Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-12-05
COXES SCORED
BY WITNESSES
Continued from First Page.

their old places. He didn't know how
many Of the men mentioned in the list
were held by the courts for violating the
laws, but he did know OF sixteen OF them
having been dragged fifteen miles past
Offices of justices OF the peace to Hazle-
ton, where they had to appear before a
justice whose sympathies were with the
companies.
Tim Maloney, of Oneida, and Hugh
Boyle, Of Nuremberg, gave testimony
showing that they have been refused
their work by the Coxes. The company
refuses to give reasons for doing so.
WEDNESDAYS TESTIMONY.
The first practical miner to appear
before the ommission was called on
Wednesday. He was w. Il. Dettrsy, Of
Nuremberg, who is employed in tho
mines Of Co1e Bros. & Co., and who is
the president OF the local union and =
district board member OF the United
Mine Workers. Mr.. Darrow WAS pro-
ceeding to examine the witness on con-
ditions At the Coke mines when attor-
neys for the companies objected because
the company was not officially before
tho com mission, but has decided to
place tho award Of the commission be-
fore its men. The point was argued
for some time, and the commission final
ly decided to hear the witness under
protest, and as the commission, after .
consultation, decided to sustain the
point made by she companies, the testl-
mony OF tho witness will be stricken OUT.
The witness said company mon got on
an average Of 30 a week, and all con-
tract miners are required to stay In the
mines from Z o'clock until o'clock,
regardless of whether or not they have
enough cars to fill with coal they have
mined. He said blacklist exists at the
CoIe mines, and that he was on it for
nine months because he refused to work
a breast which netted him only SO =
week. He also complained Of the dock
ing system In vogue there.
Attorneys Darrow and Mccarthy
brought out the statement that the Coke
Company had refused to re-employ up
wards Of 400 men after the strike WAS
declared OF. This number was subse-
quontly reduced by tho company con-
senting to take back some Of the men ~
first barred.
The company, the witness said, paid
the laborer when he is working for the
company 80 cents to S1.20 day, while
the company insists that the miner pay
the same laborer when he Is working for
the miner 81. 81 to 81. "a day. Mr.. Dst-
trey mentioned several instances Of In
justice alleged to have basn practicod
upon miners In the Coke csllleries.
Dettrey was followed on the witness
stand by Mike Middlick, who has been
employed In the Coke mines as = practi-
cal miner for four years, and who lived
at Eckloy. Mike said that he earned
an average Of about $3.50 last year. He
also complained Of the docking system,
and said that he had been docked about
eight cars In two weeks. He submitted
his wage statements for the last year or
more, which showed the largest amount
of money he received for any two weeks
to have been . little moro than Sls.
Ono statement showed that Middlick
made less than 50 for two weeks, but he
could not tell whether he worked full
time during that particular two wesks.
In tho CoIe mines Middlick said that
the mine workers were paid much less
than the mon employed by other COM
panies in the vicinity. He said that In
six years he saw the mine inspector Of
the region only twice, and in both in
stances he saw him in the gangway,
and not up In the breasts where men
were at work.
On cross-examination the witness said
that he had been refused work and that
the company would not take him back
until he left the town OF Eckley, In
which he resided. The next nearest
town was Freeland, four miles away,
and he could not walk eight miles day
and perform a good days work. When
asked why he did not apply to other
companies If they were paying more
than the Coxes, he said he did apply to
the Markles at Jeddo, but they had no
work for him. He did not earn enough
money, he said, to permit him to journey
to other places to look for better place.
Mrs. Mary Boland, the wife OF Ger
man miner employed by the Coke Com
pany, and who lives at Derringer, was
the next and last witness of the day
She told a general story Of poverty and
said the money earned by her husband
was not sufficient to keep her family Of
seven children in good health.
PLEASURE.