The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-20
STRIKE TACTlCIANS.
Bosses and Operatives Skin
mishlng for Points About
Plum Tree Mine.
CONCENTRATIONS OF FORCE THERE
March Stolen on the Sheriff -Gains
and Losses Of the Men in
West Virginia.

PITTSBURG, Pa, Aug. 20, 1S97.-It was
reported among the strikers today that
suit was to be entered against Sheriff
Lowery for obstructing the roads in Plum
and Patton Townships. The strikers con-
tend that he exceeded his authority in
closing the roads to them and that the
mater will be tested in the courts. When
told of the reports of his impending
prosecution the Sheriff said no change
would be made III his methods for few
days. The camps of the strikers were
slowly disintegrating and he thought in a
day or two ell the strikers would have
gone to their homes. At present he has
ninety deputies on duty at the three
mines These will be kept there until he
is notified that they are no longer neces-
sary The cost of maintaining the
deputies up to this time amounts to some
thing like $10,00O
Attorney Kaufman, representing the
New York and Cleveland Company, says
the expense of employing the deputies IS
great and that the order of court will be
enforced rigidly and at once. If the camp
ers do not leave Mr.. De Arnit will Pc
ttion court to issue attachments for con-
tempt. The Sheriff. however, has said
that he will not interfere with the camps,
but will not permit the strikers on the
highways.
Forty-seven coal companies of the Pitts
burg district have signed the uniformity
agreement. Eleven other big concerns
have promised to sign and their names
will be appended to the list as soon as the
directors of the various companies meet
and so through the formality of instruct
ing their official heads. the presidents, as
is prescribed by a clause of the uniformity
agreement.
This morning the striking miners en-
camped at Turtle Creek, stole march
on the Sheriff's deputies guarding the
Oak Hill mine While the deputies were
waiting for the detachments of campers
to appear on the road leading to the
mines and wondering why they did not
come. the strikers were making long
detourr, 50 as to approach the mouth OF
the pit from the hillside, and they sue
ceeded in getting there without being
observed. Their appearance was startling
to the few men who We're ready TO go
to work and the deputies were hurriedly
sent for. While they were coming the
strikers told the men that there would
be Il concert in their camp tonight ana
invited them to attend.
When the posse of deputies, command
ed by Deputy Sheriff David Hanna, ap-
peared a copy of the injunction was read
to John Large, the leader OF the strikers,
and they left the place.
Another party Of strikers went to Mon
roeville but SO far as they could learW
no new men were taken into the en-
frances there.
The strikers express the belief that one
of the mines to be operated by the mine
owners in their effort to break the strike
will be the Plum Creek mine, and that
the miners now at work at Oak Hill and
Sandy Creek will be taken to Plum
Creek and the two mines closed down. BY
centralizing their forces the company
would have two hundred and eighty-one
men which would be enough to operate
the Plum Creek mine in full. To offset
this move the strikers will abandon their
camps at Turtle and Sandy Creeks, and
all the men will go into camp at Plum
Creek. Edward Mckay, who is in charge
of the campers al Turtle Creek, said to-
day that the miners had no fear of labor
being imported. 1t would be too expen-
than the operators as many mines now
working would surely close down.
Everything was quiet about Plum Creek
this morning. The strikers followed out
the programme outlined by Captain Bel
lingham and sent out men Singly and in
pairs to patrol the roads The deputies
did not interfere with them. In spite of
the injunction the strikers claim to have
made thirty converts by going to the
houses of the miners and talking the
strike over in a friendly way.
night and notified the miners that any
man evicted from the company houses for
striking would be provided with comfort
able houses,