davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-12
f.rav ana their family has lived

|ssray ana their fsss,;1y l,ay e itsed
here FOR q number Of veal
no Attend Comm neensent
Mrs Lee Boggess and hers son
Carney left SaIlirda y Tor 7tttshuEg
to be present AT the commence
nent exercises at South Penn col
|iege. whefeS Hiss Reula Boggess,
daughter OF the former. is complet-
ing the Course q
PytEian Sisters Elect
The local lodge OF Pythtang Sis
ters elected the fol lowing OFFICERS
at the last meeting: Past Chsef,
Nellie Sturm; excellent chief, Ber7
nice Radford; manager, Mabel
Seckman; NJ Of r. and G, Flora
yassar; mistress of finance, V1r-
ginia Vassar; Excellent junior,
Laura Wilmo tn; protector, Adelta
sVassar; guard, Cora Harvey. The
Pythian Sisters district conven-
ton will be held m at Watson
Thursday IS Is 5
Aged Citizen Dies.
BENJAMIN Griffin, highly respect
ed citizen OF Oak Dale near here,
died at his home last Tuesday eve-
ming. Mr. Griffin had been an IN
valid for many years. Mr.. Griffin
was 68 years old and is survived by
the following sons Scott Griffin of
Joetown, William OF Grangeyille,
Charles of mberport, James or.
sWilsonburg, Leslie OF Utah, and
Carson and Ira of OakdaIe. The
funeral was held at his late home
on Thursday morning, with burial
following in the Cunningham
Cemetery.
E.s55 Personals
IA harIes Gifforl, who has been re-
c1eving surgical treatment at a
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-12

at Colfax for the: past ten days
where he is engaged in a series
of revival meetings for the NJ P.
congregation.
Mr.. ana Mrs. Eli Lancaster.
who had been visiting relatives
near here for several days, have
returned to their home at Host-
burg, Md.
Mrs. Junior Stuck OF Fairmont
was the guest of Mr.. and MN.
John Sheets on Wednesday of last
week.
w. s.. Sypult and Harl:n Wat
kins were business visitors in
Parkersburg few days OF this
week
The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-12

burg recently where t5tey assisted
tns haptsr in that ctty to organize
degree stair IN the paTty we're
Mrs. Al. Il VaSsar, Mrs. Austin
fSTaikingt Irs. Gertrude Mar
Mrs. AZ B Harvey and the Misses
Virginia and flora VassarsS Az
From hdoraantoWn IN
sHertzog. lillian Lucas,
Carney Borgess., George II5ggin-
botham and Richard Cole returned
the last of the week from Morgan
town where they attended West
Virginia University the past year.
To. Attend School
@ ISIS Catherine Harvey daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. A. B. Harvey, viii
leave the latter part OF this month
for Madison, Wis. where she VIII
enter the University OF Wisconsin
for the summer term.
With Mrs. Grim
Mrs, W. B. Grim will be hostess
to the Ladies' Aid Society of the
Christian church tomorrow eve
ming. a full attendance of the mem
bership is epected as there is busi-
ness of Importance to be transact
ed .3s%;., \
To ountry Home
Mrs: A. e. Allen, her son John
and her sister, Miss Eva Rada-
baugh, left the last OF the week for
Deer Park, Md, where they will
Lspend some time at the Allen
farms, which are located near that
place. va
Home From Hospital
Antonio Viggiano, who had been
; ~
Hospital at Baltimore, has return
ed to the home of his parents, Mr..
and Mrs. Pater Vaggino in Malon
street. He seems to be much bene-
fitted by his treatment at the hos
pital.
Annual Alumni Outing
Shinnston High School alumni
have chosen tomorrow evening as
the date for the annual outing OF
the year The party Will leave on a
special car following the o'clock
car for Honeysuckle Hut. near
near harrisburg. A special chicken
supper will be served the guests.
Dancing and other diversions have
been planned for the program for
the evenings entertainment.
To Attend Schools.
agE-S1Su6l hGSd1Ly Will tSetf We III = 81
few days for Athens, Ohio, where
he will attend the Ohio university
for the summer term. Mrs. Nc
Carly, who, as well as her husband
is member of the local school ia
Guilty, will go to Salem for the sum
mer teachers course.
SILK Company incorporated
A certificate of incorporation
from Houston G.. Young, secretary
of state, has been issued to the in
corporators OF the Redgie SILK &C.,
of this city and has been filed at
the county clerks's office. The com
pany Will sell and trade silk, man
ufacture six thread and cloth. The
capital of the corporation is $4,000
The incorporators are c.. p. Hood,
j. S. 5Nfaloy, C. f. Lucas William J.
S. and H. p. Boone, all of whom
are 1bcal citizens.
Six O'clock Dinner Guests.
On Thursday evening. Miss Els
tel1e Randall entertained number
of friends at six O'Clock dinner of
pretty appointments. Covers We're
laid for Miss Lucille Tough of Fair
mont, the Misses Margaret HiGgtn-
Ebotham, Marshaline Randall, Mil
bred Grim and Grace Martin.
Moving to Warrington
Mr.. and Mrs. w. K. McCray are
moving to Warrington, where the
former has been transferred by the
South Penn Oil compay by whom
he is employed. Mr., and Mrs Nc
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18

