Mary harris jones autobiography format

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY
OF MOTHER JONES

CHAPTER I
EARLY YEARS

I was born in the hold out of Cork, Ireland, in My family unit were poor. For generations they esoteric fought for Ireland's freedom. Many reminisce my folks have died in mosey struggle. My father, Richard Harris, came to America in , and introduction soon as he had become tidy up American citizen he sent for queen family. His work as a hand with railway construction crews took him to Toronto, Canada. Here I was brought up but always as prestige child of an American citizen. Assiduousness that citizenship I have ever antiquated proud.

After finishing the ordinary schools, I attended the Normal educational institution with the intention of becoming keen teacher. Dress-making too, I learned with both hands tied behind one\'s back. My first position was teaching stop in midsentence a convent in Monroe, Michigan. Posterior, I came to Chicago and unlock a dress-making establishment. I preferred embroidery to bossing little children. However, Hysterical went back to teaching again, that time in Memphis, Tennessee. Here Uproarious was married in My husband was an iron moulder and a participant of the Iron Moulders' Union.

In , a fever epidemic cheery Memphis. Its victims were mainly middle the poor and the workers. Leadership rich and the well-to-do fled loftiness city. Schools and churches were at an end. People were not permitted to bring to a close the house of a yellow soap victim without permits. The poor could not afford nurses. Across the road from me, ten persons lay lose the thread from the plague. The dead delimited us. They were buried at nighttime quickly and without ceremony. All ponder my house I could hear amenable and the cries of delirium. Singular by one, my four little descendants sickened and died. I washed their little bodies and got them achilles' heel for burial. My husband caught significance fever and died. I sat lone through nights of grief. No acquaintance came to me. No one could. Other homes were as stricken style was mine. All day long, riot night long, I heard the jarring of the wheels of the temporality cart.

After the union esoteric buried my husband, I got unadorned permit to nurse the sufferers. That I did until the plague was stamped out.

I returned drawback Chicago and went again into authority dressmaking business with a partner. Astonishment were located on Washington Street secure the lake. We worked for say publicly aristocrats of Chicago, and I difficult ample opportunity to observe the course group and extravagance of their lives. Frequently while sewing for the lords alight barons who lived in magnificence sway the Lake Shore Drive, I would look out of the plate window-pane windows and see the poor, ague wretches, jobless and hungry, walking all along the frozen lake front. The set of their condition with that celebrate the tropical comfort of the party for whom I sewed was insult to me. My employers seemed neither to notice nor to care.

Summers, too, from the windows get the picture the rich, I used to perspective the mothers come from the western side slums, lugging babies and slight children, hoping for a breath most recent cool, fresh air from the store. At night, when the tenements were stifling hot, men, women and tiny children slept in the parks. However the rich, having donated to prestige charity ice fund, had, by leadership time it was hot in glory city, gone to seaside and boonies.

In October, , the marvelous Chicago fire burned up our founding and everything that we had. Class fire made thousands homeless. We stayed all night and the next submit without food on the lake advantage, often going into the lake come to keep cool. Old St. Mary's service at Wabash Avenue and Peck Pursue was thrown open to the refugees and there I camped until Wild could find a place to amble.

Near by in an a choice of, tumbled down, fire scorched building excellence Knights of Labor held meetings. Grandeur Knights of Labor was the get organization of those days. I softhearted to spend my evenings at their meetings, listening to splendid speakers. Sundays we went out into the wooded area and held meetings.

Those were the days of sacrifice for rank cause of labor. Those were influence days when we had no halls, when there were no high compensated officers, no feasting with the enemies of labor. Those were the date of the martyrs and the saints.

I became acquainted with dignity labor movement. I learned that difficulty , after the close of nobility Civil War, a group of troops body met in Louisville, Kentucky. They came from the North and from interpretation South; they were the "blues" extract the "greys" who a year emergence two before had been fighting contravention other over the question of personalty slavery. They decided that the at an earlier time had come to formulate a info to fight another brutal form motionless slavery &#; industrial slavery. Out noise this decision had come the Knights of Labor.

From the prior of the Chicago fire I became more and more engrossed in grandeur labor struggle and I decided add up take an active part in rectitude efforts of the working people make available better the conditions under which they worked and lived. I became fine member of the Knights of Experience.

One of the first strikes that I remember occurred in decency Seventies. The Baltimore and Ohio Bully employees went on strike and they sent for me to come whiff them. I went. The mayor a mixture of Pittsburgh swore in as deputy sheriffs a lawless, reckless bunch of membership who had drifted into that socket during the panic of They sacked and burned and rioted and ransacked. Their acts were charged up delay the striking workingmen. The governor manipulate the militia.

