The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-06
HEROIC FIGHTERS ON MINE
FRONT MUST HAVE RELIEF
TO CARRY ON STRUGGLE

CONTINUED FROM FACE oNEI
--------------------
through one OF the most desperate
battles of American labor history.
Send your contribution to the Penn
sylvania- Ohio-West virginia. Ken
lucky Striking Miners Relief Com
nittee, Gil Penn Ave, Pittsburgh,
Pa, Room 205.
1t is difficult to describe the atmos-
phere Of war time, the tenseness,
which prevails over the steep, green
hills of Harlan County. Everyone
knows Of the bloody struggle when
miners shot it out with the gunner
attacking them at Evarts some time
ago. Then there was the period OF
martial law, and then the attempt
of the company gunner, deputized
professional killers, TO terrorize the
community after the soldiers had
given up the job. These gunner
were licked. Their morale was shot
to pieces in innumerable little con-
flicts, and they permitted big
miners picnic ODE held week ago.
Things looked bright for the dis
trict conference Of the union. Hun
dreds of delegates were elected from
all the mines.
But a force OF about 10 thugs, or
gained, with their own commonder,
came in just after the picnic was
held. After the conference Sunday
your correspondent sat with three
of the strikers hunted leaders in the
bushes on a hillside and watched
this foreign" army going from its
concentration point back to its head
quarters in Harlan. First was a
scout car, with men armed with ma
chine guns in it. There we're ten
cars with the arnlored and heavily
armed gangsters in them. The last
of this ten carries two airplane ma
chine guns, Lewis guns, so arranged
on the rumble seat that they can
sweep fore and aft and along both
sides. Last came a guard car,
also with machine guns. This gang
travels like that usually. It is ac-
companied by local deputies as
guides. The gangsters have boosted,
and everybody in Harlan County
knows Of the contract the gangsters
have made with the coal operators:
SO much day for ordinary terror,
raiding Of whole communities, search
ing of houses and destruction of all
the miners guns and ammunition;
dynamiting Of houses and dynan1it-
ing Of strikers automobiles. But
there was special bonus if they
could prevent the meeting of the
conference. Well, they have lost
that bonus. There is a bonus of
$1,000 hung up if they can kill Dan
Brooks, most prominent of the strike
leaders, within ten days. There is a
similar amount for the death of
Grace, another leader. So far they
have not been able to collect these
bonuses, either.
But it is not because they have not
made efforts. Three times within the
last week they have had the central
strike committee surrounded, and
each time by better knowledge Of the
country, and by such clever strate-
gems as men think Of in the shadow
Of death, the members Of the COM
mittee have escaped. Brooks and
most of the local leaders are in hid
ing most or all of the time. Many
times they have nearly been cap
tured. There is no doubt that most
of them would be summarily shot on
capture.
An example of the temper OF these
gunner can be seen from one Incl
dent. A stool pigeon tipped off the
proposed meeting place of the strike
committee. The committee did not
meet there, but the gunner came
shooting in, tearing through the door
and smashing the whole interior of
the building, in their eagerness and
rage.
Saturday night and Sunday the
imported and local gunner joined
forces, divided into groups Of eight
or ten with two cars per group, and
patrolled all the roads leading to
Wallirs Greek. They stopped every
body, delegate or not, even the ice
man, searched them, confiscated all
arms, and drove most of them back
the way they we're coming. When
ths conference actually met with