The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-12
Che Nerala aud 0ews
BARBARITY OF
MINE OWNERS.
MORE SHOCKING EVIDENCE BEFORE THE
COMMISSION.
A Terrible Tale Of Eviction That Calls Up
the Dreadful Pictures Of Such In
cidentS In Ireland.

ton OF the death or 8 VIE rs q re-
suit of an enforced 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
Msrkles the back rent and coal bill
she owed them, were the principal
features of Tuesdays sessions of the
coal strike commission now in ses-
sion at Scranton, Pa. The testi-
mony as presented by some of the
witnesses whose lives are given up
to the coal mining industry was at
times pathetic and surprising to the
commissioners, who listened to it
with undivided attention.
After closing the Markle case the
representatives of the miners called
witnesses who had formerly been en-
ployed in the mines of several com,
panies to show that 8 blacklist ex-
lists, and that some of the companies
had broken the agreement which
ended the strike and resulted in the
appointment of the arbitration COM
mission. It is the intention of the
lawyers for the miners to take up to-
morrow the conditions at the collier
les of the Lehigh Valley Company
and others in the Hszelton region.
Henry McColl, a Markle miner,
told how his family, including his
mother in-lsw, who was a hundred
years old, was set out on the road
with their household goods. He
gave a graphic description of how
he was injured many times in the
mines. The company gave him
nothing until after the employees
took up q collection for him, then he
was given $50, after being on the in
iursd list for two years. The com
pany took ont of the collection the
rent he owed.
In answer. to other questions he
said that he was one of the thirteen
evieted by the Markle Company.
Then followed the most pathetic story
yet told the commission. The old
miner, decrepit from many injuries,
told under the examination of how
the eviction was carried on. The
wife was sick and her one-hnndred
year.old mother was blind and una
bic to walk. The day on which they
were thrown out was rainy. He took
them the best way he could to Ha-
zleton, sever miles away, and placed
them in a cold, damp, empty house.
"We were greatly worried because
of our having been turned out of
our house and one night" the wit
ness said between sobs, "she died"
"She diedf" exclaimed Judge
Gray, who was pacing to and fro
across the room, as he quickly turned
when he heard the mans last words.
"Yes, sir, she died and I buried
her yesterday"
No one cared to cross examine
him and Judge Gray said: "That
is all, Mi. Coll, and that's enough"
Mrs. Kate Burns, of Jeddo, told a
story of how she and her two boys
worked thirteen years to pay off an
accumulated house rent and coal bill
due to the Msrkle Company, the
narration of which deeply interested
the commissioners. She was exam
ined 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
four children, the eldest of which
was q boy of s years. The company
never offered her q penny, but the
employees gave her about $3.50 to
defrsy expenses. After her husband
had been killed she moved from her
four room house into 4 containing
only two, one DON above the other,
and for the next six years she strug-
gled as best she could to get along.
She took in washing, scrubbed for
the neighbors and once in a while
she was gwen work cleaning the Of
fee of the Markle Company. When
the eldest child was Is years old she
sent him to the mines. At the end