The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-12-19
Operators Attempt TO Show That
Reign Of Terror Existed
in the Region
LAWYERS FOR THE UNION
MAKE MANY OBJECTIONS
Chairman Gray Says a Man Who
Would Go to Storekeeper and
Tell Him Not to See to
Poor Woman is a Coward.

Scranton, Pa, December 1s.-The coal
strike commission listened today to fur
ther testimony tending to show that
reign of terror existed In the anthracite
coal fields during the lve and half
months of the mine workers strike.
About a score of witnesses were called
during the session by the attorneys OF
the non-union companies. They told OF
serious boycotts, brutal attacks by
crowds of men, women and boys, and an
attempt to burn the house of non-union
man. In most instances the witnesses tes-
titled that the alleged offenders We're
members of the miners union. The law
yers for the miners objected frequently
to the admission of testimony on hear
say. and some time objected because Of
irrelevancy of certain other statements.
Chairman Gray said the commission was
not bound by any strict rules Of evidence
but asked counsel to conf1ne themselves
in examining witnesses as far as possible
to direct evidence. He said 1t was too
difficult, in trying to prove that boycotts
existed to get information on the subject.
The commission. he said, wanted to know
whether a reign of terror existed In the
anthracite region, and 1t could not get
the information IL the strict rules OF evil
denee were applied.
Terms Him Coward.
.aThe coward who will go to the store
keepers" he said, "and tell them not to
sell the,necessaries of life to poor wo-
man usually seeks the obscurity that the
law of evidence throws around him. II
a girl is discharged from her position in
a store because she rode in a street car
in inclement weather while a street car
strike was on, the man who would dis
charge her is coward enough to refuse
to testify" He recognized, he said, why
some merchants will not come forward
and tell who forced them to refuse to sell
the necessaries of life to certain boy
cotted persons, but II he Chairman Cray
were storekeeper, he thought he would
risk his all in order to break up the cow
ardly business.
August Scheush of Hazleton testified
that he was attacked by a mob while he
and his son were going to work, and that
he was severely injured by being hit by
rocks; that he was stabbed three times
and sustained five ribs broken. He was
acting as a coal and iron policeman at
the time, but did not use his revolver
because he was afraid of shooting his
son, who was being beaten by the crowd
at the same time Many of these men.
he said. were strikers. Among those in
the crowd who assisted in beating him.
the witness said, was Squire McKelvey
of Hazleton. The son of the witness corr
roborated the testimony of the father
Henry virmillye of Dorrancetown said he
was forced to join the union by the su-
perintendent of the John C. Haddocl Coax
company in order to keep peace at the
colliery. This was before the strike be-
gan. Later he left the company because
he thought the union was running the
place and went to work for another COM
pany while the strike was on. He was
hanged in effigy. stones were thrown at
him while going to and from his work.
and storekeepers were compelled to re-
frain from selling his relatives necessaries
of life.
Unnecessary Strike.
John Dooran, manager of the Wilkes
barre lace mills, testified that be-
cause he would not discharge two girls.
| who had relatives working in the mines.
| the 100 employees went on a strike and
| stayed out eight weeks. until the matter
| was settled. Another witness said he was
| a member of the union and while under
a physicians care during the street car
strike here last year, he rode on a car.
His discharge was asked for by the
fused. The union men made his occupa-
tion so unpleasant for him in the mines
that he had to quit.
These witnesses and others testified
that their wives were insulted on the
streets; that the children were beaten
by other children and could not be sent
to school; that local unions requested
storekeepers to refrain from selling
goods to any one related to a man work
ing in the mines that their houses were
stoned that they were stoned, shot at,
and hanged in effigy. and that life was
generally made miserable for them and
their families. Most of the witnesses
connected strikers with the offense al
legged. The lawyers for the non-union
men said tonight they would continue to
call witnesses to prove that a reign Of
terror existed during the. strike. The COM
mission will adjourn Saturday. and will
convene in Philadelphia on January s.