The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-12-13
U. NJ. A. Chief Calls Amazon At
tacks COwardIy.
Says HOwat Men Use Wives to
Disrupt Union.
TODAYS DRIVES SERIO- COMIC
Pepper Boxes Used as Weapons
by "ShOck Troops"
Strikers Stand Back and Shout
"DOn't Hit Them"

Pittsburg, Kan, June 13.-Mobs OF
militant women marchers met both
success and defeat in their campaign
in the Kansas mining field today.
Marching on Central mine No. 81,
in the Ringo Edison vicinity. early to-
day a Do of women estimated at
more than 1000 stormed that mine.
prevt nted the sixty miners employed
there from going to work, destroyed
their Inner buckets and threw the
contents on the workers. wrecked two
or more motor cars and in one in.
stance brutally beat four men about
, the head and wrecked the car in
which the men were riding to the
mine to go to work.
At Central As, a short distance
away, the women prevented forty men
from returning to work.
Meet Two Defeats.
While the shriek.ng women of this
mob, with as many men trailing them
as a rear guard but not participating
in the storming, were effectively pre-
venting work at the Central mines, a
small mob of other women We're be-
ing repulsed in similar attack at
mines of the Sheridan Coal company
at Mulberry.
A band of women numbering about
forty-five or fifty appeared at No
and No. 19 and demanded that the
men employed at each mine refrain
| from going down in the mines. About
! forty men are employed at each mine
Three or four of them obeyed. The
other men ignored the women and
went down. The women discussed the
situation for short time and then left
Attack ON Big Scale.
| Today's offensive was on q far
greater scale than the outbreak of yes
| iterday when the women fnarehers sue
lcessfully attacked and closed down a
mine near Franklin Emboldened By
the success of that attack, the women
4 started out today with the avowed in
tention of closing down every mine in
the entire district.
! The advancing columns were led by
women carrying American flags and
the women sang and shouted as they
marched. They were accompanied by
hundreds of striking miners who
recognized in the "petticoat army
first line shock troops" of unusual
effectiveness.
Don't hit or strike the women"
Ithey yelled. whenever the women
charged down upon group of mine
workers.
Used p ppcr Boxes.
Many of the "Amazons" went into
.
| sides their teeth and finger nails.
| which proved SO effective yesterday.
| They brandished old fashioned pepper
/ boxes and forced tho-e who attempt
! ed to stand before. them to beat a
/ hasty retreat.
/ The fighting at the mines was serio-
/ comic
Quit work" the petticoat generals
would command. Then fists would
fly hair would be pulled, clothes
| torn. and the workers would be forced
/ to flee, nearly nude.
Authorities Powerless.
Authorities were powerless in the
| face of the women's attack. They
realize that one blow at woman
might plun-e the district into bloody
! warfare.
In the rleantime. the election OF
mine union officers in the district was
proceeding today. 1t was regarded as
! certain that Alexander Howat and all
other 'deposed" officials would be re-
elect TO office
Strikers Last Hope
THE marching OF women to the
mines that are working is the last
! hope Of those Who are opposed TO.
obeying the laws of the organiza ton
and the contract have in their wild at
tempt to destroy the Z. NJ. ". A."
V II a. Hittncr, special representative
OF the International union in charge
of the Kansas field said in a state
ment this afternoon.
The marching of these women and
their acts are not at all surprising
when you consider that men who are
leading the fight against the L. NJ
W. A. in Kansas have publicly stated
that they would not want citizenship
papers in a country like the Unltea
States" Bittner continued. Men who
, do not recognize the laws Of their own
HConr'nuei on nage six.