The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1903-10-20
Hundreds Of Men Imported as Con
tract Laborers and Taken Into
Custody by the United States
Authorities and are Being Held.
Sent Here by European Agents to Work in Penn
syIvania-shrewd Contract Drawn up Discoy.
coVery Has Created Sensation and May
Cause Complications.

| Philadelphia, Oct. 20. -Twcnty.cisbt
persons, one oi them woman, comprise.
the party OF Wclch miners who are de.
tained in this city on suspicion Of being
contract laborcrs. They arrived on the
steamship llaycrford from Liverpool yes.
terday and were landed today. The en-.
tire party is quartcrcd at the Iutcrna-
tional irotel. near the American line piers.
Officers Of the United Mine Workers Of
America, representatives Of which organ.
ization are now here, are largely re.
sponsible for the detention of the party.
Miners living At Ellsworth and other see,
lions Of Western Pennsylvania are said
to have first discovered the Importation
OF Wclch miners, and notified the officers
Of their union, who, in turn, gave their
information to the government.
All of the detained men feel that they
nave ben duped and say they will be glad
to return to Wales and stand the cx,
pense Of the trip. Some of the detained
miners assert that hundreds of men lm
cd on by the promise Of good wages,
have already gone to the soft coal iields
and that, more are on their way to this
country.
According to the report of Special In.
,pector Burche, who worked up the case,
when the miners went to the office Of
Jones Bros. they were shown photographs
Of the surface Of the Ellsworth colliers,
the Ellsworth National bank, the gen.
cral stores, the place and similar views
If mining town. They were also told
that the place was in the garden Of
america" and extracts OF letters were
,ead to them from other miners, who said
he wages were high and the place a fine
nc. Each one received from Jones Bros
/ ticket addressed to II. j. Miller, man,
ger for the Ellsworth Mining company
ountersigncd with the name Of Jones
Bros, Some OF the men were supplied
with letters addressed to Miller.
Washington, Oct. 20. Evidence has
ben collected by the Bureau Of lmmi-
grafton, department Of commerce and Ia
Dor, OF a systematic and extensive viola
ion Of the contract labor law. Commits
sipncr General +. ?. Sargent has sub
mitted the evidence to the department Of
Justice and has requested the attorney
general to institute proceedings against
The alleged violations Of the law.
The case in hand involves hundreds of
men, many Of whom already are in f.iis
country. Others are en route to Tie
United States and expected 70 Qrrixe in
few days Forty men who arrived in
philadelphia yesterday on the steamer
lIoyeTford are being detained as contract
laborers.
The men are Welell coal miners and
came to the United States under an a.
iaged agreement to work for the Bus
worth Coal company, Of Ellsworth, Pa.
They were induced TO come 70 this couu-
try by firm in Pontypridd, South Wales,
their attention being attracted by ad.
ycrtiscments inserted in several WelcFt
newspapers.
Evidence, both oral and documentary
discovered by the immigration inspectors,
AZ Philadelphia indicates that many
miners came to the United States under
IN agreement to work for the EllswortB
Coal company at stipulated wages
Jones Brothers were the Welch agents Of
the company, and 70 many Of the immiIT
grants they gave cards guaranteeing
them work with the company at wages
stated in The agents advertisement.