Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-12-11
.COlL BOARO SENSATION
Miner Tells Of Attempt to Break
Strike by Bribery.
FORMER FOREMAN ACCUSED
Witness Says He and Another Miner
Were offered $4,000 Each II
They Could Obtain Vote to
Rctarn to Work.

Scranton, Pa, Dec. 1l.--An attempt
to break the miners strike by bribery
was told OH the witness stand during
the day by John Early, a check weigh
man employed at the Gypsy Grove col
liery Of the Erie company. who was
the president of the Gypsy Grove local
union. He said he was introduced to IL
former mine foreman named Michael
| Grimes in the I.nclawanna Valley ho-
| tel in ScT:'nlon Early added that he
| and another miner named O:Ilara. also
| the president of a local union, We're
each offered $1,000 to get ten men to
, pass resolution sending the men from
the two locals back to work.
The first witness of the day was
Alex McNicar. n Delaware and Hudson
miner. who told the same story that
dozens of others have told to the effect
that he was not given back his old
place in the mine, but was placed at
work in more undesirable part Of the
colliery. On cross examination he de-
MED that the miners boycotted certain
breasts or chambers by marking a half
moon on the place, thus notifying other
workers of the boycott.
G. w. Phillips, city superintendent of
the public schools of Scranton, was
then called to the witness stand. Su!
perintendent Phillips in his testimony
showed that children of mine workers
leave the schools earlier than the chill
dren of parents engaged in other occu-
pations.
The superintendent concluded his tes-
timony by saying that the conditions,
so far as children attending school is
concerned, are better in Scranton than
in other parts of the anthracite fields.
EARLY Causes a Sensation.
After the superintendent of schools in
Lackawanna county, ]. G. Taylor, and
Superintendent of Schools NJ. w. Cum
mings of the borough of Olyphant had
told the commission that q 1-3 per
cent of the children in the mining re-
sion We're out of school, Early testified
and caused Il sensation Early's STORY
was as follows:
He met Grimes in the hotel through
another person. In the course of con-
versation Grimes asked him how he
stood in politics. Early replied that he
had not made up his mind, and Grimes
said that. being president of local
union, he had good deal of influence
among his friends in DunmOre and
that If he worked for William Connell
for congress he would give him $1,000.
T. was OIL Sept. %. After Grimes
m.ue the $1,000 proposition, Early
continued, Grimes said:
How about the strike? Don't you
think the men are weakening?" To
which Early replied that he did think
they were wavering just q little.
Grimes then told him that he knew
break was coming in the ranks of the
men and that they would be defeated
Grimes recognized that the men had
grievances and that they had put up a
good fight, and as long as they were
going to be defeated by the operators
Early ought to get something out of it.
Grimes, Early continued, then made
this proposition:
If Early could get ten men to have .
resolution passed by his. local, Grimes |
would give nine Of them 500 each, the
te1th man 5000 and Early $500 and
all expenses necessary to carry out the |
scheme. He further added that Early |
need not apply for work for three |
months and that he then would be
given fOreman's position. During the |
three months his expenses were to be |
paid, and there would be no trouble in |
getting mine foremans certificate. as |
the companies controlled the boards |
that issued them.
The PrOposaE Modified.
Later on during the conversation |
Grimes amended his proposition by of
fering to give two of the ten men 5000 |
each and at the same time offered |
Early $40 for current expenses. Early '
refused the money and told Grimes he |
would see him later. Early reported |
the matter to District President Mich |
DIS of the miners union, and it was de- |
ciueu ~ ste uOW IdI Tic UIlueIt |
scheme would be carried.
Another meeting was arranged, and
rs Grimes had spoken Of having APP
p +. O'Hara, the latter went |
along. The same proposition was
made to O'Hara. The same night there
was to be joint meeting of all the
ocals in the vicinity of DunmOre, and
Grimes wanted them to pass the reso
luton that night. but the two pl.esi
Tents could not see their way clear to
10 it. Grimes then proposed that they
size up the men in the meeting. get |
thirty of them interested, and if the
resolution was passed the thirty would
zach receive $500.
Early went on to say that the minis
ers of the vicinity were to be APP
but they We're not to get as
much as the miners for breaking the
strike. President Nichols. he said, then
gave out public statement in which
,e intimated bribery was being resort
nj to in order to break the strike, and