The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-10
G.. Ii. Marlkle a. Co. Accused of Oppres-
sion, Heartlessness, Inhumnnity
and other Of7enses.
TESTIMONY OF HENRY COLL
WHO WAS EyICTED FROM ONE OF
THE COMPANY'S COTTAGES.
As Result, His Wife Died and His
Centenarian MOther-fn-Law Is
Probably Dying.


& Co., the narration of the death of wife
as a result of an enforced removal from
her home, and the story of 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 ana
coal bill she owed them, were the prin-
cipal features Of to-day's sessions or the
coal strike commission. The testimony as
presented by some of the witnesses whose
lives are given up to the coal mining IN
dus;ry was at times pathetic and surprising
to the commissioners, who listened to 1t
with undivided attention.
The miners this afternoon concluded the
calling of witnesses against the Markle
Company, which concern and conditions
surrounding it have been prominently be-
fore the commissioners since last Saturday.
In the absence of Samuel Dickson, OF Phil
adelphia, and George r. Bedford, of
Wilkesbarre. attorneys for the Markle
Company, who are reported to be unavoid-
ably absent, only perfunctory cross-ex-
animation has been carried by j. b. Tor
rey, OF Scranton, who is representing an
other company before the commission and
who has been asked to take care or the
interests of C. B. MarlIle & CO. best he
prise expressed that the company has not
made greater efforts to refute some of the
seemingly damaging testimony that has
that the company will do so later.
The attorneys for the large coal COM
panies have nothing TO say regarding the
character of the testimony being presented,
but those representing the miners are well
| pleased. One of the latter, speaking OF To-
days proceedings, said: The independ-
4 ofnrc in hai m
companies in New York TWO weeks ago,
when they succeeded in blocking the pro-
posed settlement. said the whole matter
should go before the commission, so that
the country at large would know VINO is
right and thus vindicate the coal com
panies. We are willing to go ahead with
| the proceedings If they are satisfied with
the vindication they are now getting.
ALLEGED BLACKLIST.
After closing the Markle case the repre-
sertatives of the miners called a witness
who had formerly been employed in the
mines of several companies to show that
a blacklist exists and that some of the
companies. had broken the agreement which
ended the strike and resulted in the ap-
pointrent of the arbitration commission. 1t
is the intention of the lawyers for the
miners to take up tomorrow the condition
of the collieries of the Lehigh Valley COM
pany and others in the Hazleton region.
Henry Coll. a Markle miner told the
| commission to-day how his family, includ-
! ing his mother-in-law. who was hundred
years old, were set out on the road with
| their household goods. He gave graphic
! description of how he was Injured many
| times. He said one OF his legs was no
better than a wooden one: he had only
| one eye. His hands had been crushed ribs
| broken and skull fractured The company
| gave him nothing until after the employees
| took up collection for him. then he was
L ~g.- hafr m hA 1Naff nn6 lfnf
| for two years. The company took out of
the collection the rent he owed: In an
swer to questions he said that he was one
Of the thirteen evicted by the Markle COM
pany The only rent ne owed was for the
! months during the strike. The company
gave no reason for evicting him.
| Then followed the most pathetic story
yet told the commission. The old miner,
decrept from many injuries. told under
examination of how the eviction was car
ried on. The wife was sick and her one
hundred year-old mother was blind and UNI
| able TO walk. The day on which they were
! thrown out was rainy. He took them as best
he could to Hazleton, seven miles away.
and placed them in a cold. damp. empty
| house. This was last month, when the
! atmosphere on the Hazleton mountain was
quite cold. His wife became worse. Med
| ical aid was kindly furnished free by a
| Hazleton doctor, but it did not help her
1--WE were greatly worried because of
| having been turned out of our house, and
one night" the witness said between sobs,
"she died"
.'she died" Judge Gray said 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 buried her yes
| terday"
All the commissioners and many of those
in the courtroom were much affected by
| the old mans story. The witness went on
| TO say that he did not know whether the
centenarian was alive to-day or not. she
was in a bad condition owing to her daugh-
ters death when l left home last night,
said he.
No one cared to cross-examine, and Judge
Gray said: THAT is all, Mr.. Coll, and that S
enough"
SLATE PICKER CLUBBED.
An eighteen-year-o Hungarian slate
picker employed by the Markle Company
said that before the strike he received s.
cents. now he received only 75 cents a day
The company never notified him of the re-
duction 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 thirteen
years to pay off an accumulated house rent
and coal bill due to the Markle Company
I the narration or which deeply interested
the commissioners. She examined by
Lawyer barrow. and in answer TO his ques-
tions she said her husband an en-
gineer inside the Markle mines. The hus-
band was killed underground. leaving hel
with four children. the oldest of which was
a boy OF eight years. The company never
offered her penny but the employees gave
her about $3.50 10 defray the funeral ex.
penses. After her husband had been killed
she moved from her four-room house into
one containing only two. one room above
the other, and for the next six years she
struggled as best she could TO get along
She took i'm washing. scrubbed for tbs
neighbors and once in while she wa;
given work cleaning the offices of the Mar
kle Company During these six years, sh'
said, she kept her children at school, and
as soon as the oldest child was fourteen
years she sent him to the mines to he'll
/ earn the daily bread. At the end of th'
first month the lad brought home his wage
| statement showing that the mother oweS
1886 for back rent. The boys wages fol
the month had been taken off the bill ant
he came home empty handed She sub
mitted to this and in the course of time he
next boy was old enough TO help earn
living and ne, too, was sent 10 the collery
Like the older brother. the second boy re
| ceived no pay, his earnings being deducted
for rent. Tears were by this time gatherin,
| in the witnesses eyes, and when she adde,
| that the money she earned for cleantn,
the Markle office was never given her, bu
| kept by the company for rent the commits
| sioners looked at one another in surprise
| wears 10 make up the debt, the mother