The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-10
HARDSHIPS OF some MINERS.
STRIFE NNISSIONERS NEAR
TALES or 81 FFERI\G.
Effort 81 the Wine MARKERS to SHOW Ill
Treatne Alleged Injustice IN the
Narkir Mines SorrOwfui SiOr, Of an
AGED Miner Work Ia pa, an Debts.

testimony - those whom the Marklc> have
cvicted ia the Ha2loton region sine" the
strike has been declared ended In most
of the cases the direct testimony was dis
credited later and torn 10 pieces 10y the
cross examination.
Their" was one exception, however. in
which little or no effort az cross-oSamlna-
ton was made This wa ia the case Of
Henry Gull an aged miner. former en-
ploy'" of H." MarklcS, who told "a story of
eviction and suffering and death that caused
the counsel present for bag coal companies
TO express the belief that conditions Of tie
kind could not Lc found about any of their
mlnC~
When the session OF the commission
opened IN the morning there wen" some
pertinent questions asked by the mcuhers
Of the commission relative to the docu-
men,ary evidence that the representatives.
of the miners are seeking to introduce hv
testimony Judg" Gray called art"utiun To
"A fact thar iu a court the papers thcmsclyr.
are always considered the best evidence
He said II a. ''cy had E,ard great deal
about the contents # many papers. but
they wanted H." paper, if they could he
secured
'
first documentary evidence OUTSIDE Of the
due bills that they lav" been Introducing
for several dav- The first p"cc of evil
dencc of til, kind was TIE notice that was
posted hv q h Marklo 4 Co a. their mines
when work vas resumed Mdrhlo & Co.
notified all of their men tia, wished 10
return 10 work 90 makn al pl cation az tie
Office. Il was 'll- ract and the fact that
L., -.
papers which III" COMPANY presented to
them that induced Judge GRAY to ask
pnint'dly if the unions were no, too suspi-
Cious of the companies tn" witness on the
stand, p ! Gallagher. answered that he
did no' think that they were but he could
not sav that their suspicious were always
well founded
Neil McMouigl", the first witness Of the
day said that he had been employed bv
Marklo Co. and that he was once injured
hv runaway in the mines lie wa~ laid
up six months. On another occasion he
was buried 10y gas and was idl" for six
months. This witness said hat he had never
had an allowance when he should have
had one and that when the company could
not max" more out of him hv having him
work 10y the day III" officials permitted him
TO mine 10y contract. He pointed ont that
when he could mine sixteen or eighteen
cars of coal day they hired him by
the day, and hat when he could mine only
two or three a day hi work was done
by contract. Thi, witness said that he
never saw a mine Inspector in the Collerv
referred To and that ia his opinion six hours
day Wa long enough for man to work
IL he worked
y. ID. Gallagher of Ha1loton, an employee
81 Marklo \ Co, was the next witness In
the place where hc l. now employed ne can
earn only from 80 10 90 cents a dav when
he went back to work after the strike he
said there vas nothing else for him to do
except to TAX" this breast The company
does not pay days wages for such work.
II has been all contract work since the
strike.
Judge Gray wanted the witness to ey-
plain what h" meant 10y a days wages he
fore the strike. He said that he meant min
ing coal az "A miners wages. He wae get
ting s. - a day from the company before
the strike, h" said The witness further
declared that hr L. forced 10 buy y, Ter
from IN" company and that 1t charges
him more for II than he would have To
pay al the stores in Ha2le'on On cross
examination the witness said that he went
to work at O'Clock IN the morning and
quit at o'clock
Andrew HuLch Of Hazlcton said that up
TO month ago he had lived in house
owned 10y Markle 4 Co. He was evicted
He said that the Sheriff came into his house
ard told him to get out The witness said
that he told the Sheriff that he did rot Iaye
house To 60 20 and he asked for a little
more time. His things wer" Immediately
placed IN the street He was told that if
he would sign certain paper he would he
allowed To stay, but h" Answered that he
Would rot III" witress thought that the
palor that he was asked TO sign would have
bound him 10 trad" al the comyauv store
but h" was Tot Positive a. To- hat
Henry Gun, III" next witness, told the
most pathetic story thai the commission
has heard flc was ore Of the men nyict.J
and + ~ wears old He had worked for the
Markles for nineteen years and he knew
OF no reason why l." should hc ,urrod on,
Of his HON" ard should not have work OK
cent iha' his son was prominent IN the union
Whom he was "Victed Nis family consisted
Of his wife, her motho ami two adopted chill
dron. The az" of liz mother wa. rot
known, lac "a Il, hU must have been 100
wears, a. she could barely get across tho
floor whom assisted She could only tako
two or three inch - AZ n step The witra,s
sa1t thai he had had every bone in his
body except his neck broken in tho mines
end he lGs a glass eye. His skull had boon
fractured he has "a log that j. no better
Ian wooden log and NE had had all of his
fingers smashed
ON some occasions he would he able 10 get
hank account and soon he would be com.
relied To draw II ont again To feed his family
Gun sad that his son, who had been pror1i-
men, in the strike. was now in an insarc
asylum. His Wlf" was sick on tho day
TINT tho eviction took uiaco There was
not another place 10 b" had and the whole
family had To- take shelter i'm a tumble
down sh'nty TIA" next dav his wife
pleaded with him 10 take her To- hosDiral
and he told hor that th"V would not receive
her there now that they wore oviCtcl Gull
then sought medical aid, bat il was too late
His wife died in his arms Her death was
due 10 exposure. hc said
That : all, said Mr. barrow
That's all and that's enough, said Judge
GRAY.
After two Witnesses had been placed ON
the stand TO testify that they had failed TO
get work National Organizer + J Galla-
cher was called He said be- had work od
for twenty wears in tho mines and toll of
one mine whor" one Of the exits was barred
10y an iron gate. \ mine boss was on guard
N tho other. and man could not 90 ont
under C'ght or fourteen hours This WIS
extremely dangerous in case Or accident
he said The witrcss urol uCcd his due
bills and said that they wouli show that
he was only able 10 earn little over $50 n
month.
Gallagher asserted that he id not get
the 10 per cont. inCreaS" that other culiorics
granted in 1900
Mike Baker. aged Is vcar-. a slate picker,
said that he earned 50 cents n dav before
he strike and 20 cents since. He said