The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-20
NO WORDS FIT TO
DESCRIBE SITUATION
WITNESSES TILL or HORRIBLE
CONDITIONS PREVAILING AT
ROOSEVELT PLANT.

isiative committee witch Us iuNest-
eating the labor conditions here and
tho strike hich started early in jan
uary, resumed ITS sessions here this
mornjne. The strike resulted In
partial victory for the men after two
of them had been Killed sind sixteen
wounded in rolley fired into them
BY ro-called strike deputies. twenty
six of whom are now ia Jail tAcinS
individually something Ike 4ae in
aictments, AS each was indicted sepa
rately in each case ot death and 50.
harry,
John Gutti who wss one Of .ti.o
strikers. and who has nnt set rc'p
taken bach. told Of the poor living
conditions that prevail here under the
wage rGte that existed prior TO TIE
strike. Very similar testimony WaS
given by Rev. Father Joseph Dzotd2
srector OF Huly Family Polish Catholic
Church, he told Of the miserable coU-
aitions to which the families OF tho
mea were reduced by the small wage
paid
Patrolman John powiine. Of the hor-
vueA police. testified. He was the
grst policeman on the scene after rhe
shooting ar the Williams ~ CLARK
plant depot. ia hitch the two men
were KILLED.
Tells Of sheosinE.
fatroin3au Bowling said that the
FIRST he k7cw Of the trouble was while
he Was AZ The Cartaret Gepot, This
WAS some }5ee feet from the scene
of rhs shooting lie heard the shots
and reached fae scene as soon as pos
slbie. Ths shooting was over by then.
Joseph f. StricEcf, counsel for the
accused nss, sought TO cross examine
Dow hog .i = wost hostile manner,
and tGerr As wrapgle- Mr.. Stricken
charged thai bowling Was in symra-
tiny with che strikers Tho policeman
replied he sEsupathizcd with the dead
aieu. Of course
nowlins sav re ties placed on the
EAiiroad tra-k lie did not investigate
The matter .fterward. Assembly man
Pilgrim objected 20 the lire Of cross
examination taken up by Mr.. Stricken
and II was finally dropped.
Most Interesting witness.
DR.. Max JAcoby, Of Roosevelt. Prov
eel TO be the most interesting witness
thus far heafd He was one of the
doctors who attended the injured nj
ter the shooting. He deRcribed how
fnAn after man that he nts t,ded vns
shot in the legs. and In the back Of
the legs at that. One man was shot
in the back of tho neck. These men.
the doctor declared, must all have had
their backs turned when they were
shot
Living conditions in the borough
he said. were Vile and led to much Inn
morality. immortality. he said, was
iife and o serious problem. The poor
Families paid Iittie attention 10 sicl,
children. They seemed almost con-
tent o let them die. 4 doctor was
seldom called until the child was dy-
ing, and then II seemed the doctor
was called more to insure IA proper
heath certificate Than with any hope
,f SAVING the life of the child
Condition.. Inde seribabie.
children were conceived, born and
brought up amid conditions that were
mdeseribable Families usually lived
u three or four rooms, aii small In
these they had three four beds.
zach cooked and lived. The art of
pentilation was unknown. and privacy
@as thing anheard Of Filth that
was unbelievable to one who had not
seen ii existed, and the odors in the
ooms at times we're such az to
knock out even me. who have en-
9ountered them for years"
The unmarried men had tendency
10 save every penny they could. in
order 10 send the money abroad Al
most every family kept boarders and
rad 10 In order to exist. No man
,ould support wife and family on
the wages they had been getting. To
cheaper the cost to themselves the
boarders were willing to huddle In
anywhere.
Disease Rampant
Disease was rampant at ali times.
Every one had malaria, and tubercu-
iosis was SO common as not to eN
cite evan pity, Men and women died
with the disease quite alone. after
exposing others 10 81 The chemical
fumes in which the men worked and
with which the air is always heavy
I'm the works. weakened the throat and
lungs. aud even the intestines. Cases
were known where death had been
due 10 the bursting of the intestines
This resulted from their weakened
condition.
Before the strike the residents had
been q peaceful lot. and during the
strike there was no tendency toward
Violence. lie did not notice that the
reduction Isl wages which went into
effect last summer made any differ
euee in the mode OF living