Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-19
SEEK TO SHOW VIOLENCE
NOnuniOnists Tell Tales Of Blot and Boycott
During Recent Strike.
JUDGE GRAY GROWS INDIGNANT AT ONCE
Calls Those who Force Merchan to
Refuse sales and Men who Dis
charge innocent Parties Con-
temptibIe towards.

commission listened today to further evil
dence called on behalf Of the nonunionists
to show a reign Of terror during the mine
workers strike. About a score Of wit
nesses told of boyeotts, attacks by crowds
of men, women and boys and an attempt
to burn the house Of a nonunlon man. In
most instances the offenders we're alleged
to be members Of the miners union.
The miners objected frequently to the
admission OF bearsay evidence and some
times because Of irrelevancy.
The chairman, while explaining that the
commission was not bound by strict rules
Of evidence. asked counsel to conhne them
selves as far as possible to direct testl-
mony. The commission wanted to know
whether a reign OF terror existed and could
not get that information II the strict rules
OF evidence were followed.
The coward who will 60 to the store
keepers" added the judge, and tell them
not to sell the necessarles Of life to a poor
woman usually seeks the obscurlty that the
law OF evidence throws around him. II a
girl is discharged from her position in a
store because she rode In q street car in
Indictment weather while a street car strike
was on the coward who discharged her is
coward enough to refuse to testify"
Judge wOuId Risk All.
He recognized, he said. why som mer-
chants would not come forward and tell
who forced them to refuse to sell to certain
boycotted people. But II he were a store
keeper he would risk his all to assist In
breaking up the cowardly business.
AS soor as the hearing opened the wage
statements Of the Delaware, Lackawanna
& Western and Philadelphia & Reading
companies were filed.
The FIRST witness called said a member
Of the miners union threatened to kill
him II he did not stop working and finally
did shoot at him. The offender was sent
to prison.
Thu next three witnesses were John Hoff-
man, his son, both of whom. were working
at the Upper Lehigh c~olliery assisting in
putting In a new boiler, and another son
employed in the mines. The father said how
the strikers came at midnight to harm a
son, who fed five miles to another town.
The crowd then smashed the furniture and
attempted to burn the house.
Mrs. Kate Mcnamara Of Parsons, the
mother of four small children, whose hus-
band was in the mines and could mo-
come for fear OF bodily harm, testified that
her home was destroyed by fire at night
and she and her children were rescued with
dificulty.
Counsel for the miners called the COM
missions attention to the fact that the
fire had not been connected with tho
strikers.
Judge Gray said while the evidence did
not deal directly with the FIRE by inference
1t was most probably OF incendiary origin.
other witnesses were called to prove they
were boycotfed and otherwise inundated.
NOh Aftocls Tea
August Scheuch OF Hazleton, who worked
for the Lehigh through the suspension, said
he was attacked by a mob and severely in
jured. He was carrying a revolver, but
did not use 1t because he was afraid of
hitting his son, who was being beaten by
the crowd. Many of his assailants were
strikers and among them was Squire Nc
Kelvey Of HazletoD.
Henry Vermillye of DorrancCtown near
Wllkesbarre. said he was forced to Join tho
union by the superintendent of the John C.
Haddock Coal company In order to keep
peace at the coiliery. This was before the
strike began. Later he left the company
because he thought the union was running
the place and went to work for another
company during the strike. He was hung
in eflgy, stones we're thrown at him while
going to and from his work and s~torekeep-
ers were compelled to refrain from selling
his relatives the necessaries Of life.
John Doran, manager of the Wilkesbarre
lace mills, testified hat because he would
not discharge two girls who had relatives
working in the mines the 100 employees
went on strike and stayed out eight weeks
until the matter was fixed up.
These witnesses and others claimed that
their wives were insulted on the streets
and their children could not be safely sent
to school. The men were shot at and hanged
in efiKy and life was generally made miser-
able for them and their families.
The commission will adjourn on Saturday
and ~reconvene in Philadelphia on jan
nary &