little vending machine upon the coul.
ter, and he dropped In penny and Ga
q box of matches and put them in hi.
pocket. Efyf
He mailed the card and turned back
to Astor street; and he walked NOR,
swiftly now. having come to his dec.
sion, and only shot one quick look IL;
at the house as he approached 1t. Win
what had his father shut himself u,
within that house for twenty years
And was 1t there still? And was il
from that that Benjamin Corvet La,
fled? He saw no one in the street
and was certain no one. was observn,
him as, taking the key from his pocket
he ran up the steps and unlocked til,
outer door Holding this door opei
to get the light from the street lamp
he fitted the key into the inner door
then he closed the outer door. For full
ly a minute, with fast beating heart
and sense of expectation of he knew
not what, he kept his hand upon the
key before he turned it; then he
opened the door and stepped into the
dark and silent house.
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18
LET IT GO

She was wearing what's known as a
dress.
Though there wasn't enough for a
mess.
Two galluses slender
Naught else to defend 'er
From cold, She could scarce wear less.
What mentioned was north of her
waist.
Down below-let us pass it in haste.
For her skirts were SO gauzy
They showed you-oh lawzy!
To be frank 'twere the grossest of
taste.
To her hubby she whispered: "Say
kid!
Some part of my rigging has slid"
He replied with scoff:
well, let it come off
Nobody would know if it did"
Old Pspers-For Sale at this office.
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18

upper part of the desk. as ftr .~,viriN
opened them he found entirely empty
He hurried to the cnbInet the draw
ers Of the cabinet too had been forced
and very recently: for the scars and
the splinters Of wood were clean and
fresh. These drawers and the draw
ers in the lower part of The desk
either We're empty, or the papers in
them had been dIsarranged and tum-
hled in confusion. as though some one
had examined them hastily and tossed
them back. To Alan. the marks Of
violence and roughness were unmis-
takably the work of. the man with the
big hands who hnd left marks upor
the top of the chest of drawers: and
the feeling that he had been in tie
house very recently was stronger than
ever.
Alan ran out into the hall and lis
tened: he heard 40 sound but he went
back to the little room more excited
than before. For what had the other
man been searching? For the same
things which Alan was looking for?
And had the other man got them?
Who might the other he, and what
might he his connection with Benja-
min Corvet? Alan had no doubt that
everything of Importance must have
been taken away. but he would make
sure of that. He took some of the pa
pers from the drawers and began to
examine them; after nearly an hour
of this. he had found only one article
which appeared connected in any way
with what Sheriff. had told him or
with Alan himself. In one Of the little
drawers of the desk he found several
books, much worn as though from
being carried in pocket, and one Of
these contained series sof entries
stretching over several years. These
listed an unt-S15O-opposite Sc
ries of dates with only the year and
the month given, and there was an
entry for every second month.
Alan felt his fingers trembling as he
turned the pages of the little book
and found at the end of the list
blank, and below, IN the same hand
but in writing which had changed
slightly with the passage of years, an
other date and the confirming entry of
$500. Alan looked through the little
book again and put it in his pocket.
1t was, beyond doubt, his fathers
memorandum of the sums sent to Blue
Rapids for Alan; it told him that here
he had been in his fathers thoughts.
He grew warm at the thought as lie
began putting the other things back
into the drawers.
He started and Strengthened sudden
ly; then he listened attentively. and
his skin, warm an instant before.
turned cold and prickled. Somewhere
within the house, Enthusiastically on the
floor below him. a door had slammed.
Some one-it was beyond question
now, for the realization was quite diff
ferent from the feeling he had had
about that before-was in the house
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18

