The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-10
State Officials and Labor
Leaders Testify Before
Federal Investigat-
ing Committee
PEONAGE PRACTICED
IN COAL FIELDS, SAYS
ELI GROSS ON STAND
Officials Deny Testimony and Labor
Witnesses Are Put Through Cross
xamination-Labore Con-
fess Purchasing Arms

| Denver. February 9.-Charges of
peonage. Illegal imprisonment and an
arcby were met by counter charges
of violence and insurrectfon at n
stormy session today of the federal
strike investigation committee
| State officials and labor leaders were
the witnesses. the testimony of the
operators being reserved for the night
meeting. 1t was announced that ses-
sions would be held here tomorrow. all
intention of going to Trinidad tonight
having been given up.
Eli Gross, superintendent of the Col
orado free employment bureau. who
previously had testified that he be-
lieved peonage was practieed in the
coal fields, continued his testimony
with an attack on the militia and the
military methods of handling the strike
situation in southern Colorado. He said
Mario Zeni. arrested as a suspect, was
kept awake five days and nights.
They posted soldiers in front of his
cell" he declared. "and those soldiers
threw water on him and struck him
with their bayonets wnen he tried to
| 81 " oittp. Atnl WdS dltclWdiQ re-
| leased"
Uphold Arrests
Cross examined by Fred Harrington,
/ of counsel for the operators, he said
! he knew that the district court of Las
Animas county had upheld the arrests
made by the militia.
| The House icetnmittee next called to
the stand Adolph Germer, internation-
4 nj ,.f JTrit
ers of America. He testified that he
was arrested at Walsenburg, held nine
days, then released
| what was the charge made against
your he was asked.
"None that I know Of" was the re-
| ply. He said some of his mail was
mover delivered and that all the let
ters he received while he was in jail
had been opened by the military au-
thorities.
| Maj. Edward ]. Boughton, Judge advo-
| cate of the National Guard of Colorado,
cross-examined the labor leader.
Don't you know you were held on
suspicion of importing arms after the
disarmament order was issued?" he de-
manded. You did buy arms, as a mat
ter of fact, didn't your
Did Buy Arms
81 did buy arms" calmly replied the
witness
Representative Byrnes asked how
many guns he had purchased.
81 bought % or so rifles was the
| answer. 81 got them to protect our
property after mine guards had shot
down a number of our people on the
| streets of Walsenburg, and we had
! learned that they had planned to raid
| our headquarters.
Edward V. Brake, deputy labor COM
missioner of Colorado, testified that
| he had no personal knowledge of peon-
| age in the mines. He declared that at
the Colorado Fuel and Iron company's
steel works at Pueblo private en-
ployment agency charged workers 81
a month for keeping them in employ
nent and that the company deducted
| this amount from wage checks.
| why didn't you prosecute the com
pany and stop this illegal practice %
asked member of the committee.
| Most of these cases are in Las AMI
mas and Huerfano countless Brake as
serted. IT'S hard to explain these mat
| ters to you gentlemen, but anybody who
| lives in Colorado knows you can't prose-
cute anbody in those counties. Further
more. | can say without fear Of contra
diction that there's nothing harder In
! this state than to get anybody prosecuted
for anything It's very seldom you can
4 convict anybody in Huerfano county, If
| he's got any friends" the deputy labor
| commissioner continued, JEFF Farr. the
sheriff, selects the jury and they're
picked to convict or acquit, just as the
| case may be-.
| he was asked
| I'D hate to say, but | have my sus-
picions-"
Fred Harrington. one of the attorneys
(ContInued on Page ElghO