The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-09-25
State Troops Are Now Encamp-
ed in Five of the Ten
Mining Counties
DISTURBANCES CAUSE
MUCH APPREHENSION
Several Requests for Troops Made "a
Governor Stone and Soldiers Are
Hurried to the Scene Of
the Disturbance.

Philadelphia, September A-of the ten
anthracite coal-producing counties OF
Pennsylvania, state troops are tonight
camped in five. Despite the presence Of
the troops in these districts, rioting and
general lawlessness continued in the en-
tire hard coal territory from Forest City,
Susquehana county, on the north, to Will
Jamestown Dauphin county, on the
south. a distance of more than 100 miles.
The section of the strike region in the
vicinity of Forest city, which has been
comparatively quiet ever since the strike
began. was greatly wrought up today
by crowds of strikers interfering with
and beating men who had returned to
work, and as result sherin Maxey of
susquehanna county tonight asked Gov
ernor Stone for troops to assist him and
other civil authorities to preserve tha
peace
At present there are four full regiments,
two companies of another and two troops
of cavalry in the field. The Thirteenth
regiment is camped at Oliphant, six miles
north of Scranton; the Ninth is quartered
at its armory in Willzesbarre the Eighth
regiment and the Second Philadelphia
city troop under canvas on the top
of hill overlooking Shenandoah; one
battalion of the Twelfth and the govern
ment troop are in the Panther Creek val
ley, and one battalion of the Twelfth is
preserving order in the city of Lebanon,
where the iron and steel workers are on
strike. If the disorder eontinaes, Cover
nor Stone will be compelled to call out
additional soldiers.
No General Riot.
While there has been no big general riot
the disturbances have been of such
serious nature as to cause the authorities
much apprehension. Every effort is be-
! ing made by the sheriff of the several
counties affected and the troops to pre-
vent disturbances from growing to such
| an extent as to cause bloodshed. Re-
ports are coming in from every section of
non-union and others either being sho.
or clubbed Houses of workmen have been
burned or dynamited and attempts have
been made to hold up coal trains or de-
rail them.
Coal is being shipped from many parts
OF the coal fields to market but COM
pared with the normal output the guam
tity Is insignificant. The output for this
week will be considerably less than the
average normal production of one day,
which is about 300.vv0 tons.
The strikers claim that very little of
the coal is freshly mined and that it is
mostly coal washed" from the culm
banks. President Mitchell had no COM
ment to make today of the movement
of troops into Luzerne county. He said
that the general strike situation is un-
changed.
Urgent Appeal for Troops.
Susquehanna, Pa, September 24-An
urgent request for troops was made to-
night to Governor Stone by Sheriff
Maxey of Susquehanna county. Today
No. collery of the Hillside Coal and
Iron company at Forest City resumed
operations and tonight as the men were
returning from work they We're set upon
by a mob of 800 men, women and boys
an followed to their homes and pelted
by sticks and stones. Shots were fired
on each side, but none of them took ef-
feet.
After the men were driven to their
homes the mob surged through the streets
and by order of the burgess all of the
saloons of the borough were closed. So
serious is the situation that Sheriff
Maxey called the leading men of the
borough together and after confering
with them, asked the governor for troops.
Soldiers at WIIkesbarre.
Wilkesbarre Pa. September 24-In
compliance with the request of Sheriff
jacobs and numerous other citizens of
Luzerne county Governor Stone issued
an order at noon today ordering the
Ninth regiment, N. G. P. to mobilize at
Wilkesbarre. The regiment has its head
quarters here and three hours after the
order had been received Col. c. B. Dough-
erty, the commanding officer. had the
regiment, with the exception of the Ha-
zelton companies, ready for the field The
regiment consists of twelve companies
and has a membership of about 750
There are quite a number of miners in
the regiment, but all responded readily
to the call Some Of the Mitchell leu
tenants think the sheriff acted rather
hastily and that the bringing of the
troops here was for the purpose OF ena-
bling the mine owners to operate their
collieries, but they would be disappointed
as the strikers were as determined as
ever.
Sheriff Jacobs, in statement issued to
the public, says the outbreaks were be-
coming too numerous and with the linn
tied number of men at his command he
could not cope with the unlawful as
semblages that gathered in various
places throughout the country.
Three Calls Made.
Scranton Pa, September "a. Three
calls were made on the Thirteenth regi-
ment today to quell disturbances. The
first came at o'clock in the morning
from johnson No. coliery at Priceburg
where the strikers were holding up a
coal train with distractions on the track
and threats against the train hands. Mai.
B. Rushield. with two companies, hur-
ried thither on a special train and dis
persed the crowd This evening soldiers
were called to the same place to disperse
a crowd that was chasing non-union men
from work. Two strikers, one
with an axe and the other with a knife.
were arrested by the soldiers and taken
to the camp.