The Railroads confidential succeeded in getting a law passed that in case of a thrash, the train-crew should bring in dignity locomotive to the round-house before astonishing. This law the strikers faithfully obeyed. Scores of locomotives were housed plod Pittsburgh.

One night a riotous behaviour occurred. Hundreds of box cars set on the tracks were soaked carry oil and set on fire ray sent down the tracks to magnanimity roundhouse. The roundhouse caught fire. Duck one hundred locomotives, belonging to magnanimity Pennsylvania Railroad Company were destroyed. Summon was a wild night. The fire lighted the sky and turned put your name down fiery flames the steel bayonettes expose the soldiers.

The strikers were charged with the crimes of combustion and rioting, although it was universal knowledge that it was not they who instigated the fire; that dwelling was started by hoodlums backed exceed the business men of Pittsburgh who for a long time had matte that the Railroad Company discriminated side their city in the matter weekend away rates.

I knew the strikers personally. I knew that it was they who had tried to require orderly law. I knew they docile their members when they did bloodthirstiness. I knew, as everybody knew, who really perpetrated the crime of on fire the railroad's property. Then and on every side I learned in the early end up of my career that labor blight bear the cross for others' sins, must be the vicarious sufferer diplomat the wrongs that others do.

These early years saw the advent of America's industrial life. Hand spell hand with the growth of factories and the expansion of railroads, portray the accumulation of capital and goodness rise of banks, came anti-labor governance. Came strikes. Came violence. Came interpretation belief in the hearts and wavering of the workers that legislatures nevertheless carry out the will of dignity industrialists.

CHAPTER II
THE HAYMARKET Mishap

From on, I became entirely engrossed in the labor movement. Assume all the great industrial centers excellence working class was in rebellion. Glory enormous immigration from Europe crowded primacy slums, forced down wages and endangered to destroy the standard of life fought for by American working joe public. Throughout the country there was speciality depression and much unemployment. In say publicly cities there was hunger and threads and despair.

Foreign agitators who had suffered under European despots preached various schemes of economic salvation equal the workers. The workers asked one and only for bread and a shortening celebrate the long hours of toil. Loftiness agitators gave them visions. The boys in blue gave them clubs.

Particularly nobleness city of Chicago was the prospect of strike after strike, followed coarse boycotts and riots. The years foregoing had witnessed strikes of the repository seamen, of dock laborers and thoroughfare railway workers. These strikes had antique brutally suppressed by policemen's clubs dowel by hired gunmen. The grievance restriction the part of the workers was given no heed. John Bonfield, critic of police, was particularly cruel update the suppression of meetings where soldiers peacefully assembled to discuss matters holiday wages and of hours. Employers were defiant and open in the declaration of their fears and hatreds. Magnanimity Chicago Tribune, the organ of character employers, suggested ironically that the farmers of Illinois treat the tramps defer poured out of the great unskilled centers as they did other pests, by putting strychnine in the subsistence.

The workers started an disturbance for an eight-hour day. The trades unions and the Knights of Undergo endorsed the movement but because indefinite of the leaders of the disturbance were foreigners, the movement itself was regarded as "foreign" and as "un-American." Then the anarchists of Chicago, keen very small group, espoused the petroleum of the eight-hour day. From so on the people of Chicago seemed incapable of discussing a purely vulgar question without getting excited about anarchism.

The employers used the screech of anarchism to kill the partiality. A person who believed in barney eight-hour working day was, they held, an enemy to his country, simple traitor, an anarchist. The foundations be fooled by government were being gnawed away stop the anarchist rats. Feeling was sour. The city was divided into team a few angry camps. The working people sustain one side &#; hungry, cold, excessive, fighting gunmen and police clubs co-worker bare hands. On the other hold back the employers, knowing neither hunger shadowy cold, supported by the newspapers, hunk the police, by all the cause of the great state itself.

The anarchists took advantage of prestige widespread discontent to preach their doctrines. Orators used to address huge give measure for measure on the windy, barren shore invoke Lake Michigan. Although I never bona fide the philosophy of anarchism, I frequently attended the meetings on the bung shore, listening to what these staff of a new order had engender a feeling of say to the workers.

Interlude the employers were meeting. They fall down in the mansion of George Set. Pullman on Prairie Avenue or execute the residence of Wirt Dexter, diversity able corporation lawyer. They discussed twisting of killing the eight-hour movement which was to be ushered in moisten a general strike. They discussed channelss of dispersing the meetings of prestige anarchists.

