The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-08-07
MlLITIAMEN CALLED CRUEL,
Machine Guns Trained on Camp Occu-
pied by Women and ChiIdren--Hoies
Scooped In Earth For Shelter-F our
teen Killed In a Tent.

pleu py women ana Chtidren--7oieS
Scooped In Earth For Shelter-Four-
teen Killed In a Tent.
Two women, Mrs. Pearl Jolly and
Mrs. Mary H. Thomas, representing
the Colorado miners, narrated their ex-
periences in the reign of terror at
Ludlow before the federal commission
on industrial relations. sitting in New
York.
The two women we're introduced by
Miss Melinda Scott, president of the
Women's Trade Union league As she
asked for permission for them to tell
their story Chairman Walsh and some
of the other commissioners seemed tax
en- aback and were not inclined to as
sent However, Mrs. j. Borden Harri-
man asserted her rights.
LAS representing the women and
children of the nation on this commits
sion,' she said II move that the COM
mission hear the story of these women.
q telegram from Miss Jane Adams
requesting that they be heard"
That settled it, and Mrs Pearl Jolly,
twenty one years old, wife of a miner.
took the stand to tell how the strike
began on Sept. "a, and it was soon eyi-
dent to the miners there would be trou-
BILE with the mine guards
"We didn't want trouble" Mrs Jolly
said 1.-TWO shots were fired by the
guard, and we began to dig pits for the
women and children. Then the mill
tia came and we welcomed them. We
got two brass bands for them. We
danced with them, and they had their
meals with us But soon things began
to change"
Mrs. Jolly described how the mine
colony was searched for arms and how
the bare floors were chopped up in the
search for arms and ammunition. One
Sunday morning, she said the miners
families were forbidden with oaths to
go to the postoftice, and in December,
with deep snow on the ground. they
were ordered to leave their tents.
When one woman with a sick baby in
sisted on going back a revolver was
placed against her head with the
threat that she would be shot
Describing the firing, Mrs. Jolly told
how the members were warned Of it
on Easter as they were chatting some
of the militia at baseball game.
"Some say we had 500. some say 700,
rifles in the camp" she said. 1--WE had
only forty. If we had had 100 there
would not have been so many dead
women and children On the Monday
morning they came and demanded
Louis Kikas, our leader. They had
then TO our knowledge machine guns
trained on the camp, and Kikas, fear
ing they would shoot at the tents, ran
toward them waving a white handker-
chief. We wanted the men to go to
the hills to draw away the fire from
the women and children, There were
so many mothers and women expecting
to become mothers that, my God, gen
tlemen. we couldn't run away"
Mrs Jolly told how the men crept
away on their stomachs. and as the
shots began to fall among the tents the
women began desperately to scoop out
holes in which to hide their children.
Only four men We're left in the camp,
but that made no difference and the
women who could not find holes to
crawl into had to lie fat upon the
ground
81 got desperate" Mrs Jolly went
on. II pinned red crosses over my
white dress and walked out l wanted
to intercede, but all got was bullet
through the heel of my shoe and had
to seek cover"
AS Mrs Jolly told of insults offered
to the women after the shooting and
how, after escaping in the dark. she
had returned with a Red Cross party
to find dead In one tent eleven chill
dren, two women and siXmonths-old
baby. Commissioner Lennon was ir
tears. The testimony of this witness
was concluded with a tribute TO the
Greeks.
Had 1t not been for them" she said
I'VE should not have been here now
During all the trouble never heard g
profane word from one of them"
MIS-. MARY Ilduldu luOLudS, llit
Welsh wife of miner. was called tC
the stand. After telling of her stand
ing In her own home she described hel
journey from Ludlow to Trinidad.
"When we reached the tent colony, ;
she said land | saw the militia anG
the guards | determined to go on t.
Trinidad with my three children. Al
we got to Trinidad was arrested, anC
when | asked why a gun was pointed
at my head. | was scared to death, al
I had never seen a gun before | cam,
to America"
Mrs, Thomas was locked up for elev
en- days, she said, and when she asked
the reason General Chase ordered he
held as a military prisoner. She talked
to her husband. and the guards tolt
them they had orders to listen to tn,
conversation. but" Mrs. Thomas add
ed, with a ghost of smile. I'VE le
them hear all we said, for we talked
only in Welsh"
~ want to say that the cruelties an,
insults practiced by the militia wer
terrible" the witness added. The.
have left their odious memory there"