Richmond planet., 1902-12-13
4 MOTHERS SAD STORY
Miners Widow and Boys Worked
Years TO Pay Debt to Markies.
cHiLoRENs WAGES WITHHELD

wine WORKERS Proouced Damaging
Testimony Before Strike Commission
Against the company-ereaker Roys
Kicked and cIubbed.
Scranton. Pa. Dec. 10.-Tales OF evic.
tions from houses owned by G. 3. Mar
kle g. Company, the narration Of the
death of a wife as result OF an en-
forced removal from her home, and the
story Of mother whose husband waI
killed in the Markle mines, of how she
and her two boys struggled years to
pay the Markles the back rent and
coal bill she owed them, l1ere the
principal features of yesterdays ses-
sion OF the coal strike, commission
The testimony as presented by some of
the witnesses whose lives are given up
to the coal mining industry was al
times pathetic and surprising TO the
commissioners. who listened to it with
undivided attention. The miners yes
terday afternoon concluded the calling
OF witnesses against the Marlxle con-
Germ, and other conditions SURROUNDING
IL have been prominently before the
commissioners since last Saturday.
There has been considerable sur
prise expressed that the company has
not made greater efforts to refute
some OF the damaging testimony that
has been presented. 1t Is expected,
however, that the company will do SO
later. The attorneys for the large coal
companies have nothing to say regard
ing the character OF the testimony be-
ing presented. but those representing
the miners are well pleased. One OF
the latter. speaking of yesterdays pro-
ceedings. said: ''The independent op-
orators in their meeting with the big
companies in New York two weeks
ago. when they succeeded in blocking
the proposed settlement, said the whole
matter should so before The commits
sion SO that the country at large would
know who is right and thus vindicate
so ahead with the proceedings II they
are satisfied with tho 'vindication
they are now getting"
An 1S-year-old Hungarian slate
picker. employed by the MarkIe com
pany. at the afternoon session said that
before the styike h. received S5 cents;
now he received only 75 cents a day.
The company never notified him OF the
reduction, and he still does the same
work. He said the breaker boss, who
stands over the pickers. often dubbed
him, kicked him, and swore at him for
not picking slate faster.
Mrs. Kate Burns, of Jeddo was then
called to the stand and told a story OF
how she and her two boys worked Is
years to pay on an accumulated
house rent and coal bill due the Mar
kle company, the narration Of which
deeply interested the commissioners.
She was examined by Lawyer Darrow,
and IN answer to his questions she said
her husband was an engineer inside the
Markle mines. The husband was KILLED
underground, leaving her with feul
children, the oldest OF which was a
boy of 8 years. The company never
offered her penny but the employees
gave her about $3.50 to defray the fu-
neral expenses. After her husband
had been killed ghe moved from her
four-room house into ono containing
only two, one above the other, and for
the next six years abe struggled as
best she could to get along. She took
n washing. scrubbed for the neighbors
and once in while she was given work
cleaning the offices of the Markle COM
pany. During these six years she said
she kept her children at school, and as
the oldest child was IA she sent him
TO the mines to help earn the daily
bread. At the end Of the first month
the lad brought home his wage state
ment, showing that the mother owed
1895 for back rent. The boys wages
for the month had been taken OF the
bill and he came home empty-handed.
She submitted to this, and in the course
OF time her next boy was old enough
to help earn living and he, too, was
sent to the eollisry. Lake the older
brother, the second boy received no
pay, his earnings being deducted for
rent. The mother On ths wSSness
stand was by this tims wsAing up, and
when she added that the money she
earned fer cleaning the Markle eAee
was never given her, but kept by tho
company fer reRt, the commissioners
looked st enc another in surprise. she
said it took the three OF them Is years
to make up the debt, the mothsr's
earning from nsighbors being the prin-
cipal contribution toward the maaate-
nance Of the family. Debt was cleared
last August In the six years from the
time her husband was killed until the
time when the first boy went to work,
the company never asked her for rent.
The representatives of ths miners