Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-08
BEATEN BY STRIKERS
More Evidence of Lawless-
ness Submitted.
ONE WOMAN WITNESS
HER HUSBAND HAD BEEN NEAR
LY KILLED.
She Went to Hir Aid in Va;n-Tilt Be.
tween Judge Gray and
Mitchell.
ONE WOMAN WITNESS

PHILADELPHIA, January S.-The first
witness called by counsel for the nom
union miners before the coal strike commits
mion today was Mrs. Lilly Stevenson of
Schuylkill county, whose husband worked
during the strike in the Silver Brook col
liery of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal
and Iron Company. She was an eye wit
ness to an assault made upon her husband
by strikers. She said that after her hus-
band had been knocked down twice she
picked up a stone and threw it at the men
committing the assault. She was then
seized and held while the beating continued.
Her husband was internally injured.
Mrs. Robert Robinson Of Tower City told
of an attack being made on her home be-
cause her husband worked during the
strike. She was particularly bitter against
her brother-in-law. James Lewis, who she
said led the mob.
Harry Curnow of HaZleton an extra en-
gineer, said he struck, but the union
gave him no relief he returned to work on
August 23. On August p. while on his way
to work. he said he was attacked by a
crowd of unknown men and beaten into un-
consciousness.
Michael Weldon OF Mahanoy City, fire
boss, employed by the Reading Company,
said strikers refused to allow him to go to
work and that his house was damaged by
dynamite.
Thomas Feeley, another Reading Com
pany fire boss, said he was dragged from
street and severely beaten while on
his way to work.
Mine Foreman Beaten.
Anthony Ferguson. outside foreman at the
North Mahanoy coliery. said he was beaten
while on his way to work. On cross exami-
nation he said he had never cheated the
men under him Ferguson said he recognized
W. Of md tbax-
arrested and convicted. Commissioner
Parker asked IL the two men had been ex-
PEELED by the miners union and Terrence
Ginley, member Of the executive board
of the United Mine Workers. was called
and asked il the men had been expelled He
replied that he did not know. He explained
that the union had done all in its power
to prevent lawlessness. Chairman Gray
asked what had been done to raise the or
ganiZati on out Of the mire and darkness
that the testimony had tended to show.
President Mitchell took exception to Judge
Gray's remarks and said the coal companies
were bringing witnesses here to testify
against strikers and indirectly against the
miners union. No crime had been fastened
on the union, Mitchell said, and he did not
want the impression to go out that It was
being dragged In the mfre. Chairman Gray
said the testimony before the commission
certainly involved the union and he would
like to see the union disentangle itself
Judge Gray mentioned the Shenandoah
riot and said he had not heard a word OF
evidence that one union man in the crowd
Of a thousand men and boys present when
Beddell was killed cried: Shame on you!''
Men Afraid to Testify.
Continuing Ginley said many men would
not testify before the commission for fear
Of being discharged, and cited the case of a
man named Clark employed at the Bast
colliery. near Scranton, who was refused
work after he had testified. The commits
sioners made a note of this case and said
they would look into 1t. Ginley, in answer
to a question by Commissioner Wright, said
many of the coal and iron policemen had
bad characters, several having served time
in Jail.
Counsel for the non-union men then called
President Mitchell to the stand and asked
him what action the union took against the
three men who killed man named Sweeney
near Nanticoke. Mitchell said the men were
not members Of the union at the time.
D. NJ Lauterman and Thomas Harley OF
Shenandoah told of being attacked by a
mob Lauterman was riddled with buck
shot and permanently injured.
After several other witnesses had teStl-
fled to acts of violence alleged to have been
committed by the strikers counsel for the
miners interrupted the proceedings by say
ing that President George F. Baer of the
Reading Company and John Markle had
told President Roosevelt that twenty-one
murders had been committed in the c1al
regions during the strike and he wanted
the operators to have an opportunity to
prove this assertion.
Mr.. Mitchell said: I'VE request them tc
prove it,
Chairman Gray replied: I'VE will also re-
quest them to do so. We want to hear all
the cases where murder was involved"
recess was then taken until 2:15 pm.