The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-12-01

forth his fiery cross ana men oy tne thou
eand would rally to his standard ready to lay
down their lives for hin " that sacrnot
were necessary
NH. ATKiSsoS's PLUCK.
This is hardly an exaggeration OF ths
actual feeling of the people here. indeed
II may be said that II has only been by
the very fact OF. their affection TOT nm
that the miners OF the st. Bernard district
nave been prevented from rising up, taking
the law into their own hands and sweeping
the ~neighboring country clear OF the muir
dering. predatory. gangs OF ~vagabonds
in here TO destroy or dominate the splendid
work which II the result OF thirty years oil
industry and generous administration.
From the beginning Of the troubles 10
the present day, MIR. Atkinson mas con
stantly and most impressively urged upon
nil the people a strict observance OF the
law. In all the murderous attacks he has
insisted, and they have obeyed his orders
in this respect, upon resistance being con-
fined solely 10 seif defence ano oe'ehce
II is not TO be imagined that his atti-
tude on the part Of Mr.. Atkinson has its
origin in any sentimental tondness TOT
peace. which he may have Inherited from
his Quaker a1G HHdoncios u Of n that TrS sort, thirty
years residence In Kentucky has oblit-
The first thing you hear Of J. r. Atkinson
In that his supply OF sand Is prac'lcally
without a limit. He is a heh'er from
away back. IN
Time and again he has said. and he still
continues 10 saw, To the fabby and vacil-
lating State and county authorizes that
IL they would give him the authority, he
, would very quickly thrash these lawless
invaders and their anarchy beyond the
borders of the county, That he could do
IL and that he would do il, II he had the
requisite authority, nobody doubts.
There il no namby-pamoy seh.lmeho
guards who mar the Qualifications about
the mines. They are told to shoot and
TO shoot to kill. and the weapons thai are
, put into their hands arc weapons OF the
highest killing power.
! and the knowledge ia the one thing that
has made them chary OF attacking he
knowledge, too, that y. F.. as all his
employees ~arectionately call him, Is pure
| grit all the way through and that his hight
ING blood is boiling clear 20 the limit. has
had also its effect in keeping his men tuned
,p TO n pitch which BODIED i'll to any ag-
pressive enterprises on the part OF his
invaders.
MSERs WITH BANK ACCOUNTS.
During all the time that these nomadic
bands Of idlers and v~agabonds have been
lowering i'm their camps in the vicinity
Of the mines, the miners have been hard
M work turning mi coal at a rate that has
been rarely euualled and piling up sums
Of money TO their credit on the coal COM
pany's books. d,
The paving system Of the 81. Bernard
Coal Company is in a way peculiar. There
T. a regular pay day once every month.
But In the interval any w~orkingman at any
time that he chooses may come and draw
money a. he wishes,
MANY of the men have LEI their accounts
run on with their credits accumulating
on the company's books until hundreds
of them have sums to the good side OF their
account ranging in amount from $40 or $50
TO $500 md $1,000 or more. Trey simply
prefer To let the company take care of their
money instead OF taking care OF II them
selves. with the incident risk Of their losing
il or squandering IT,.
Originally it was the plan TO pay interest
on the deposits, but this, after being done
for a time, was found 10 be in conflict with
the Savings Bank laws. Up to the second
day of last August there was no savings
bank in Darlington and the miners went to
neighboring towns TO open their accounts
and there have very considerable sums de-
posted and drawing interest.
Since the Darlington bank opened, less
than five months ago, l4l actual miners
and laborers have opened accounts in II
and have On deposit the sum OF s2o,fIo.
This draws interest Of per cent.
MORE PRIVILEGES FOR MINERS.
Another way MIR. Atkinson has devised
for inducing the men TO save their earn
! ings is in encouraging them TO buy their
| own homes. Any miner may pick out n
lot and build a house on IL at the company
/, expense, paying for the same in such small
inst ailments as he chooses.
There are hundreds of such open ac-
counts on the coInpany's books. and the
tolerance with which poor payers are treated
is in some inst auCe- almost ~laughable.
There is one old darky here who since a
! time whereof the memory OF mar hardly
runs 90 the contrary has owed $500 or sioO
on the house in which he has lived and in
which his children have grown up.
, He draws his full pay regularly and seems
Ia have entirely forgotten the little out
,,andinq debt When this is brought to
Mr.. Atkinson'- attention, a. II u along with
some other d~elinquents from time 10 time,
he merely laughs and says that probably
the old man needs the money and not To
bother him,
Naturally. in all this libcrality discretion
il u-ad A mere idleT or ~sliftless fellow
il brought more sharply 60 book lnere are
plenty 81 men mere vino for thirty years
have been faithful employees 81 the COM
pauy For them there " every indulgence
aud the brosde-t literally. no matter hon
antilles OF imprulid"yl they may have
been In taking care Of uIolr "tfnings.
They are SUR 81 their homes and Of their
food, II incapacitatcd Tor wore aud II they
fall m OF II any of their faWlll"' are -
afflicted thew have free medical attention
and unlimited cf'viit az the drug store
IN great uumb.rs 81 ustauce Nj. Akin
s.r al hue own rtI'ur' has sent away 10
| distant Hospital, Nhsre they had tie basst
7 of skilled iu-llral Attendance, men Who
I were iuHupsi o. the uitIrs ~ iu any way
4 in t.r t.iiuImHuue ~ tIeir uu'
llr4r D. % company -iIt" l"ie which
tho u4IItrr mH' pi'funlH' 80 nui. 40 lNrN
Il-.-"lut N.II. ~ q tuhturf ~ ta.i. l.rf
a paulrIls fui M, simplr o. unu that ll."y
g. iaJts g..si- at be- root DIAN aIy~h' ."
.l-I Dol tHr U,H.lf- Tho safns hI-ral rIllt
b. .NuNu Iu f'r .iUuiultirn'lu of ul- store
~ U rNrfti.'F 'I-F rouuss iri Win Toe
u.lhillur n trr 'uulINss's 90 lh' cuuil am
llr l-s.t- ..HHa rusfys AMI s,sifvs ~
afrflTt- ~ tuIlufr frpfrrsuilNE very
.aHliI aNlH -uu. q u.~drli"lurss sht'h
have lsuu .fIHsf l.t Leo fHfFIEru Ia
sau- rHs ttIfnts Through ullsrs Hf uIIHrr
Hisf.uus Iafr bssH uNanIr q" ut.H
tiir.f rti=H-af O. .I uHHH rass .Hr
sarfs uI rNr o. frsHt "fssUui have 5000
co. HH.H f aH.fU tHiH.'.
uIffHs stsl 80 nfuuiIho
A. IHHIHl.s. .I co. atf is uIHrIf lH
tf #..|III I". I.# aI IisHi 49, zoe
ffu.u %Huf.ll" sH Ft.H W iHH. T. iiaI
800 alI d. HF bHH tst.t" siubss rrir
faFHH BAL lIi .I I| pol HTN HUHrH
e. IIa ..u HH HI.I rI..u. uaaa
MI.fr TsHs iHYH. isI Ias fHs
- l. o. rH s NH fH FI|Ns
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