The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-08-13
Progressive Miners
 Sued For $2OO, ,OOO
Oklahoma Resident Seeks Damages for Being Crip-
 pied for Life in Coal Field Assault

pied for life by an assault in Aug ust. 1883.
 Individual officers and members of the First District, Progressive Miners are also named as defend- ants, to a total of moro than 3eO. Tort judgment arc demanded, 50 that victory for the plaintiff will make the homes of the defendants subject to levy to satisfy the judg- sments.
 Chief among the individual de. fendants are William Neck, pres ident: Lloyd Thrush, vice.prepident and Sylvester L.. Jones, secretary treasurer of the Tirst District, Pro- gressive Miners of America.
 This action filed to-day follows the same legal course as the action filed last February in the same federal court by Alvin Karnes. of Madispnviile, Ky, for $200,000 damages. against the same organ izdtion, and many of the same indi- vidual defendants.
 Scheduled for early trial, that action is based upon famous de. cision of the United States Supreme court in the Danbury matters case. In that epochal case, the supreme court held that the responsible de- Pendants include the actual parti- cipants, those who encouraged, and those who ratifled the offenses up- on which the action was based. Encouragement and ratification were held by the high court to in- clude all of the dues paying mem bers Of the defendant union, inas- much as their money was used with their Knowledge and consent in committing the offenses.
 Since the filing of the Kari1es suit, there has ben a very notice able decrease in the number of acts of violence in the region which had ben stricken by reign of ter TOT for more than two years. Punctuated with slugging, stab- ping, shooting, bombing, arson, and murders. the Illinois coal fields had ! been the scenes, of ceaseless g,ier- fila warfare in the efforts of the progressives to prevent operation oi coal mines by members of the Uni. ted Mine Workers of America. 1 Two hundred and twenty-six spe- cific acts of violence during the period from September 25, 1882, tc January 27, 1885, are listed in the action filed to-day by Jacob Henry Baker, who-unlike Alvin Karnet twas not a member of the United Mine Workers. He was a carpenter
 But since the filing of the Karnef suit, acts of violence have been poradi0 Though they have not en. tirely ceased, they have been few and far between.
 Those who are charged with vio- lence by the progressives is beine met by law on the part of the Uni ted Mine Workers, and it is Federal Law which is beyond the scope of local influence.
 Thurlow c. Lewis, of Benton, III; Scerial Thompson, of Harrisburg, and c. L. Grant, of Springfield, are counsel for the plaintiff in the ac- ton filed to-day.
 Charging consiparcy against the defendant union and its officers and members, the bill declares that jointly and severally the defendants have sought by violence to prevent the operation of coal mines. I Baker, the plaintiff, was the vic tim of a violent aHsault in August E1933, while riding in his automo. bile near Harrisburg, H., accom-. panied by his wife and three daughters. His only offense wal that he was suspected of sympath- .izing with the United Mine Work l CTS.
 He charges that group of the defendants. including Charles Cad dis, John Gaddis. Jess Malone, AL phus Reder, and Russell Silvers, attacked him with guns. shootins him soseverely that his left arm, had to De amputated, crippling him for life, and making is Impossible