yet, since Sheriff. had told elm ne was
Corvet's son, had called him by name;
when they did, what would they call
him? Alan Conrad still? Or Alan
Corvet?
He noticed, up a street to the west,
he lighted sign of drug store anu
turned up that way; he had PROMISED
he had recollected now, TO write 10
those in kansas-he could not
all them father and mother an!
uore-and tell them what he had DIS
'oyered as soon as he arrived. lie
'ould not tell them that, but he could
write them at least that he had ar
lived safely and was well. He bought
! postcard In the drug store, and wrote
ust. Arrived safely; am weiI TO
In weIton In Kansas. There was
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18

with him. Was it his father
who had come back? That. though
not impossible. seemed improbable.
Alan stopped quickly, unlaced and
stripped off his shoes, and ran out
into the hall to the head of the stairs,
where he looked down and listened
From here the sound Of some one NOV
Ing about came to him distinctly; he
could see no light below, but when he
ran down to the turn of the stairs, 1t
became plain that there was n very
dim and Pickering light in the library.
He crept on farther down the stair
case. His hands were cold and moist
from his excitement, and his body was
hot and trembling.
ITO be continued)
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18
SOME COAL FACTS
Wages and Living Conditions

This is the second of a series of four
articles written by Mr.. j. A. H. Hop
kins, Executive Chairman of the Com
mittee of 4s, for the National Bureau
of Information and Education. These
articles are based upon personal in
vestigation by Mr.. Hopkins.
In my last article pointed out
that the conditions under which the
miners live and the wage scale under
which they are employed are funda.
mental factors which must be intel
ligently adjusted as the first steps in
arriving at our overhead costs and in
formulating a course of procedure
leading to the ultimate solution of
the entire coal situation.
The miners live in so-called houses
provided by the operators, containing
from two to five rooms each. These
houses are mere shacks built of thin
clapboards plastered inside, but with
no lights except kerosene lamps, no
running water, no toilet facilities,
and no heat except open CRATES. They
are built upon uneven ground, with
out cellars, many of them on piles,
which makes it impossible to heat
them properly even though the miners
burn as much as four tons of coal
every six weeks. The shacks are from
100 feet to one-fourth of a mile dis
tant from open tanks erected in the
middle of the mining towns, from
which all the water must be carried
in pals. They are built on sharp de-
clivities almost as steep as railroad
embankments, which are difficult to
climb at any season and require
creepers during the winter months.
No attempt is made to level the
ground, even though the immense
piles of slate and other refuse from
the mines could be readily dumped
into the hollows. The houses are
painted a monotonous color, usually
red, with no attempt at decoration or
relief. With few exceptions the min
ing towns are without any grass,
trees, or other vegetation. There are
no sewerage arrangements. The out
side toilets, which are miserable
boxes, are however cleaned each year.
The operatives have right to de-
mand that these conditions be reme-
died. From the standpoint of eff
cheney the public has right to make
the same demand; and it would also
be advantageous to the operators
themselves to establish decent.
healthy, and attractive housing facil-
tiles.
In considering the wage scale it is
necessary to explain that the "day
men" are paid by the day; the "min-
ers", that is the men who actually
dig out the coal from the veins, by
the ton,; and an analysis seems to
show that both of these methods as
heretofore practiced, are open TO con-
siderable criticism both from the op-
orators and the miners standpoint.
The day men" in the non-union
mines in 1916 received slightly less
than the union men, but by 1919 the
increase in the cost of living and the
demand for coal had resulted in re-
versing these figures so that the nom
union miners then received $3.50 per
day against the union scale of $3.50.
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18
Copyright by Edwin Bol
SYNOPSIS

