Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-16


the greatest suffering that at
taches to a strike. The men can
take care of themselves. and the
women and children in Hazleton' Wilkes
barre and all through the coal regions
are crying for food. Want presses nara
upon them. and already the cry has come
to the ears OF the leaders, and reheI
committees are being formed to do what
they can for the miners family.
Hungarians, Poles, Russians. Slavs' tai
ians and people from most all the Euro
pean countries are the men who delve
in the heart Of Pennsylvania FOR the MD
den wealth OF coal. They are suspicious
Of the intentions of Americans ana oeny
admission to a stranger. Let him put set
foot within their little settlement and the
street becomes deserted. Children run
before him, startled into leaving their
play by the warning voice OF the Watcn-
full mother, who peers out at the Wlnuo"'
showing only her eyes.
The slavonic tribes and the magyar
Hungarians, as general RUE hVe III ' ne
same settlement. The italians live Dy
themselves All are in abject poverty
living in rude shanties which they nave
thrown together upon the company Iahu'
If there is any difference in the degree
of poverty, the condition OF the ltahah
miner is the more pitable. He is TO De
found over toward Lattimer, near Where
the striking miners met the deputies Iour
years ago and many of the miners were
killed.
The principal mine in that direction is
the Pardee mine, owned by Calvin ana
Ariovistus Pardee, of Philadelphia. Inc
miners have made homes for themselves
back of the mine. They built tnelr
wooden huts at the edge of the culm oank'
carded from tunnel shores or lying uh-
claimed along the road.
The streets are not streets, but little
narrow alleys. 1t would be Impossible 10
drive a horse and wagon through them:
The houses are all one story high ana OF
the most primitive construction. a re-
l.spectabie farmer of Pennsylvania would
hesitate before intrusting his hogs to
them.
II is the custom of the italian, so it is
| said. to sleep on the floor Of friend
house when he first comes over HIS
| travelling paraphernalia consists OF a new
| suit Of clothes and blanket. AFTER ne
has been at work In the mines Tor
short time he begins to collect all the
wood in the shape of boards that ne cam
until he has accumulated a considerable
pile IN front of his neighbours door,
When the wood is sufficient he selects
| the nearest unoccupied site and builds
| upon II a house with single room ana
| a dirt floor Then he sends to Italy FOR
his wife or HIS sweetheart, and the house
| shelters a new Italian family. As the
family increases the house grows, too.
A room is added at this end or at that,
until it resembles a rambling shed. Most
of them, however, have but two rooms.
In nearly every one of the homes of the
Italian miners there is a family OF at
least five children. That is the average
and many OF these sheds shelter as many
as twelve children.
spent a day with the miners in their
| homes. Owing to their extreme suspicion,
was compelled to enlist the services or
a Magyar Hungarian, who enjoys their
confidence and acted as interpreter.
Starting from Hazleton, we drove over
to a settlement called Scanned. 1t is
| a Hungarian settlement, about mile
back Of Audenreid. The road wound over
the tops of desolate mountains. devoid OF
trees and bristling with broken rocks.
The only signs of life to be seen in this
''valley of silence" were the black
breaks" the tall wooden buildings which
dotted the surface of the mountain In
that section like giant chess men at rest.
We passed many mines, but they were
completely idle; not q miner near them,
not a sign of white steam escaped from
their exhausts. The village Of Audenreid
was crowded with idle workmen, who
smoked their pipes peacefully upon their
doorsteps or lounged at the door OF the
country store and postoffice.
There are no roads leading to Scammel.
1t was necessary to tie up the team ana
walk along a dusty path, strewn with
coal and slate.
If Audenreid was full Of men, Scanned
was empty OF them. But the women and
children were there in plenty. While
their lords and masters idled the time
away, talking over the success or failure
of the strike the women worked. Whether
the mines were in operation or not made
no difference as far as the women were
concerned Their work Of keeping the
mouths of the family full went on just
the same.
No Welcome for Intruders.
The crowning glory Of the italian village
was it's goats. At every turn In the street
one met the inevitable nanny goat. The
milk makes one of the principal forms OF
diet for the children of the blue skies
that and mangoes.
But the goat is regarded with dislike
by Hungarians. They will not have the
animal near them. On the other hand,
they keep geese. F1ocks of them were to
be found In front of almost every house.
They Missed angrily at the stranger, and,
like the geese of ancient Rome, notihed
the inhabitants Of the house they guarded
OF the approach OF al We ASNSAS
our way through them to the gate and
were met in the yard by the woman of
the house with a small child in her
arms.
She was a Hungarian woman OF the
better class. The guide said she was
Magyar woman and that there were only
about six or seven such families in the
coal regions. The Magyar people, he said,
were the original settlers of the heart OF
Hungary They located in Budapest and
along the Southern Danube and have still
preserved their tribal traits and dialect.
Being the Oldest tribe in that country
they are looked upon with much respect
by their Slavonic neighbors. And even
in the coal district they preserve
certain amount of that hauteur which
goes with blood.
The woman was fine looking, healthy,
strong and straight. On her head was the
typical handkerchief Of her race. 1t was
a canary yellow piece Of cloth, with
running border of red flowers around the
edge Around her shoulders was yellow
shawl, and the child was wrapped in II,
so that nothing but its head and eyes
Il appeared above the top.
After a grunt of recognition and greet
ing to the Hungarian guide and glance
at the stranger with him, the woman re-
sumed her work. She was baking bread
in a primitive sort OF an oven built in
the yard, similar to the ovens that are in
L.