Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-08
HORRORS OF THE COAL STRIKE.
Savage Methods Used to Coerce Men
Willing to Work.

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One would hesitate tolsay that there
is to-day in this region condition
which might easily turn itself into a
reign of Molly Maguires. thus writes
a Shenandoah correspondent of the
New York Evening Post. Murder is
plotted; men are pointed to on the
street as "chosen for slaughter the
burgess and the councils president
call upon General Goblin to patrol the
lower end of the city with troops in
companies, as civil power has utterly
fallen before the reckless strikers. and
local public opinion Is held by the
throat, and cannot express itself. This
is an extraordinary situat ton. But it
is believed that dit cannot lead to the
disord ersrWhkch sent pine of the Molly
Maguires1 to tie gailows. a, quarter of.
a century ago, because of the force
which is present to oueH open out
breaks.
Father O'Reilly, in his brave ser
mon, intimated that there is a secret
organization within the Mine Workers
union which plans and carries out re-
yenges. IF the troops are taken
away" he said. II firmly believe that
the men who caused the riot Wednes-
day would go around wreaking VEN
geance on those who asked to have
them brought here. You are support
ling a band of criminals: you are pay
I ing over money that viii come back
to you stained with blood" He re-
members the Molly Mcguire period,
and spoke then as he speaks now. But
the church has no hold upon the yio-
lent oIles,.s he said; sit is their organ
Iization they obey In their sad folly
The element which outrages is ig-
norant and passionate. and cruel as
barbarians. This is the official re-
port Of the hospital physicians as to
what had been done totJOseph Beddall,
the merchant who ran out of his store
to his brothers. assistance, when he
saw him besieged by mob:
Marks of assault-Fracture of skull,
41a inches by inch; fracture of nose;
fracture Of forearm: fracture of finger;
fracture of thumb; confusion Of both
arms from shoulder to elbows; contu-
sion of both legs; confusion of chest;
eight lacerated wounds of face and
head
Their cruelty to their own fellow
workmen and their families is kind
of un-Americanism Mr. Mitchell has
not mentioned. 1t belongs to the low
er orders of the backlands of Europe.
Tt includes burning the home of Wo-
man when she had no one to defend
her possessions; making it impossible.
for a sick child of a man who contin-
ued work to get medicine or attend
ance; forming a march or Coxey
army, with their Womensfolk in front,
and. catching workers. stripping them
naked, and driving them thus to the
border of the district; playing loud in
struments outside house all night,
so the occupants cannot sleep; build
ing a bonfire before J windows and
dancing about it till morning like say
ages digging a mock grave before a.
doorstep, so that the man shall be
warned as he starts forth to work;
binding men to trees in lonely places;
SCATTERING a house with dynamite,
when the family is asleep; hanging in
effigy;. causing strike in factory
because the superintendent refused to
discharge a eousin-a e1rl4-of man
who worked at the mines; causing a
storekeeper to dismiss a clerk whose
father was a "scab:" setting fire to
wood around breaker: preventing
poor widow from earning money by
washing the overalls of men at work.
One day last week superintend-
ents wife heard of a family which had
had sickness and was in want. Her
husband went to the man who had
been sick and said: 'sWhy don't you
come to work p Me 'fraid; be killed, Z
the man answered We'll, you just
come tomorrow morning, and don't
fear" he was told. He came bring
ing his dinner pail. In telling me the
incident the superintendent went on:
1.-THE boss was curious to see what the
man had to eat. So he lifted the COW
er and looked in. The dinner pail
was empty-the man had brought 1t 50
we would not know he had no food!
Now, what do you think of that as an
instance Of the atrocious. effect OF IN.
ion methods upon sick man with
starving family