Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-12-12
TALES OF WRONGS
MINERS GIVE COMMISSION EVIDENCE
AGAINST MARKLE co.
Mother and Two Boys Struggle Thirteen
Years to Pay Debt of S3o6-Testi-
moDy at Times Was Pathetic, and
Surprising to the Commission Mine
Owners Have Little to Say.

OSioAeou, a., OCC. IL. -ldlcS Vi
eviction from houses owned by C. B.
Markle & Co., the narration of the
death of wife as result of an en-
force removal from her home, and the
story of a mother whose husband was
killed in the Markle mines, and of how
she and her two boys struggled for
years to pay the Markles the back rent
and coal bill she owed them, were the
principal features of yesterdays ses-
sions 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
times pathetic, and surprising to the
commissioners, who listened to it with
undivided attention.
The miners this afternoon concluded
the calling of witnesses against the
Markle company, which concern and
the conditions surrounding it have
been prominently before the commits,
sioners since last Saturday. In the
absence of Samuel Dick inson, of Phila-
deiphia, and George R. Bedford, of
Wilkesbarre, attorneys for the MarkJe
company, who are reported to be un-
avoidabIy absent, only perfunctory
cross-examination has been carried on
by J. H. Torrey, of Scranton, who is
representing another company before
the commission, and who had been
asked to take care of the interests of u.
B. Markle & Co. as best he could.
Much surprise las been expressed that
the company has not made greater
efforts to refute some of the seemingly
damaging testimony that has been pre-
sented. 1t is expected, however, that
the company will do so later.
The attorneys for the large coal COM
pany have nothing to say regarding
the character of the testimony being
presented, but those representing the
miners are we'll pleased.
Mrs. Kate Burns, of Jeddo, was one
of the witnesses called to the stand,
and told how she and her two boys
worked 13 years to pay off an accumu-
lated house rent and coal bill due to
the Markle company. She was ex-
amined by Lawyer Darrow, and in
answer to his questions said her hus-
band was an engineer inside the Mar
kle mines. The husband was killed
under ground, leaving her with four
children, the eldest of whom was boy
of eight years. The company never
offered her penny, but the employees
gave her about $3.50 to defray the
funeral expenses. After her husband
had been killed she moved from her
four room house into one containing
only two rooms, one room 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 while she
was given the cleaning of the Offices of
the Markle company. During these
six years, she said, she kept her chill
dren at school, and when the eldest
the mines to help earn the daily bread.
At the end of the first month the lad
brought home his wage statement,
showing *hat the mother owed 1896 for
back rent. The boys wages for the
month had been taken off 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 living and he, too, was
sent to the co'liery. Like the older
brother, the second boy received no
pay, his earnings being deducted for
rent. The tears of the mother on the
witness stand were by this time we'll
ing up and when she added that the
money she earned for cleaning the
Markle Offices was never given her, but
was kept by the company for rent, the
commissioners looked at one another
in surprise. She said it took the three
of them 13 years to make up the debt,
the mothers earnings from neighbors
being the principal contribution toward
the maintenance of the family. The
debt was cleared last August. During
the six years from the time her hus-
band was killed until the time when
the first boy went to work the company
never asked her for rent.