CHAPTER I.-wealthy and highly
placed in the Chicago business world,
Benjamin Corvet is something of a re-
After stormy interview with his part
ner. Henry Spearman, Corvet seeks Con-
stance Sheriff.. daughter of his other
secures from her promise not to marry
Spearman. He then disappears. Sheriff.
learns Corvet has written to a certain
Alan Conrad, in Blue Rapids, Kansas
and exhibited strange agitation over the
matter.
CHAPTER II.ACorvet's letter summons
Conrad. youth of unknown parentage.
to Chicago.
CHAPTER III-From a statement of
Sheriff. it seems probable Conrad is Cor
vets illegitimate son. Corvet has decided
his house and its contents to Alan.
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18


creature of whom Alan had heard but
least, received and handed things
through him, and took their orders
from him.
What Sheriff. had told Alan of his
father had been iterating itself again
and again in Alan's thoughts; now he
recalled that Sheriff. had said that his
daughter believed that Corvet's dis
appearance had had something to do
with her. Alan had wondered at the
moment how that could be; and as he
watched her across the table and now
and then exchanged comment with
her, 1t puzzled him still more. He
had opportunity to ask her when she
waited with him In the library, after
dinner was finished and her mother
had gone upstairs but he did not see
then how to go about it.
I'm sorry" she said to him. that
we can't be home tonight; but perhaps
you would rather be alone7"
He did not answer that.
"Have you picture here. Miss Sher-
HC dShCu-
Uncle Benny had had very few pic
lures taken but there is one here"
She went into the study and came
back with a book open at a half-tone
picture of Benjamin Corvet. Alan took
1t from her and carried it quickly
closer to the light. The face thm
looked up to him from the heavily
glazed page was regular of feature,
handsome in way, and forceful.
There were Imagination and vigor of
thought In the broad, smooth fore
head; the eyes were strangely moody
and brooding; the mouth was gentle.
rather kindly; 1t was queerly I'M
pelling, haunting face This was his
father! But, as Alan held the picture,
gazing down upon 1t, the only emotion
which came to him was realization that
he felt none. He had no emotion of
any sort; he could not attach to this
man. because he bore the name which
some one had told him was his ia
ther's, the passions which, when
dreaming of his father, he had felt.
Alan stood still a moment longer,
then, remembering the book which he
held, he drew chair up to the light,
and read the short, dry biography of
his father printed on the page oppo-
site the portrait. 1t summarized In
a few hundred words his fathers life.
Alan shut the book and sat thought
full. The tall clock in the hall struck
nine. He got up and went out into
the hall and asked for his hat and
coat. When they had been brought
him, he put them on and went out
He went down the steps and to the
corner and turned west to Astor street
When he reached the house of his IA
ther he stopped under a street lamp
looking up at the big, stern old man.
sion Questioningly.
He could not call up any sense that
the house was his. any more than he
had been able to when Sheriff. had
told him of 1t. He own a house OH
that street! Yet was that In Itself
any more remarkable than that he
should he the guest. the friend Of such
people as the Sherrills? No one as
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18

