New-York tribune., 1902-12-19
TESTIFY TO RIOTING.
Non Union Witnesses Tell Of Lar
less 4cts of Strikers.

Scranton Penn Dec 1S-The Strike Commits
sion listened to-day TO further testimony on the
iawlessness in the anthracite fields during the
strike About a score OF witnesses were called
by the attorneys for the non-union men They
fold of serious boycotts. brutal attacks by
crowds of men, women and boys, and an at
tempt TO burn the house Of a non-union man
In most instances the witnesses testified that
the alleged offenders were members Of the
miners union The lawyers for the miners OBJ
5ected frequently TO the admission Of testimony
on hearsay and sometimes objected because OF
the irrelevancy Of statements.
Chairman Gray said that the commission was
not bound by strict rules of evio@nce but asked
counsel in examining witnesses to conf1ne them
selves, far possible to direct evidence
He said that it was difficult, in trying 10 prove
that boycotts existed, 10 get information on the
subject The commission wanted TO know
whether a reign Of terror existed in the anthra-
cite region and Il could not get that informa-
zion if the strict rules of evidence were applied
The coward who viii go TO the storekeepers
he said and tell them not to sell the necessaries
of life 10 a poor woman, usually seeks the OBJ
security that the law of evidence throws around
him If girl is discharged from her position
in q store because she rode in streetcar in in
element weather while a streetcar strike was on,
the coward who discharged her is coward
enough TO refuse TO testify
He recognized, he said, why some merchants
would not come forward and tell who forced
them TO refuse to sell necessares Of life 10 GER
tain boycotted persons. but if he Chairman
Srey) were a storekeeper, he thought he would
aisk his all in order TO assist in breaking up the
nowardly business.
When the morning hearing opened the wage
statements of the Delaware. Lackawanna and
Western and the Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron companies were filed with the commits
sion The first witness called said that mem
Der OF The miners union threatened TO kill him
sf he did not stop working. and finally did shoot
at hina.- The offender sent TO prison
Mrs Kate Mcnamara. of Parson. the mother
of four small children whose husband was in
the mines and could not come home for fear OF
bodily harm. testified that her house was de-
stroyed by fire at night and she and her children
were rescued with difficulty
Counsel for the miners called the commissions
attention to the fact that the fire had not been
connected with the strikers and objected to ihe
other side bringing in evidence Of alleged Vlo-
1enoe by strikers when they could not prove it.
Chairman Gray said that while the evidence
did not directly connect the strikers with the
fire the inference was that the fire was of
3ncendiary origin.
August Scheuch of Hazleton. who worked for
the Lehigh Valley company through the suspen-
sion. testified that he was attacked by mob
while he and his son were gong 10 WORK, ana
that he was severely injured by being hit oy
rocks. that he was stabbed three times and had
five ribs broken. He Coal and Iron police
= man at the time but did not use his revolver
because he afraid of hitting his son, who
was being beaten by the crowd at the same
time and was badly used up. Many Of the
crowd. he said, strikers. Among those
beating him was Squire Mckelvey, of HaZleton
The son corroborated the testimony Of his
father.
John Doran. manager Of the wilkesbarre lace
.snills. testified that because he would not dis
charge two girls who had relatives working in
the mines the 100 employees went on strike,
and stayed out eight weeks until the trouble
was liked up.
Other witnesses testified that their wives were
3nsulted on the streets and their children beaten
by other children and could not be safely sent
TO school. The union locals, they said, re-
quested storekeepers not TO sell TO any one re-
lated TO a man working in the mines. Their
houses We're stoned they were stoned and shot
at and hanged in efdgy, and life was generally
made miserable for them and their families.
Most of the witnesses connected strikers with
the offences alleged.
The commission will adjourn on Saturday to
reconvene in Philadelphia on January -