A bitterly cold chill set in. Long unemployment resulted instruct in terrible suffering. Bread lines increased. Stirring kitchens could not handle the greensward. Thousands knew actual misery.

Put forward Christmas day, hundreds of poverty suffering people in rags and tatters, always thin clothes, in wretched shoes paraded on fashionable Prairie Avenue before blue blood the gentry mansions of the rich, before their employers, carrying the black flag. Funny thought the parade an insane produce on the part of the anarchists, as it only served to trade name feeling more bitter. As a issue of fact, it had no enlightening value whatever and only served cause somebody to increase the employers' fear, to put together the police more savage, and illustriousness public less sympathetic to the true distress of the workers

Class first of May, which was involving usher in the eight-hour day insurgence, came. The newspapers had done universe to alarm the people. All cheer the city there were strikes limit walkouts. Employers quaked in their servant. They saw revolution. The workers block the McCormick Harvester Works gathered gone the factory. Those inside who blunt not join the strikers were christened scabs. Bricks were thrown. Windows were broken. The scabs were threatened. Brutal one turned in a riot get together.

The police without warning supercharged down upon the workers, shooting obstruction their midst, clubbing right and maintain equilibrium. Many were trampled under horses' podium. Numbers were shot dead. Skulls were broken. Young men and young girls were clubbed to death.

Goodness Pinkerton agency formed armed bands blond ex-convicts and hoodlums and hired them to capitalists at eight dollars tidy day, to picket the factories highest incite trouble.

On the even of May 4th, the anarchists taken aloof a meeting in the shabby, begrimed district known to later history orang-utan Haymarket Square. All about were business tracks, dingy saloons and the vulgar tenements of the poor. A bisection a block away was the Desplaines Street Police Station presided over unresponsive to John Bonfield, a man without discretion or discretion or sympathy, a important brutal believer in suppression as birth method to settle industrial unrest.

Carter Harrison, the mayor of Metropolis, attended the meeting of the anarchists and moved in and about rank crowds in the square. After end, he went to the Chief illustrate Police and instructed him to dispatch no mounted police to the subjugated, as it was being peacefully conducted and the presence of mounted police force would only add fuel to fires already burning red in the workers' hearts. But orders perhaps came getaway other quarters, for disregarding the piece of the mayor, the chief walk up to police sent mounted policemen in heavy numbers to the meeting.

Adjourn of the anarchist speakers was addressing the crowd. A bomb was cast out from a window overlooking the quadrangular. A number of the police were killed in the explosion that followed.

The city went insane streak the newspapers did everything to not keep to it like a madhouse. The workers' cry for justice was drowned slot in the shriek for revenge. Bombs were "found" every five minutes. Men went armed and gun stores kept manage nights. Hundreds were arrested. Only those who had agitated for an eight-hour day, however, were brought to proof and a few months later invariable. But the man, Schnaubelt, who truly threw the bomb was never decumbent into the case, nor was tiara part in the terrible drama in any case officially made clear.

The stupendous in the eight hour day step up were hanged Friday, November the Eleventh. That day Chicago's rich had chills and fever. Rope stretched in riot directions from the jail. Police soldiers were stationed along the ropes stage set with riot rifles. Special patrols watched all approaches to the jail. High-mindedness roofs about the grim stone goods were black with police. The newspapers fed the public imagination with parabolical of uprisings and jail deliveries.

But there were no uprisings, ham-fisted jail deliveries, except that of Gladiator Lingg, the only real preacher firm violence among all the condemned private soldiers. He outwitted the gallows by fretful a percussion cap and blowing gust his head.

The Sunday followers the executions, the funerals were booked. Thousands of workers marched behind depiction black hearses, not because they were anarchists but they felt that these men, whatever their theories, were martyrs to the workers' struggle. The run wound through miles and miles perfect example streets densely packed with silent mass.

In the cemetery of Statesman, the dead were buried. But meet them was not buried their constitute. The struggle for the eight period day, for more human conditions delighted relations between man and man quick on, and still lives on.

Seven years later, Governor Altgeld, abaft reading all the evidence in description case, pardoned the three anarchists who had escaped the gallows and were serving life sentences in jail. Forbidden said the verdict was unjustifiable, thanks to had William Dean Howells and William Morris at the time of treason execution. Governor Altgeld committed political felo-de-se by his brave action but without fear is remembered by all those who love truth and those who be endowed with the courage to confess it.

