The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-07
ALL on ACCOUNT OF 4 MULE.
Three Mines Tied Up. Wages and Contracts
LOst-A Lesson in lniOnism.

INDIANAPOLIS. June 6.-The closing OF
the Black Creek, South Linton and Green
Valley coal mines; 500 miners idle for
period Of twenty-six days loss in wages
TO the miners OF $3s 400, and OF Slo4 900 TO
the operators, who were compelled to cancel
contracts on account Of the refusal Of the
miners to work-all these are the results
Of an issue raised by the whipping OF
mule which was assessed for taxation at
$40 on April /. when the owner gave in his
list Of personal property.
Three conferences were held before
even basis Of settlement was agreed upon,
and these were followed by general con-
ference which lasted two days, the twenty
conferees hiring a room and paying hotel
bills while in session. All the while the
mule. over which the controversy origi-
mated, was in pasture recovering from his
hurts, but probably well satisfied to have
a prolonged vacation even at such cost
to himself and others.
The manager of the Black Creek mine
| bought the mule in Sullivan county two
years ago and put him to work pulling q
cart The newcomer was a problem to
| his drivers One lost his front teeth, an
| other had his scalp nearly torn Oh, and .
| third had two ribs fractured before 1t be-
came generally understood that the mule
! was very quick with his heels. Several
| others came within an ace OF receiving
similar tokens from the animal and were
saved only by their own agility.
The mule became known throughout the
mine as Kicking Dan
| Henry Durrough was Dams driver in
April. He probably determined to pay off
| all scores at once. for on April % he tied
Dan up to two posts, flashing his head to
one and his tail to the other. and gave him
an unmerciful beating with club four
feet long. When Durrough quit, from
sheer exhaustion. the mule looked as il he
had had all he could stand. for 1t WAS all he
could do to hobble into the stable. Dur
rough was notified of his discharge. The
,, next day he presented the card from his
, local and drew his pay.
The mex, day the Grievance Committee
| OF the Black Creek mine called upon the
! manager and asked that the case be ar
| bitrated. The manager replied that brutal
treatment Of a mule was not a matter for
arbitration. President Freeman of the
| Black Creek company also declined to ar
bitrate. So the miners were ordered on
strike.
! Mr.. Freeman is director in the South
| Linton Goa! Company and Is general man
aver of the Green Valley Coal Company
60 the miners in both these mines were also
ordered out, although the two companies
knew nothing of the controversy over the
! mule. In the meantime Dunough had
been arrested. The miners contended that
the company should have waited the issue
In court before discharging him. They
also Sc, up the fact that Kicking Dan
was vicious animal, and he got only what
he deserved.
The closing of the three mines brought
the matter before the executive board of
| the Indiana district. An agreement was
finally reached by which the matter was SUBJ
mi,ted 10 a committee of miners and oper-
ators and the whole case was gone over and
the statements Of Durrough and the Black
Creek mana ger were taken. The miners
were ordered back to work and the mines
were opened after being closed twenty
six days.
This illustrates the disadvantage both
to the operator and To the miners said
Black Creek operator. commenting on
the decision. that come from the individual
losing his identity in union. The miners
in the Black Creek mine knew that Dur
rough had beaten the mule numerically
and they indorsed his discharge, but they
and the employees in two other mines
400 men in all were idle one month simply
because the charges against Durrough
were not formally preferred before he Was
discharged Fully half Of the men who
lost all this time are now In debt TO the
stores because of the idleness and some
OF them will he In debt for a year TO come
and nothing has been gained