Evening star., 1911-05-31
Twenty Miners Killed Since
Strike Began, Witness Says.
CONDITIONS IN COAL FIELD
President of Mine Workers Union
Gives Sensational Testimony.
INQUIRY BY RULES COMMITTEE
Westmoreland Collieries in Pennsyl-
vania Scene Of Disorder for
the Past Year.

Sensational testimony regarding con.
iitions in the Westmoreland coal fields OF
Pennsylvania, where a strike has been In
progress for a year. was given to the
House committee on rules today. The
hearing before the committee was on the
bill introduced by Representative Wilson
of Pennsylvania calling for an investiga-
ton of strike conditions In the West
noreland district.
Francis Feehan. president of the Mine
Workers Union, told the committee
that twenty miners had been killed by
deputies during the time the strike has
been on.
Some OF the men," he said, "were
shot by deputies who followed them to
their own homes and killed them on
their own property. They were not
interfering with the mines in any way"
way"
Mild Sentences Alleged.
Representative Madison Of Kansas
asked If the deputies who did the kill
ing had been tried.
"Oh. yes Mr.. Feehan replied. eight
cen deputies were sentenced to jail for
! from three to six month";
What" cried Mr.. Madison, in aston
ishment, sentenced to three months for
| murder?"
Precisely" Mr.. Feehan replied. land
| most of them are out now"
Mr.. Feehan said, in reply to question
| by Mr.. Madison. that he did not think
| the trials were fair
Were the jurors residents Of the dis
trict?" Mr.. Madison asked.
yes" said Mr.. Feehan. but the
| judges did the sentencing" He added that
for the past year the Westmoreland oper-
| ators have been building stockades Ito
countries and from other states at
work."
Oppressive Measures.
There were $4,000 men who went out
on strike. When it began the company
used the most oppressive measures In at
tempting to subdue 1t, and 10000 Of the
men. evicted from the company houses
in which they were living. left the field
They were driven out OF Pennsylvania.
But between 6,OOO and 1000 men are still
in the field. who have been driven out OF
the company towns and are now living
in tents and shacks on the hillsides. They
lived there all through last winter and
suffered all sorts of hardships. They are
still living there and no one knows when
and where they will find homes again.
Representative Wilson explained brief
ly before Mr. Feehan took the stand that
the strike had been precipitated by the
discharge Of men for joining the Mine
Workers Union. The real cause Of the
strike. however. was the fact that miners
in the Westmoreland field receive 80 cents
ton for the coal they mined, while in
the Pittsburg and nearby fields; working
under the same conditions. they were
paid from 80 to 20 cents a ton.
Then Mr.. Feehan proceeded with his
explanation.
Submits Offer Of Proof.
/ 1--WE will prove" he said. III you
authorize an investigation. that the va
rious companies in the Westmoreland
fields are keeping men in practical sa-
very. They have erected stockades. and
by these and other methods are keeping
mine workers and foreigners. imported
for the work. In the mines against their
will
Il know hundreds Of cases where
men have escaped across the dead line
and have come and told us stories OF
being beaten up and shot at because
been badly wounded. The men are not
allowed to go to church without secur-
ing pass to leave the cOmpany's prop
erty. Men coming from Europe are
met by agents Of the companies and
are induced to go to the Westmoreland
fields. They are allowed no chance to
escape. and are hurried from the train
to the mines in carriages and automo-
biles guarded by special deputies"
At this point Feehan said that John
Griffith. a Welsh miner, escaped from
the stockade of the Ocean Coal Com
pany, with his two sons. after the
three had been held prisoners for
months and forced to work in the
mines. He added that he could lay
before the committee the afidavits OF
many miners who had been held pris-
oners in the stockades.
One Form Of Amusement.
Describing conditions at the Ocean coal
mine. near Greensburg. Pa. Mr.. Feehan
said the company's property was sur
| rounded by a ten-foot fence and was
closely guarded by deputy sheriffs. who.
he said, sometimes amused themselves
by Shooting up the town." He told the
committee that company Of these depu-
| ties became intoxicated one night and
killed one Of the citizens Of the town.
| Frank Ridgeway by name, who was not
mixed up in the strike in any way.
| One of the members Of the committee
asked Mr.. Feehan why the public did not
hear of these things when they happened.
he ssfd are e Controlled ~ BY the @ coal % oper
ators Twenty men have been killed and
] several hundred wounded In the course
Of the strike. One deputy was killed IN
| a fight among the deputies themselves.
| "In almost every case the deputies pro-
| woke violence. In some cases they have
| left the mines and marched through the
| towns looking for trouble. I do not deny
that some of our people have been quar-
relsome. but the initiative has practically
| always been on the side of the deputies. =
j. r.. Spiegel. counsel for the striking
| miners, followed Mr.. Feehan before the
committee. He declared that belief on
| the part Of the coal operators that severe
measures would break the strike at once
was responsible for present conditions.
Practical Strikebreaker.
.'They hired Capt. Tanney." said Mr..
Spiegel, "who has national reputation
as q strikebreaker, and he brought in
4 two or three hundred desperate charac-
ters, the scum Of the earth. They did
mot care what they did. They were
sworn in as deputy sherins by the sheriff
OF westmoreland county. think Tan