Since tnen the nOn-unlOn mines have
repeatedly cut wages, so that when
the strike was called on April /, 1922,
the non-union men were only receiv-
ing $5.05 whereas the union men were
still receiving $3.50.
But it is very misleading to deal
with this question simply on the basis
of a daily wage. The miner has to
live 365 days year. The minimum
cost of living for the average family
with even comparatively decent sur
roundings is between $500 and $4,000.
If the miner worked every day in
the year except Sundays at $3.50 per
day he would have no cause for COM
plant. But the fact is that the
mines are shut down a good part of
the time, becau they work inter-
mittently, and the union mines in a
series of years have not averaged over
200 days, while the non-union mines
seek to justify their lower wage by
claiming that they work close to 800
days, which would produce prac tically
the same result.
The real difficulty, however, lies in
the fact that the number of days re-
fers to the number of days that the
mine is open, and not necessarily to
the number of days each miner is en-
ployed. Furthermore, the operators,
even were they willing to do So OBJ
viously cannot guarantee to the min
ers any specific numbers of days
work. This situation has been aggra-
waited by the fact that during 1921
the average working days fell far be-
low normal, averaging probably about
l25 days, or less than $1,000 per an
mum.
A solution of this difficulty would
seem to lie in applying the ordinary
business principle of employing min
ers by the month, with the under
standing that they must be given
months notice if they are laid off.
The monthly compensation they re-
ceive, whether or not they are laid off
incidentally during the month. to be
exactly one-twelfth of the annual
standardized cost of living agreed
upon. Of course this would carry
with it the obligation on the part of
the miner to work by the month and
would mean that he forfeited his
months wages if he left his work be-
fore the month was up.
These suggestions apply to the "day
men,. The miners, as already ex-
planned, are paid by the ton, but un-
der a system of this kind it is still
more difficult to work out a solution
which will insure to the miner a con-
tinuous daily wage equal to the cost
OF living. And Notwithstanding the
operatives preference for tonnage
basis, practical solution of this
problem appears to lie in adjusting
the miners compensation on the basis
of monthly wage, thus putting all
the, employees of the mine under the
same system. This would, of course,
involve abolishing the tonnage system
altogether, but would standardize
both the cost and the wages upon a
mutually equitable basis.
In close connection with this uues-
tion is the disputed checking system.
The unions demand that the operators
deduct the union dues Of each miner
from his monthly wages and paw it
Continued from page four)
The Elk Mountain pilot., 1922-05-18

Old P.psrs-For Sale at this office.
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-07
LIBERTY.

Lars Myre was a Puposky caller
Friday.
Incre were state examinations in
the Long Lane scnoOl InurSus.y ana
rA0ay. Ane e4gnun graucrS are. Mem
neln DecKer, Marle ma rrltze Lick
son.
Carl Sundt and family were call
erS at the nome OF Mr. anu MRS. her-
man klasen on Sunday.
Albert Larson Was guest OF C..
Petrle on SUNDAY. :,
Robert ana t'rltzie Erickson were
callers Sunday with kenneth Becker.
JoDn r'arDtr Was Gamer at the
home of herman klasen on Sunday.
Carl Sunuu ana family were ca4I-
ers at the Peter Utter nome on SUM-
day.
MIR. and Mrs. Hiram Flanders and
son, John. ie1t Ter their new nome
at fuposky after spenulng The VIM
ter here IN Liberty. JACK Erickson
moved tncm over to rupOsky on Mon
day.
rete Utter and family spent
Sunday at the Herman klasen home.
Mrs. Hiram Elan ters called on MRS.
P. Utter Sunday morning.
Albert Lauson made a short cal!
at hiram FLANDERS on Sunday.
Mrs. Florence Annonson was a
caller at the August Becker home
Thursday Of last week.
The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-04-07
PARK RAPIDS

The money available for the salary
Of our county nurse has nearly been
used and a number of the citizens are
asking the county commissioners to
appropriate sufficient sum to keep
her until the work she is engaged in
is at least partly accomplished. She
has been the most efficient of any ONE
we have had in that line and it would
be a pity to lose her now.
Mrs. Abbott, wife of the new Epis-
copal minister, has organized COM
pany Of girl scouts. Enough have
signed to make it success but there
has not as yet been any organization.
Our county nurse will hold nutri-
tional clinics at Park Rapids, Nevis
and Akeley the week after Easter.
Following that, tuberculosis and gen.
eral clinics will be put on at the same
places with moving pictures and an
expert from the state to aid. Announ-
cements of these will be made later.
The Boy Scouts are already pretty
we'll organized and are we'll situated
in their rooms under the library.
Whent they have little more train
ing they will be able to do some good
work and we expect to hear good
reports.
Many automobiles are running here
with the old licenses and some with
none at all. It is a dangerous thing
to do and something is bound to drop
sooner or later. It is always safest
and makes the least trouble to obey
law.