The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-09-13

Ter No. mines was registering so
pounds light ON EACH car of coal. He
reported this and compelled the COM
pany to correct the scales, thus cost
ing the company thousands OF dol
lars out Of which they were swindling
the miners. Sci al
Within few days after Johnson
had compelled the correction of the
scales, the company discovered that
under the contract with the union on
ly one checkweighman is entitled to
work at the pit-head for the miners,
and Johnson was forthwith notified by
the company that he would not be
permitted to weigh coal. Johnson was
put off the job.
But the amount of coal dug was too
much for the single checkweighman
to weigh, and he notified Corbishley,
president Of the local union, that he
could not weigh the coal alone, and
walked off the job. Corbishley i'm
mediately went down and told the
men in the mine that their coal was
not being weighed by any check
weighman.
The men threw down their picks
and came up out Of the pit, and an
outlaw" strike was on.
Corbishley called a mass meeting.
It was pointed out that the contract
required that the men keep on work
ing until the case could be settled,
and Corbishley advised the men in
the mass meeting to continue work
accordingly, which they decided to do.
Union Officials to the Rescue Of the
Bosses.
The sub-district president and vice.
president, Fox and Cobb, immediate
ly came to the rescue Of the COM
panys right to rob the miners. They
removed Corbishley as president of
the local, and Mat Cernovich as Sec
rotary, and called upon the local union
to hold special meeting to elect new
officers. The meeting was held on
August IL:
Fox and Cobb came to the union
meeting, Cobb carrying blackjack in
his pocket. Their tool, Alex Hargis,
came carrying gun.
The two sub-district union officials
made lame speeches showing that
they had no interest in the affair ex-
cept to protect the company in the
right to short weight the miners. The
miners were angered and the discus
sion became. heated. Thereupon Cobb
lost his head and pulled the black
jack from his pocket. A coal digger
jumped on him and jerked the weap-
on from his hand, and this incident
created a disturbance.
In the excitement, Alex Hargis,
with the gun in his pocket, worked
his way toward the door, After max
ing sure Of his getaway, with one
foot on the Stairway, Hargis turned,
drew his gun and began firing point
blank into the crowd of union miners
a few feet away.
A bullet from Hargis' gun tore thru
the entrails of Mike Sarovich, who
fell mortally wounded, to die in the
hospital later. 1as
The long trail of treachery had
Preached the point of murder.
Prosecute the Victims, Not the Guilty
Right away the cowardly Cobb
(who, needless to say, was roughly
handled by the workers in the scrim.
mage) ran screaming to the capital.
list courts to wreak vengeance upon
the workers. twenty-five of the best
most outstanding figures among the
members Of Zeigler Local Union No
992 were arrested on Cobb's com
plant and charged with conspiracy
to murder"
Later this charge was dropped, but
Is of the miners are being prosecuted
for assault with intent to KILL" with
Cobb as complaining witness.
OF course, Frank Harrington, the
inside scab", who serves the coal
companies from the advantage of his
position as district president of the
union, has declared that he will back
up the prosecution of the workers
with all his resources, including the
treasury of the Mine Workers Union
An old Fight Flames Again.
This is not the first time that blood
has flowed in the mine fields of South
ern Illinois. The trouble goes back
twenty years, to 1905, when the big
Zeigler mine was opened under the
ownership of Joe Letter, who began
armed warfare against the unioniza
ton Of the plant. Gunfre has been
heard before both at zeigler and the
nearby historic town Of Herrin. Out
of the terrific struggle have emerged
some Of the best men ever known to
the labor movement-and also some
of the worst inside scabs that ever
worked for the bosses within the Mine
Workers Union.
1t is safe to say that among the
best are Henry Corbishley and the
others of the fifteen heroes who
face the danger of long prison terms
at Zeigler, and among the worst are
the scabs and company gunner who
with Frank Harrington at their head
control this district of the United
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