Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-03-17

was married and had three children,
and was respected by all who know
| him. At midnight he was awakened
by a loud beating on the front door
and opened it. In one instant he
was sliced by six men dressed in the
State militia uniform and after a
short struggle, they put q shining
pair of steel bracelets on his hands.
| His wife; awakened by the noise, hav-
ling the Western instinct. put her
hands on q Winchester hanging on
the wall, and before anybody COM
pretended what she intended to do.
| she had the six militia men covered,
ordering them to throw UP their
hands. The six towards marched out
of the house without their prisoner,
minus their guns and reviewers, but
outside they were reinforced By the
vigilance Committee" air members
of the Citizens Alliance. On hearing
what had happened, they held at con
| ference and decided to ask McCunes
surrender, and one of the braves
went out of the door to parley, tell
McCune to leave family and all, linn
! iting his time of departure to "a
hours. McCune refused. The vigil
ants burned the house, nOtWithstand
ing the fact that a woman and three
children were inside McCune sur
rendered. On the next day, seeing
that his wife and children must suf-
fer. thinly clad, they led him with an
escort of twelve men to the desert OF
Colorado and told him to hike
Without food he went. Very few
white men pass through the Black
canyon, and that was the last they
heard of McCune. His withered bones
are forgotten.
What did he think of our Chris
tianity? What did he think of our
so-called civilization. when hungry
| md plodding through the unknown
desert. What were his feeling, re-
memebring his children and wife p
We wonder what were his last words
to the world. can imagine it, and
so can you.
l have seen other McCunes in sim
liar straits, eursing the world-this
| Christian world that compels them
to slave all their life without hope.
They may spend their money in for
eign missions to save the heather in
Africa OF sAsia-heathen that are
more civilized than the brethren who
try to save their souls.
! When the workers engage in a
great struggle, little do they think
of their, souls, all their attention is
engaged Mn gaining few cents to
support miserable life. l think that
McCune's last words left on a piece
of paper were eursing the world
i that part of the world that sent him
to his death-1a curse to the greedy
class, called the capitalistic class, as1
embodied in the Holy Trinity.
Perhaps some day the cursed state
of Colorado will raise q monument
at the place where his bones are]
resting with the inscription, Here
lies an Industrial Soldier that fought
to the end for his class-the working
cltss."
Hotel and Restaurant Employees.
r, In 1904 strike was forced on |
the employees engaged Ia the hotel
and restaurant business, their first
battle being In Denver, Col, so as to
meet their demands for an increase
in wages. Judge for yourself the
hard work of a waiter, cook, etc., etc.
Before they had any Organization
they were practically slaves. working
as long as eighteen hours q day at q
fabulous sum. ranging from 81 to
So per week. And. mind you. these
men had to support families; also
children who had to go to school,
and from experience that 81 of ISL
per week is hardly sufficient for the
hotel or restaurant employees to go
to their work in automobiles. AS to
the female help, they were compelled
sc as to be able to clothe themselves,
their wages ranging all the way from
$3.50 to So per week. SO naturally
the employees were driven to despair
and they organized into what was
called the Hotel and Restaurant EN-
rloyees Union and inside Of two
months they controlled the entire
city. Wages went up 80 to so per
cent. Hours were reduced consid-
erably, but the employers organized
at the same time into Citizens ALI
ance branch. The Union employees
secure in their present strength, re-
Tented their vigilance, but the Citi-
zens Alliance did not relent, but
! closely watched their employees, bid
ing their time. In December, 1904,
the Union had to face a bitter strug-
gue-a struggle in which the exist
ence Of their Union was in the bal
ance. They went out on strike, clos
ing every. hotel and restaurant in the
city-they all went out to a man.
The Albany and st. James hotels. the
two best in the clay, were helpless
like the rest. At these two hotels
the guests put on aprons and yolun-
teered to "scab" until the regular
strike-breakers wed. They thought
those guests. that 1t was great fun"
just lark. yo0 know.
These wero not workin&amen scab-
bling on working men. for working
men or their wives nAvAr afnn at the