Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1913-12-11
GOLFERS IN RUSSIAN
lied WEST VIRGINIA

-0-
Notes from sermon delivered Sun
day morning, Nov. 80, 1913. in the First
Presbyterian church Of Follansbee, w
a., by Thos. G. Pears, Jr.
I was up at Golfers last Friday after
noon. Mr.. Oscar Romick took Mr..
Ritchie and myself up there to in
vestigate the conditions, They are all
chat they have been represented to be,
and the reality is far worse than the
.ecital. Let me- tell few Of the
hings that we heard and saw.-and
hen by an effort of the imagination
ry to recall that this is in Brooke
county not more than Ave miles from
aere Follansbee).
We first OF all visited the school in
which the first and second grades
re taught. The room was light and
l;.rm but some of the conditions wer,
very unsanitary, and the children were
lot very clean. While we were there
he teacher, fine young fellow by the
Yay, sent one of the boys to wash his
lace, which was literally black. He
washed In a basin which, was on a low
stand beside which we were sitting,
and there being no towel, visible at
least, when he took his seat again
we saw him dry his wet face and
hands on his sleeves. We also saw
number of the little children go w
and drink one after another out OF
the same unsanitary tin cup. Several
Of the striking miners later told us
that they were compelled to keep theil
children out of school, as the Other
4 nh nj co.
them. One little girl told us herself
that she was afraid to go to school
1t seems to me that this is a. conditio.
at least deserving of Investigation b.
our school commissioners.
On leaving the school we came to
strip of road about three hundred
yards long that was blocked off will
sign reading to this effect: Any
person walking here is a tresspasser.
and will do so at his own risk.-Wes,
fredericksburg Coal Co." But
where were we, to walk? We were
told that the County board ran beside
this little strip through the bed of a
stream, and that the same building
! that housed the school party on the
County road, *
We now heard of some strikers who
lived on up, the run in several little
shacks, known locally as ''the corruga-
ted bungalows We heard that con-
ditions there were very bad, and that
an old lady Mrs Thompson by
name, was an invalid and in need of
attention. But we were told that If
we tried to go up there we would pro
badly be stopped, as both the shack.
and the road leading to them were
the companys property We deter
mined, however, that we had a perfect
right, as ministers of the Gospel, t.
go anywhere in Brooke county wher,
people lived and were in trouble Sc
we set out, and arrived at the shacks
without adventure. These are little
ed-painted. shanties of only three
rooms each.
We first went into the one occupied
i by the Thompsons. I.Wish l might
describe the scene Within. 1t was a
| little shanty, as have said, of three
rooms about 10 by 10 each as nearly
as l could judge. The place was
| filthy. One room served as kitch-
len, very dirty kitchen, which they
were trying to scrub when we came
in, and the other two were evidently
bedrooms, although we had access
only into the second. In this three
roomed shack seven white people
Americans-are living. AS l have
said we went into the second room
Here sat Mrs. Thompson, confined for
three months or more to her chair
with the rheumatism. A tumbled and
dirty bed stood against one wall, and
on it two children were sprawling, and
a man was sitting holding baby. "A
stove in the room made the little
shanty warm and comfortable. While
we were there Mr.. Thompson came in
having been to Steubenville for sup.
| plies land medicine. / noticed also
that he had not forgotten the children
but had brought them a few pennies
worth of candy in white bag. AS
1--WE sat there talking the younger Mrs
Thompson came into the room, and
told Mr.. Romick that he was wanted
at the door. When he came back he
said that it was a man named Lucas,
who told him that he had been sent
by Virgin, the superintendent of the
mine, to tell US that we were tres
passing, and that he wanted to warn
US that we were doing SO at our own
risk. Romick replied to this court
esq with great politness, and sent
word to Mr.. Virgin that we had re
ceived his communication, and were a
thousand times Obliged for his solicit
tude for our welfare. have been
trying to puzzle out ever since what
he meant by saying that we were
running any risk. Did he mean that
the road was in bad shape. or that
under the existing conditions he dis
safety, or was he threatening us with
personal violence on his own or the
company's account? should like to
have a further explanation Of this
warning or threat, and if it be the lat
ter. when we go again we should like
to have a safe-conduct from the Sher-
| if. For who is Virgin or any one
else that has right to stop either a
doctor or minister Of the Gospel from
going anywhere in Brooke county on
their missions of mercy?
While in the Thompson shack, we
asked about the supplies which we I'M
IderstOod had been sent up from Foil