The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-09-14

About the table group OF strike Dick
cts were gathered. 1t was nine o'clock
of the day. The incidents.of the morn
ing, growing out of the accosting of
men on their way to work, had come
to an end, and little knot of four had
drifted in here to refresh themselves
and to recount results.
"It takes a strike to bring out what's
in man." began Joe Sturtevant of the
Molders.
"Y' bet it Does" affirmed Wilson of
the Machinists.
nodded assent.
YES" went on Sturtevant, you take
John Martin, now. Always kept to
himself. Never seemed to give a darn
about anybody else but his own fam
lily. Every nickel he ever made went
home before it went anywhere else.
Even when the strike come on, he
scabbed for month, that guy. Now
look at him. The Union amt got a
more loyal member. He's lost his Job
like the rest of us. He got put in Jail
for violatin' picketin' ordinance, and
while he was in jail he lost the house
he was buyin' on installments. His
baby got sick and died from poor milk.
His family's all scattered, and there he
sticks right on the job, the squarest,
whitest, hardest worker of us all. He's
the first man up in the morning, and
the last one down at night. McKichnie
and Bolan both lean on him like he
was a steel girder. He'll go alone into
a scab boardin' house and face it out
with dozen of 'em. You can't scare
L \ l.
him take a crack that would put cow
to sleep, and he brushed his hand over
his eyes, and waded right in and
stopped the row stead of taking hand
in it himself
You're dead right" agreed Mulrain.
81 put him in nomination for president
at our last meeting against Bolan, and
jake Vreen here is the boy that sec
onded the nomination"
That's what | done" concurred
Jake, proudly HE says he won't run
though" he added, regretfully.
Well" observed Sturtevant, who
was the original Big Jack enthusiast;
''he can't help their voting for him if
he's regularly nominated, and if it
comes down to a real race he'd just
about beat Bolan. Bolan is too self
willed and too hot-headed 1t needs a
fellow like John Martin, that don't
burn so bright, maybe, but burns
blamed sight longer, for fight like
ours
At this juncture Dennie Welsh burst
into the room, his eyes bullying and his
whole body quivering with excitement.
What do you Think" he gasped, al
most wringing his hands. John Mar
tins scabbing again
"Scabbingi Are you plumb crazy?"
asked Sturtevant in a hollow whisper,
rising involuntarily to his feet as did
the others.
Eyes, sir; scabbing!" And again it
was DENIES manner much more than
his words that revealed the depth of
his feeling.
"Where?" murmured Sturtevant,
helplessly.
'"The Rockport Foundry answered
Dennie, seeming now to find relief in
volubility. Il was on duty there this
morning, and up he comes with his
dinner pail on his arm. His face had
that scanned, hard look at you've seen
on it when his mind was made I'D to
something, and his eyes go way back
in his head where you can't see 'em at
all. Well, he was like that, and. by
gollyi he went in and went to work"
well, neutrality-suspicious. bout-that?"
gasped Sturtevant namely, looking
helplessly from one face to another.
"The last man | could a thought Of"
muttered Dennie, brokenly.
"The very last!' affirmed Jim Will
son solemnly, as the men, leaving their
beer untasted, arose and stalked out
into the open where they might see
their comrades and think in the outer
air. If John Martin had broken away,
who then could be trusted?
CONSERVATION followed as the news
spread. Men gathered in bewildered
groups and talked disconsolately, then
broke into threes and twos or moped
alone, budding in stairways or on
street-corners, with wide, unseeing
eyes, swallowed up in miserable de-
preston of spirits.
AS the day wore on it was evident
that Martins detection had created
two distinct feelings. One was palpa-
bly, of Encouragement.
eff he's give up we might as well all
co. was undoubtedly the feeling Of
many.
This class of men would tomorrow
morning be applying by hundreds at
the gates for work. Bolan knew this,
and so did McKichnie of the Interna-
tional: and they put their emissaries
out to labor industriously to brace the
men up. A called meeting of the Mold
ers' Union was held in the afternoon.
Speeches were made. Words of good
cheer and encouragement were spoken.
Also telegrams-some of which 1t is to
be feared did not originate outside of
McKichnie's brain-were read, giving
words of advice and bits of inspiring
information, with assurances of con-
tinued assistance from the outside.
But there was another feeling grow
ing. too, among the men-a feeling of
wrath amounting to rage and spirit
of terrible vindietiveness. This pas
sion was commensurate with the posi-
ton that Martin had occupied in the
esteem of all 1t appeared to many a
far greater crime than would have
been the apostasy of even Bolan and
Martins official racsfsar