Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-05-22
FAY Louis LndIaw.l

tBy Louis EudiaW.)
Washington d, C.-Through Sena-
tor Kern, Mother" Jones, the oct
genarian friend Of the miners, has
told the United States senators the
story of her arrest, trial by drumhead
court martial and Imprisonment in
West Virginia.
its the first report of the proceed
ings given to the public, as newspaper
men were not allowed at the trial, and
being her own account of what trans
PRED It's recital in the senate is one
OF the dramatic incidents of the eff
fort to force senatorial investiga-
ton.
!. Governor Hatfield in his interview
excoriating Senator Kern, said that
Mother Jones was not confined, but
merely detained at a pleasant board
ing house on the banks of the Kama
wha. She declares that the Governor
has no. conception Of what common
deeency is, and that she was treated
IN way that was brutal beyond de-
seription. y
Unions Praise Kern.
In advance of action by the Senate
there is great activity both among
those who favor the resolution and
those who are opposed. Practically
every miners union in West Virginia
held a mass meeting recently and
adopted resolutions demanding. a SEN
satorial investigation, and these reso-
buttons flooded Senator Kern's office
today. The State Federation of La
Dor of West Virginia also sent COM
.mittee with senatorial affidavits to be
laid before the Senate. The steel
workers of Fort Wayne, glass workers
of Kokomo and miners of Terre
lHaute are among those urging the in
vestigation.
Mother" Jones in her letter says:
las / walked along the streets of
Charleston two local officials put NE
into an automobile and took me to "a
hotel which I called the Robbers
Roost,' as it is where the mine owners
the. Baldwin thugs. the superintendent
and every element which destroy the
happiness of toilers assemble, and
there put me in a room and guarded
me. Then they went after the justice of
the peace, miSnamed, and while wait
ing there the warrant was issued for
my arrest. was taken across the
Kanawha river to the c. & o. railroad
and put on the train and carried
twenty-five miles into the martial law
zone and there handed over to the
military. The first night they secured
a room with DOCTORS family for me-
Then the next day they took me to a
house and got me a room with the
family Of striker, but don't think
the militia knew he was one Of the
strikers. They were poor, very poor.
Guarded Day and Night.
There was only a simple lounge in
the room a small table and two rock
ing chairs, no wash, bowl or other
piece Of furniture. The house was sur
rounded by militiamen, who, for eight
weeks marched around that house day
and night watching an old woman
who was entering her eighty first
milestone in human history.
81 was taken before drumhead
court and to me, / want to say, Sena-
tor, it was the most revolving and sad
dest picture ever witnessed. look
ed at these men so-called, dressed in
military uniform with a judge advo-
cate, as assistant and as many Burns
detective to swear our lives away.
rlW6yg uSAU LIulup0u-Up GAt1ISOS d5dtAoC
me that my speeches melted to riot
and that / had $dynamited G. & O..
bridge, and, to my knowledge, / never
saw bit of dynamite in my life. Then
they charged me with stealing ma
chine gun from the coal company. l
arose before the court and said:
I !" I refuse to recognize this court.
It is un-American, remnant OF. the
feudal ages, an insult to the sacred
dead. T have done or said nothing in
this state but what I have done and
said in every state Of the Union where
the workers have been oppressed, and
when / go out shall do exactly as l
did before came in here
III Calls Them Moral towards.
"For five days that trial went on
The most horrible charges were made
against us, my colleagues and myself.
Most OF the men I knew to be good,
honest, law abiding citizens. The real
criminals. OF the nation and the State
were the men who sat in judgment
against us. The court adjourned on
March IL, and was held without be-
ing sentenced, not knowing what was
going to happen to me or how long
was going to be held there or what |
was held for, or any other information,