Evening journal., 1900-10-11
Farmers Near the Mining Villages
Complain That They Are Being
Robbed Nightly
MINERS ARE DISSATISFIED
Cheering CreetS Declaration Of Mitch
ell That Ten Per Cent. Increase
Is Inadequate

Ilazleton, Pa, Oct. ia special po- |
lice officer was instantly killed, am
other was wounded in the head. a 4
striker was probably fatally shot and
ten non-union men We're more or less
seriously wounded at the Oneida coll
liery of Coke Brothers In q clash be-
tween the officers and 500 strikers yes
terday. The dead man is Ralph Mills,
aged so years. Of Beaver Meadow, one
OF the officers conveyed in a special
train from that place to Oneida. He
was shot through the back.
Wounded: George kellner, aged 38
years, OF Beaver Meadow. also a special
officer, received shot wounds in the
head, but viii recover: Joseph Lesko,
aged SO years, of 6heppton, a striker,
shot in the groin and viii probably die.
Ten nOn-union men were stoned, but
only two OF them We're seriously in
jured. They are John Van Blargin and
James Tosh, OF Sheppton. The former
sustained scalp wounds and the latter
had four ribs broken.
The Oneida colliery having been IA
operation since the inauguration Of the
strike, the union men at Oneida and
ShepptOn, where many Of the employees
of the Oneida and Derringer collieries
Of Coke Bros. & Co. live, decided early
yesterday morning to close down the
mine. They gathered In groups on the
streets as early as 3 O'Clock. AS the
non-union men went to work they
were asked by the strikers to remain
at home. Some turned back, others
did not Those who went TO the coll
liery were stoned. Van Blargin, one
of the non-union employees, attempted
to pull a revolver, but the weapon was
taken from him and in the beating he
/ received he had several ribs broken.
/ This occurred just before starting time
at the mine.
The strikers remained at the cOlliery
| all morning. As the small mine loco
motive used in hauling coal from the
/ No. 2 and No. 3 collieries to the Oneida
/ breaker pulled up on the road near the
latter colliery a crowd of women block
ed the track The women were told
by General Superintendent Kudlick to
go home. He assured them that their
husbands would get an increase in
wages, and that their other grievances
would be properly adjusted. The wo-
men refused to listen and stoned the
superintendent, who was wounded in
! Alt utdQ. ntM AAlt hAiihluh iAitl anu
/ the women rushed toward the No. 2
colliery. A force of about 80 special
4 policemen who had been brought down
from Beaver Meadow to prevent
trouble attempted 70 intercept the
men, but they were powerless to do
anything, and retired to the engine
house.
Just as the officers got close to shell
ter a shot was fired. This was follow
ed by another, and in a few seconds
many shots rang through the air. Po-
liceman Mills was the first to fall.
Then Joseph Lesko, a striker, stagger-
ed to the ground. No one knows who
shot first, but It is believed that both
the strikers and the officers used their
weapons. A gun shot killed Mills and
small shot struck Policeman Kellnor
Lesko, the striker, was struck by ball
from O revolver with which all the
officers were armed.
After the shooting the strikers dis
persed. Sheriff Toole, Of schuylkll1
county, in whose territory the clash
occurred, was in Philadelphia and
could render no assistance His chief
deputy, James O'Donnell arrived here
IN the afternoon and went TO the scene
with a force of men. Rev. Carl Houser,
Lithuanian minister from Freeland,
who baptized a child at Oneida just at
the time the shooting was in progress.
was mistaken by the strikers for Su-
perintendent Kudlick and narrowly es-
capped being stoned. He was soon re-
cognized by friend and escorted safe
ly to the station.
Notices were posted last night By
Coke Bres. 4 Co., at their Oneida, Der
ringer, Gowen and Beaver Meadow coli
Hers that there would be a suspension
OF work until the strike is settled Not
one colliery is now in full operation in
the Hazleton district