The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-12-13
A MOTHERS SAD STORY
Miners Widow and Boys Worked
T.fears to Pay Debt to Markles.
CHILE PENS WAGES WITHHELD

H''e workers Produced Damaging
Testimony Before Strike Commission
Against the compaoy-Breaker Boys
Kicked and dubbed.
Scranton. Pa. Dec. 1O.-Tales of evic-
tons from houses owned by G. b. Mar
kle & Company. the narration Of the
death Of a wife as result of an en-
forced removal from her home. and the
story Of a mother whose husband was
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. were 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 at
umes 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 Marlle con-
Germ. and other conditions surrounding
1t have been prominently before the
There has been considerable STIR
prise expressed that the company has
not made greater efforts to refute
some of the damaging testimony that
has been presented. II is expected.
however. that the company will do so
later The attorneys for tho large coal
companies have nothing to say regard
ing the character of the testimony be-
ing presented. but those representing
the miners are we'll pleased One OF
the latter. speaking of yesterdays pro-
ceedings. said: THE independent OPP
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 20 before the commits
sion so that the country at large would
know who is right and thus vindicate
the coal companies. We are willing to
go ahead with the proceedings IL they
are satisfied with the 'vindication'
they are now getting"
An 1S-year-old Hungarian slate
picker, employed by the Markle COM
pany. at the afternoon session said that
before the strike ne received 50 cents:
now he received only IS 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 of 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 barrow.
and in answer to his questions she said
her husband was an ensineerinside the
Markle mines. The husband was killed
underground, leaving her with four
children. the oldest of which was a
boy OF 8 years. The company never
offered her a penny but the employees
gave her about $3.50 TO defray the fu-
neral expenses After her husband
had been killed she moved from her
four-room house into one containing
only two. one above the other. and for
the next six years she struggled as
best she could to get along. She took
In washing. scrubbed for the neighbors
and once in awhile 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 tho first month
the lad brought home his wage state
ment. showing that the mother owed
1896 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 a living and ne. too, was
sent to the colliery. Like the older
brother, the second boy received no
pay, his earnings being deducted for
rent. The mother on the witness
stand was by this time yelling up and
when she added that the money she
earned for cleaning the Markle Office
was never given her. but kept By the
company for rent. the commissioners
] AOOASA al Oll' dilOitlfA III SUI III Use. one
said it took the three of them Is years
to make up the debt, the mothers
earning from neighbors being the prin-
cipal contribution toward the mainte-
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 the miners
then called witnesses who had former
ly been employed in the mines Of sew
eral companies to show that a black
list exists and that some of the compa-
mics had broken the agreement which
ended the strike and resulted in the
appointment Of the arbitration COM
mission. To-day the conditions at the
collieries of the Lehigh Valley compa-
ny and others in the Hazleton region
were taken up.
A Boys Fearful Death.