The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-12-05

oil the falling tear. Some lelt stcaltn-
lily. They owed bill and feared at
tacbment. There were men at the de-
pot wat ching the migrating ones. The
tax collector was there. Merchants
who had information and their crcdi-
tors were leaving had constables attach
the goods in the depot. l saw one OF
these debtors brought before justice
of the peace. The man was passive,
but the wife argued her case with such
effect that two dollars were taken off
the costs. The bill was paid, and as
the woman left. the constable said,
shes a holy terror" The only per-
sons kept busy for the first month of
the strike were ticket agents, consta-
bles, and JUS ices of the peace. One
of this last class said in June, "Busi-
ness is good; I've taken in over five
dollars day for the last month"
The Englsil-speaking mine employ
ees did not leave in troops, as did the
Slavs. Many families of them, low
ever, have left these coal fields. In
the towns OF Mahanoy City and Shen-
andoah houses were very scarce before
the strike; today the card For rent
is seen in every street. Few are the
English-speaking families throughout
the anthracite regions which have not
been broken up. Young men and
women were quick to see the economic
pressure which soon would fall upon
the family, and, to stay it as long as
possible, they took their departure to
the cities of New York or Philadelphia,
or to the soft-coal fields. The boys
made many heroic sacrifices. Money
was scarce. They would board
freight train and take johnny Mitch
ell excursion" to some distant point.
The cities of Easton. Allentown, New
York, Philadelphia, etc, were soon
glutted with cheap labor. The boys
begged their food and tramped in quest
of work. The Philadelphia and Read
ing Railway Company found it neces-
sary to put stop to illegal car-riding.
The incoming trains were stopped on
the bridge crossing the Susquehanna
river before entering the city of Phila-
delphia and the transgressors arrested.
| asked a mother, whose youngest son,
twenty years Of age. had left home,
"Have you heard from Richard?'
NO." she said; she's gone now ten
days, and | haven't heard word"
The hoy and twenty nine others were
arrested on the bridge and sentenced
to ten days imprisonment. The boy
bravely served his sentence, and saved
his mother from worry by not telling
her of his misfortune. These young
men who dig anthracite coal show a
delicacy of feeling and filial tenderness
worth of Corolanus. One of them
left for Philadelphia and got work
there. He regularly sent money to
his mother; but that was not enough;
she wanted to see her boy. He de-
layed coming until week ago, and
said, 81 lost thirty pounds from July
to August. knew mann would
worry if she saw me. In the last
month I've gained fifteen pounds"
This breaking up of family ties because
of the strike is fact seldom mentioned,
but privation and hunger do not rend
the heart as this does. l have seen
young girls from sixteen to eighteen
years of age leaving home because the
family's income was cut off: Can any
heart tell what it means for these to
go into strange city to try to exc out
subsistence? One of these, seventeen
years Of age, left for All her
mother could gather was enough money
to buy half fare ticket The girl
didn't have another c>.nt and was
scanlily clad. She slept the first mig ht
with friends in the city, and on the fol
lowing morning looked for work She
got it, and earned 50 80 a week. Be-
fore the month was up she came home,
her shoes worn and torn, and her cloth
ing IN dilapidaled condition. She
was a girl Of strong moral courage,
and she came home.
But not only does industrial conf ct
drive men and young women from
home, it also disturbs social poace at
home anil sets bro. her against brother
and family against family. Two men
who left their mother country together,
shared the same bed, and divided equal
ly their earnings, are today enemies
they will not exchange the time of day
One of them went to work, and the
other called him 'scab." This oppro-
bious epithet sticks and stings most
virulently. When uttered it means