Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-07
Dies Owing Money to His Employers Which
Son Has 70 Refund
,oNlNALlY GETS FOUR CENTS PER HOUR
Mother Accommodates Nine People in Four
Room Boarding HOu's.
COMPANY STORE kBSoRss MINERS WAGES
swears He Has only once Received
Actual Coin for Nearly Eighteen
Years Toll Under Ground
in Anthracite Pits.

SCRANTON. Pa, Dec s.-Ths miners
having finished their attack on the Coke
mines today turned to those Of G. B. Mar
kle & Co.. the witnesses scoring what ap-
peared to be telling points with regard to
wages and other conditions.
The attorney for the company was not
prepared to eross-s1amine the witnesses
and the commission accordingly granted the
privilege Of recalling them later.
A l2-year-old breaker boy said he was
working in the Markle mine TO pay OF a
debt incurred By his father, who was killed
in the mines eighteen months ago.
He received no pay. but was given due
bills, showing how much his mother owed
the company. These bills showed that the
debt his mother was incurring for house
rent was growing faster than he could re-
duce it. as be was only getting cents an
hour.
He drew a pathetic picture Of family a.
nancial struggles and the poverty-strieken
state in which be lived His mother was
aiding as best she could the apparently fu-
tile task Of paying Of the company. To
further this end she even crowded nine
persons into her four-room house.
Money Scarce with Miners.
The next witness WAS James Gallagher
who worked in the Markle mines for thirty
years He claimed that wages were SO Low
that he was always in debt TO the company
and in seventeen years only once received
actual money, a sum OF $50. He had to dea
at the company store, the only place where
the miners could get credit and where
/ than elsewhere.
wwn11 M win
out his debt, but the company then gave
him such bad work that he Immediately
cot into debt again.
He was evicted from his house and re
fused work, but be did not know Why.
The witness. who is about 50 years Of sg'
| and a native Of ireland. kept the court con
stantIy laughing by his Wit and sharp an
swers 10 thrrsts By the lawyers
He said a man is never called hurt in tn
mines until he is half killed. He was hal
killed twice, he said. which led Judge Ora,
! to remark:
III you we're twice half killed. then yO
are now dead
The court roared at this. and was con
vulsed again when witness drily replied tha
the first half was healed before the othe
half was injured.
| The last witness was Frank Day, con
tract miner. He was explaining condition
in the mines with reference TO the impur
air when the commission adjourned.
The conditions prevailing at the Lehig
Valley companys mines will be taken U
next. The miners have a large number G
I witnesses and there is no indication Whe
the hearings will be concluded.
MacVeaEh sees Morgan.
NEW YORK. Dec. s.-Wayne MseVeaE
called on J. P. Morgan before leaving fo
Washington today. He did not meet an
Of the presidents Of the coal roads and ii
purpose Of his call was not made known
| WASHINGTON. Dec. 6.-Wayne Mao
yeagh arrived here tonight from New Yorl
He said be would continue his efforts I
bring about a complete understanding bt
tween the miners and operators At no tim
had an effort been made TO settle the dit
hculty outside the commission He va
striving 10 effect an agreement which coul
be incorporated IN the decision o. the eou
mission and would therefore De binding Q
! ali parties 10 the controversy.
Mr. MacVeagh will not return TO Scrar
ton unless the interests Of the compani'
represented by him demand his furth'
presence.