The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-09
Hungarian Widows Say He Showed No
Mercy When Their Hus-
bands Were Killed.
NO PAY GIVEN CHILDREN
UNTIL THE DEBTS OF THEIR FA-
THEIRS HAD BEEN SETTLED.
Testimony of Other Witnesses in BE.
half of Mincrs-Great Increase
in the Cost of Living.

SCRANTON, Pa, Dec. s.-Almost the en-
tire time of to-days sessions of the coal
strike commission was taken up by the
mine workers in presenting their side of
the controversy with G. B. Markle & Co.
in the Hazleton region. The miners placed
witnesses on the stand to show that the
company refused to employ them because
they belonged to the union. had evicted
them from their houses for the same cause;
that the docking system was intolerable;
that the question of the men getting the
10 per cent. increase in wages granted as
result Of the 1900 strike Is much in doubt.
and that the size of the mine has in
creased, but the wages have not
Two Hungarian women were placed on
the stand and told how the Markle Com
pany deducted house rent from the last
wages of their husbands, who were killed
in the mines and how the company at
tempted to get them to sign a paper which
would absolve the Markles from damages
for the death of the men. The women also
confirmed the story that the children had
to work without pay until the debt owed
by the dead fathers was paid.
AT the afternoon session testimony was
introduced to show that, while wages had
remained the same, the cost of living had
increased some rs per cent. over two years
ago. John d. Hughes, Scranton manager
for Armour & Co., gave the wholesale
prices for all meats, comparing them with
the prices prevailing in 1900 and 1901. He
presented a large mass of figures, all Of
which showed that the prices of meats Of
all kinds have increased q lis per cent
over the prices of 1900.
Ira II. Burns. lawyer for the Independent
operators, In cross.examination tried to
show that the high grocery prices were due
to short crops, making grain dearer for
the feeding of animals. He then took Mr..
Hughes In charge and brought forth a re-
Duke from General Wilson. Mr.. Burns
said:
Don't you know that the rise In prices
of meats was due to the meat trust?'
Witness-I don't know of any such insti-
tuition.
Mr.. Burnside you agree with what
TEDDY, Roosevelt says about the trusts?
W1tness-I believe in some of IL.
| Before the witness could finish his an
swer General Wilson jumped up and with
| rising iDdig. alton said: Mr.. Chairman,
| object TO any person before this board
referring to the President of the United
| States in that manner"
| This caused a furry, but Mr.. Burns
calmly replied: He sometimes calls him
Chairman Gray, however, smoothed mat
ters out by saying: ~ think the objection
| is we'll taken,'' to which Mr.. Burns replied
well, we will call him the President of
| the United States"
The Markle Company was not represented
by its own lawyers before the commission,
! although it had ample notice that testi-
| mony affecting their collieries would be
| presented. The commissioners expect to-
morrow to bring in evidence in rebuttal TO
J the stories told by the witnesses on Satur-
| day and to-day.
The commissioners were very much sur
| prised to-day 20 learn that the 10 per cent.
| increase granted in 1900 was not a straight
| out advance in wages but instead was a
| 2h per cent increase in the pay and a
| Tx per cent reduction I'm powder, making
| the net increase in earnings 10 per cent
| This increase, the miners assert, is not be-
| ing paid by the Markle Company The
| commissioners to-day made another request
| upon the companies to present figures as
| quickly as possible, and as result the
| Erie Company late in the day submitted
! statistics regarding wages, hours and other
| data relating to the subject.