl-
| plOyes were III der contracts that the
terms were mutually satisfactory and
that both parties were ready and willing
to fulfill their respective duties under it.
! The strikers were marching, encamping
and by other methods preventing many of
| the men from carrying out their part Of
the agreement 1t also recited the COM
panys contract to supply coal to points
| ia the United States, in PENNSYLVANIA
and abroad, and to supply the Pttsburg
| pumping station with coal, which de-
mands daily supply in order to keep np
| the service of water III the city of Pitts
| burg. The officers of the United Nine
| Workers of America were named in he
| bill and the purposes of the organization
! the strike.
When court opened Mr.. Schoyer, on
| behalf of the plaintiff company, filed
motion to make the preliminary iniunc-
ticn permanent and Mr.. Brennan made
counter motion to dissolve it.
Judge Stove decided both motions out
of order and President Dc Armitt was
! called TO the stand. His testimony did
not materially differ from the afidavits
| filed when the preliminary injunctions
/ We're secured.
Supt. Thomas De Armitt, the next wit
ness, described the marches of the strik-
! ers and their camps and said that 200
| or 300 of the company's men had told
him they were fearful of personal in
| jury or destruction of their property if
| they went to work.
Supt. Fisher Of the Sandy Greek mine
| testified that one man had been notified
to stay in the house or he would be
done up and that he had been shot at
The witness refused to give the name of
his informant and Judge Stowe said that
anything that would tend to show that
life or property was endangered was
competent They were here, he said, to
find out if the conduct of the strikers
was such to cause the injunction to be
continued
President Dolan was next called for
croSs-eXaminatiOn. and during his testi-
mony he said that the strike was made
at the request of several operators.
Among the number We're James Shields.
Capt. j. j. Steytler and Capt. Blythe
The operators, he said. had told him that
De Armitt was running the trade and the
only thing that would save them from the
sheriff and the miners from starvation
was n strike. No one had told MIN to
get De Armitts men out, but it was
hoped to make the strike general.
The hearing will continue until 3
O'Clock
The hearing in the De Arn1itt injunc-
ton cases against the striking miners
closed at 800 O'Clock this afternoon.
The court announced that the final de-
cisiOn would be rendered tomorrow and
pending this the preliminary injunction
would be continued.
Crises at Honey Brook.
Hazelton, Pa. Aug. 16-Matters at
the Lehigh and Wilkesbarre c0llieries in
the Honey Brook district are growing
serious Thirty-tive drivers went out on
Saturday for an increase in wages. This
morning $500 miners joined them and the
usually quiet s0uth-side towns are in a
state of subdued excitement The Ital-
ians and Hungarians are the most ag-
gressve and fears are entertained that
they cannot be controlled. The men
had no organization. but branch Of the
United Mine Workers assoca ton was
started this morning and 600 men at once
signitied their willingness TO join. Chief
Organizer Fahey is expected to be on
hand this evening. The men held a
meeting last night and decided to make
the strike general this morning. The en-
tire forces Of coal and iron police carry
ing Winchester rifles were on hand to
guard the collieries.
The strikers assembled on the hill above
the works and a crowd of 800 men
marched past the deputies to the breaker.
At given signal the men at work left
their places. Interference by the depu-
ties would. it is believed, have precipitat-
ed a riot. as the men were determined and
armed. The strikers marched to Tresckow
after stopping at the Audenreid colllerles
and escorted the workers back with them.
A body of 400 men marched to the hall
where a meeting was held and the strlk-
ers dispersed until this afternoon
The feeling is now so bitter against
Supt. Jones that he himself fears bodily
harm and moves about with an armed
escort. Supt. Jones this morning offered
to meet the demands of the drivers, but
the men are now determined to have all
their grievances heard and will appeal
to the Lehigh & Wilkesbarre officers iii
New York. Besides the wage question
they are demanding the discharge of
Supt. Jones OF his transfer. This morn
ing some of the workmen were given five
days to leave the company's houses The
situation is now critical and an outbreak
is likely TO occur.
Rebellion in Camp.
Pittsburg, Pa, Aug. 1i.-There was
open rebellion at the Sandy Creek
strike camp this morning. Some ff-
teen or twenty foreigners who were dis
satisfied with the commissary com
planned to Capt. May and demanded bet
ter food. He told them that the man in
charge of the commiSsary department
was doing all right and they were being
well treated. The foreigners then
threatened to march, and Capt. May
ordered the deputies to arrest them if
they did not keep quiet. This had the
desired effect and the foreigners re-
turned to their quarters There was no
trouble at the other camps.
Another Injunction.
Wheeling, w. Va, Aug. 16.--The coal
strike shows more activity today than it
has for several weeks. One thousand
strikers are camped near the biggest
mine of the company, just far enough
away to escape injunction proceedings
In the New River and Laup creek val
leys the marching columns, headed by
Fred Dilcher. have become so fOrnlid-