The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-12
DE ARMITT SUED FOR $4,000
DAMAGES DEMANDED BY c. MILLER
FOR MALICIOUS PROSECUTION.
Work of the Crusaders in the Penn
sylvania, Illinois, Indiana and
West Virginia Fields.

|
to be making slight gains in numbers, but
| the accessions are not numerous enough
| to afford much encouragement The fact
| just made public that the men at work in
| the Spring Hill mine of Dempster, Boyd &
Co. were getting 80 cents has further com
| plicated the situation. This rate has been
! paid since July 16. There are ninety nine
men at work in this mine, and 200 mine
wagons are mined every day. This is
dumped directly into the tenders of the To-
comotives on the Pennsylvania Railroad
| An effort will be made by the strikers to
get the miners out, but the latter say they
will continue at work until forced out.
The latest movement cf the strikers in
| dicates that the leaders have abandoned all
hope of drawing the coke region into the
strike, nd have adopted a plan of using
the coLers to assist the strikers in more
profitable way. Committees have been in
the coke region all week collecting rnt ney
and provisions.
The headquarters of the district officials
of the United Mine Workers in this city
are still beseged with piteous appeals for
aid from the starving women and children
of the striking miners. More than $1,000
worth of provisions have been distributed
during the last two days. and the requests
to respond Around the Bunola mine and
along the Wheeling division of the B. & o.
| Railroad the suffering seems to be worst.
In many housse there seems to be nothing
but dry bread to eat, and in some cases
not even this
| The Oak Hill miners, whose wages were
! withheld by the De Armitt Company yes
| terday because they had struck met at
| Newton last night, and after denouncing
the company's action formally declared the
strike at Oak Hill on, and decided to remain
| out until the district price of 60 cents per
ton is paid. Notwithstanding this action
| there We're more men at work in the mine
| to-day than on any day since the marchers
| appeared in the neighborhood. At least
twenty men went in the pit this morning
who were not there yesterday or the day
| before. Nearly all of them were among
| the number who were refused cash for their
! check weighman slips yesterday afternoon,
and few of them were at the meeting at
Newton last night. Most of them live in
Turtle Creek, and went into the mine in
fiat cars of the De Armitt coal road before
daylight.
PROFIT-SHARING SCHEME.
There is a story being discussed about
the mines and the street corners in
| Pittsburg that the New York and Cleveland
Gas Coal Company has under consideration
at least, if it has not already adopted it,
| plan that is entirely new as applied to
! coal mining 1t is nothing more or less
! than sharing the profits annually with
| miners. The plan will not be put into ef-
| feet, however, until after the strike and
| those claiming to have knowledge of the
| purposes OF the company in this respect
! say IL is copied after the system in force
| IN Wanamaker's S stores in Philadelphia and
| New York and in other large retail estab-
! lshments in the East. The division will
| be according to the earnings Of the men,
| The man who digs the most coal will get
| a larger share. 1t is proposed to retain
| the present form of contract binding the
| dlggers to work for 10 cents less ton than
| the miners are paid at other mines in the
| district, so as TO enable the company to
| compete with other mines in the market
| and their being allowed to share in the
| profits as an additional compensation their
| being given steady work and being paid in
| cash twice a month. This plan, 1t is
| claimed, Will enable the company to select
| their men from the best miners in the dis
| trict and to encourage the building of
homes by the miners near their works.
| There VIII be no change in the present
| system of working the mine the check
| Weighman will be retained and the men Will
| still have their pit committees. T. B. De
| Armitt, when seen regarding the proposed
| new plan said he would rather not talk
| about it at present, as it was not fully de-
| cided upon and would not go into effect
| until after the strike.
| several threatening letters nave Deen re-
| ceived by President de Armitt recently, he
| says, some of them menacing him person
| ally and others the property of the com
| pany. To these no attention has been given
| other than to take precautionary measures
| lest a person of disordered mind be
| prompted to attempt to carry out the
| threats that have been made.
| Ex-National Vice President Cameron
| Miller, of the United Mine Workers Asso-
citation, entered suit to-day Tor $ooOG dam
| ent of the Turtle Greek mines OF the New
| York and Cleveland Gas Coal Company,
! for alleged malicious prosecution. In addi-
! ton to serving injunctions on Miller, Mr.
| De Armitt had him arrested on charges OF
! riot and unlawful aSsemblaGe. These
| charges We're not Substantiated at the pre-
! lirninary hearing of the case before jus
| tice Semmons and the case was dis
! missed.
COAL STILL PLENTIFUL.
! Coal is still plentiful here and prices are
steady. There is still a large quantity of
coal in the river available for rail ship
ments, but much of it held for emergen-
! cies is now being sold, as it is regarded by
| the operators as almost certain that a
| break will be made by the miners at sew
| eral places within the next ten days. The
reason given for this view is that there is
! great destitution among the families IL
| villages surrounding the mines. The con-
| tributions from the public have been de-
voted largely to the feeding OF the men in
| the camps, while the women ana children
! in the isolated villages have been neglected.
| Appeals to the officials come from the VIII
! lagos every day for aid for the families OF
| men who are at the various camps. Opera
| tors think the strike will be continued at
! certain places long as the contributions
! are liberal. But the destitution which pre-
| walls in the villages is relied upon to induce
the men TO accept the offers which have
! been made by operators until such time as
! a settled rate will have been established.
| AS high as - cents a ton, 10 cents more
! than Is demanded has been offered by
| some operators. whose contracts specify
! coal of a certain grade, and which is only
! obtainable at fancy figures.
! Arrangements are being made for big
! labor meeting in McKeesport Saturday
| evening. which all the striking miners in
J the Turtle Creek and MOnOngahea valleys
/ are expected to attend. The meeting will
| be in charge Of the striking puddlers COM
mittee. The speakers engaged are Samuel
! Gompers, president of the American
/ Federation of Labor; M. p Ratchford
! president of the United Mine Workers and
/ NJ. NJ. Garland, president OF the Amalga-
! mated Association parade will precede
! the meeting.
| large meeting was held at Canonsburg
to-day, where both the Boone and Allison's