The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-02-06
COAL STRIKE TESTIMONY IN
HEARING OF WITNESSES ENDED
AFTER FORTT-ONE DAYS.

Commission WliI Begin Monday to
Hear Arguments-They VIII Take Up
Five and One-5nlf. Days-Operatoxs
assigned Three Days, tho Miners the
Remainder 566 witnesses Heard
Philadelphia, Feb 5-After sitting
of exactly fifty-one days, the anthra-
cite coal strike commission concluded
the hearing of witnesses at 5 o'clock
this afternoon and adjourned until next
Monday, when it will begin to hear the
arguments of counsel representing the
several sides The arguments will take
up five and half days, the operators
having been assigned three days, and
the miners the remainder of the time
To-day's sessions were taken up in
hearing the last witnesses presented by
the miners in rebuttal. Much of 1t re-
lated to the alleged unequal distribution
Of mine cars. nearly dozen witnesses
testifying that they could load more
cars than the companies furnished
them.
In all the commission heard 566 wit
nesses. Nine Of these were called by
the commission, 244 by the union min
ers, 155 by the non-union miners and
1853 by the operators. The stenogra-
piers took down approximately $500
type written pages of testimony, or q
900 words.
At the afternoon session it was
brought out that three coal and iron
policemen had been charged with the
killing of an Italian, but the Lacka-
wanna county grand jury ignored the
bill OF indictment.
On cross examination the witness
said dynamite had been thrown into
the stockade several nights prior to
the killing Of the Italian.
DR.. William l.. Coplin, professor of
pathology at Jefferson Medical college,
| Philadelphia, was then called by the
miners. He showed five specimens of
lungs, one normal organ and the
other four those of mine workers,
which were as black as coal from coal
dust. The professor explained the dis
eases of the lungs and said that where
I11s,fr niN r{fs.,
substances the person was easily sus-
ceptible to disease. Henry Collins, ma
tional organizer of the miners union;
Thomas J. Duffy, until recently presi-
dent of district No. of the miners
union, and George w. Hartlein, secre-
tary of district No. 8 of the miners
union, took the stand and denied some
of the statements made by witnesses
called by the operators. Mr. Hartlein
stated that according to reports made
to him there are now 1876 mine work
ers idle in his district.
! Five other witnesses were called who
gave unimportant testimony Among
these was w. Fl. Jenkins of Pottsville.
He was called by the miners to show
that the Reading company employed as
coal and iron policemen all sorts Of
men regardless of their character. Jen-
kins, in reply to questions volunteered
, the information that he had been en-
gagged as lieutenant of the coal and
iron police for the Reading company;
that he had been arrested for burglary
assault and battery and larceny. He
also said he had been charged with
shooting two coal and iron policemen.
| Mr.. Jenkins, you were known
throughout Schuylkill county as Blood
and Thunder jenkins were you not?"
! inquired counsel for the miners.
Yes SIR" was the reply.
"Cross examine" said the lawyer.
II don't think this witness should be
cross examined" exclaimed Chairman
Gray with some feeling, "he has dis
credited himself as witness. You may
leave the stand"
= Attorney Wolverton, for the Reading,
remarked to the commission that he
was about to ask the witness how
many criminal acts he had committed
without being arrested.
The attorneys for the operators and
tics on various subjects and Mr.. Dar-
row announced that the miners case
was closed. This ended the hearing Of
witnesses for both sides and in reply to
this announcement Chairman Gray,
speaking on behalf of the commission
said, among other things:
| well, gentlemen, we have had very
protracted hearing. In some respects
the hearing has been an unexampled
one / think, in the experience Of this
country. The commission has endeav-
ored to keep wide open the doors by
which testimony could come to us that
would throw any light upon the va
rious very serious questions we have to
consider; and we wish now to thank
the counsel on both sides for their CO.
operation and assistance in elucidating
the complex questions that we have
presented to us.
''On the whole, we congratulate the
counsel for the fairness and thorough
ness with which they presented their
several sides of the case. There has
been much to excite feeling, much to
appeal to the passions of men in this
matter. We feel that it is matter
of congratulations and that we ought
to congra tulate both sides and their
counsel on the good temper, fairness
and conciliatory spirit in which they
have urged their claims, and with
which bv their opponents those claims