The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-23
COSSACKS DRIVE
HORSES ON Boys
MASS PICKETING
Slug, Jail Men; Women
Refuse to Retreat
by a Worker Correspondent
BENTLEYVILLE, Pa, (By MaiD


BENTLEYVILLE, Pa, (By MaiD.
i am not very good at writing
stories. You can fix this up.
At Bentleyville, Pa, March 30, a
motion was carried for a meeting of
the United Mine Workers of America.
About 300 were present. A motion
was carried that everybody should be
ready for mass picketing, Monday,
April 2, at o'clock.
Henchmen.
Before the motion was carried a
couple of Lewis men got up and said
that we should wait until Sunday at
the mass meeting to see what our
officials of the United Mine Workers
of America of District 5, had to say
about mass picketing.
The mass meeting was held at
Bentleyville. About 1000 strikers
and sympathizers were present. But
the officials did not mention thing
1bout picketing or about anything else
that would benefit the strikers. The
strikers did not keep order because
the speakers told us the old story of
"how, when and where" the United
Mine Workers was organized, and all
that stuff
Boys, Girls Sing.
Some girls and boys, mostly from
Bentleyville, sang some songs and
gave yells after each speaker. They
said we could not sing, but we did
anyway. One of the officials made
mistake and clapped for US.
Money for Music.
The officials don't give any money
to the strikers. They are always cut
ting down on the little they are giving
out. But they have money to hire
bands to play at the meetings they
address.
Monday morning many of the young
workers showed up on the picket line.
With a number of girls and bows and
strikers we started out with our signs,
Down with Charles Schwab and his
open shop SYSTEM" and seven other
signs that would hurt the big bosses.
We picketed the Acme mine of the
Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Going
down we sang songs, Hold the Fort"
and Solidarity and called to the
men going to work that they should
come out and join the union.
After we had passed Acme Mine ON
our way to Hillman Mine,- not far
from Acme, two state cops came up
and stopped US. They said to the bow
who was carrying our biggest sign,
Lets see that damn sign" Then he
asked for all the signs. We did not
want them trampled on, it took us
too long to make them. We weren't
going to break up either. But the
cops trampled on them with their
horses when they made us throw our
signs down. Two of our strikers told
them to let us go thru, but the brutal
police caught George Maran by the
collar and struck him with club
about yard long. Then the other
cop told George Pekovich and another
striker to get a move on. Then he
started to go after him with his horse
Then two of the brutal cops started
aICer the boys again, going after a
paralyzed boy who could not run and
knocking him down in a ditch with
their horses. Brother George saw
this and spoke to the state cops about
it. The cop said: whats the matter
with you?" and struck him again
with his club.
The case of the two strikers was
called for 10 o'clock, then for one
o'clock, then for 8 O'Clock. When we
arrived at Ellsworth for the trial If
was all over. All the cops testified
against US with lies, calling us all
zlnds Of names. They fined the
strikers $40 each, but the men re-
solved not to pay it and STAYED over
night in jail. They stayed SO hours in
jail without bite to eat.
The next day we got the officials
out of JAIL but they had to be coaxed
great deal before they could be per-
Fuaded to leave it.
--AGON.