The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-24
DRUNKEN SCABS'
BULLETS FLYING
NEAR CHILDREN
Constabulary Refuse to
Protect Union Miners

kllGs SCdDSf WIdpDCu lllSlHSClNNS ellObiAA
a load Of Tom Smiths booze and got
quarpelling over his ladies of easy viz
tue/ and under the influence of those
two incentives started to shoot up the
town, the "yellow dogs" and the state
Cossacks always managed to find a
union miner upon whom to lay the
blame for the shooting.
Miners Unarmed.
The union miners were unarmed
physically by virtue of the law of the
land Evidently the high-salaried of
ficials of the Lewis machine read
their scripture carefully, so when a
union miner was slapped on one cheek
by a scab or a coal company thug,
he was advised to turn the other
cheek. But apparently there is a
limit to the patience of the coal dig
gers in Kenloch.
Ditch Christianity.
The striking miners got tired play
ing the role of punching bags. So
one fine day when half dozen scabs
attacked an equal number of pickets
in their shanty, the fists flew both
ways and the scabs flew for reinforce
ments.
One hundred and fifty scabs
marched on the union barracks while
most of the union men were absent.
They got hold of striker and pro-
ceeded to beat him up. Richard Nut
tall, an active member of Local Union
1880, telephoned to state constabu-
larry lieutenant, asking him to come
and protect the defenseless strikers
from the horde of scabs and coal and
iron police.
A Striker Not An American
In the meantime Nuttall was ar
rested by the coal and iron police and
at the point of a gun warned to keep
his mouth shut. Despite Nuttall's in
sistence on his rights Of expression
as an American citizen, native-born at
that, the company thugs advised him
that his American nativity meant
nothing in Kenloch. A striking coal
digger was an outlaw and could be
beaten into pulp with impunity.
When the state constabulary lieu
tenant arrived, Nuttall tried to make
himself heard and with the permission
Of the trooper started to talk A coal
and iron thug ordered him to shut up
and the trooper concurred INITIAL
was taken in machine to the county
jail with a coal and iron policeman
holding a gun pointed at his face
Nuttall was held in the Greensburg
Jail over night and released the fol-
lowing morning on condition that he
would stay away from the company
house where his wife and children
were living and not to speak to any
one, not even to his neighbors. When
Nuttall told the sheriff who was elect
ed by the miners, that he wanted to
see his wife the sheriff said "you are
nothing but damned agitator," Nut
tall got out and did the right thing.
He went back to the patch" the
company property on which the
houses are built and kept on talking.
That is the story of one incident.
Protect Bawdy House.
Here is another one.
While the striking miners were still
IN the company house even tho the
water and light were shut off and
they were denied supply of coal,
Tom Smiths company house No. 7
was running full blast under the pro-
lection of the Valley Camp Coal Com
pany, the state constabulary and the
sheriff.
One day two scab miners began
quarrelling over one of the female in
mates and guns were brought into
play. The Nuttall kids were PLAYING
on the street opposite Number 6, their
home. The children's aunt who ran
boarding house at Nos. l and 2
rusned out and took the Youngest
child IN her arms and had not time
to shut the door of her home when a
scab with smoking automatic in his
hand tried to break in. AS she tried
to shut the door in his face he aimed
and fired, the bullet passing between
her face and the babys.
The scab then rushed over to the
Nuttall home and got in the back
door, still with the gun in his hand
When Mrs. Nuttall ordered "the
damned scab to get out of her house"
he threatened to shoot her. She ran
out on the street and got her hus-
band, who finally succeeded in getting
the scab gunman off the premises.
This booze and bawdy joint was
run with the full knowledge of county
and state officials and revenue Off
GERS stationed in the county were I'M
Wiling to raid the place tho it con-
stltuted menace to the lives of the
miners and their wives and children.
~ Cut Scabs Wages.
These are only few instances of
what is taking place in the strike re-
gion.
The latest and most striking devel-
opment in Kenloch took place last
Friday when the Valley Camp Coal
Company cut the wages Of the scabs