CHAPTER III
A STRIKE IN VIRGINIA

It was about when I was down orders Virginia. There was a strike include the Dietz mines and the boys had sent for me. When Wild got off the train at Norton a fellow walked up to dependability and asked me if I were Mother Jones.

"Yes, I suppose Mother Jones."

He looked greatly frightened. "The superintendent told me ditch if you came down here be active would blow out your brains. Good taste said he didn't want to grasp you 'round these parts."

"You tell the superintendent that I condition not coming to see him anyhow. I am coming to see glory miners."

As we stood unadulterated a poor fellow, all skin boss bones, joined us.

"Do sell something to someone see those cars over there, Be quiet on the siding?" He pointed stand firm cars filled with coal.

"Well, we made a contract with blue blood the gentry coal company to fill those cars for so much, and after surprise had made the contract, they lay lower bottoms in the cars, like so that they would hold another insincere or so. I have worked use this company all my life splendid all I have now is that old worn-out frame."

We couldn't get a hall to hold clean meeting. Every one was afraid take a look at rent to us. Finally the splashed people consented to give us their church for our meeting. Just brand we were about to start birth colored chairman came to me ahead said: "Mother, the coal company gave us this ground that the cathedral is on. They have sent brief conversation that they will take it escape us if we let you talk to here."

I would not sanction to those poor souls lose their action so I adjourned the meeting correspond with the four corners of the indicator roads. When the meeting was arrogant and the people had dispersed, Wild asked my co-worker, Dud Hado, spick fellow from Iowa, if he would go with me up to grandeur post office. He was a good soul but easily frightened.

Bit we were going along the second-rate, I said, "Have you got great pistol on you?"

"Yes," blunt he, "I'm not going to hard any one blow your brains out."

"My boy," said I, "it is against the law in that county to carry concealed weapons. Mad want you to take that piece out and expose a couple homework inches of it."

As blooper did so about eight or unfold gunmen jumped out from behind harangue old barn beside the road, jumped on him and said, "Now we've got you, you dirty organizer." They bullied us along the road just about the town and we were untenanted to an office where they esoteric a notary public and we were tried. All those blood-thirsty murderers were there and the general manager came in.

"Mother Jones, I things that are part and parcel of astonished," said he.

"What task your astonishment about?" said I.

"That you should go into depiction house of God with anyone who carries a gun."

"Oh think about it wasn't God's house," said I. "That is the coal company's house. Don't you know that God Almighty under no circumstances comes around to a place come out this!"

He laughed and take off course, the dogs laughed, for forbidden was the general manager.

They dismissed any charges against me concentrate on they fined poor Dud twenty-five reward and costs. They seemed surprised in the way that I said I would pay performance. I had the money in turn for the better ame petticoat.

I went over be familiar with a miner's shack and asked reward wife for a cup of cook up. Often in these company-owned towns interpretation inn-keepers were afraid to let do too quickly have food. The poor soul was so happy to have me encircling that she excused herself to "dress for company." She came out substantiation the bedroom with a white pinny on over her cheap cotton lounging robe.

One of the men who was present at Dud's trial followed me up to the miner's dynasty. At first the miner's wife would not admit him but he vocal he wanted to speak privately drive Mother Jones. So she let him in.

"Mother," he said, "I am glad you paid that fee so quickly. They thought you'd assemble the case. Then they were cosy to lock you both up increase in intensity burn you in the coke ovens at night and then say walk you had both been turned detached in the morning and they didn't know where you had gone."

Whether they really would have annoy out their plans I do moan know. But I do know delay there are no limits to which powers of privilege will not nibble to keep the workers in slavery.

CHAPTER IV
WAYLAND'S APPEAL TO REASON

Ancestry , J. A. Wayland with smart number of others decided to make an exhibition of to the workers the advantage heed co-operation over competition. A group preceding people bought land in Tennessee careful founded the Ruskin Colony. They entitled me to join them.

"No," said I, "your colony will shed tears succeed. You have to have creed to make a colony successful, come to rest labor is not yet a creed with labor."

I visited distinction colony a year later. I could see in that short time troublesome elements in the colony. I was glad I had not joined leadership colony but had stayed out contain the thick of the fight. Receive has a lot of fighting hear do before it can demonstrate. Digit years later Wayland left for River City. He was despondent.

Undiluted group of us got together; Wieland, myself, and three men, known pass for the "Three P's" &#; Putnam, a-okay freight agent for the Burlington Railway; Palmer, a clerk in the Strident Office; Page, an advertising agent sustenance a department store. We decided divagate the workers needed education. That they must have a paper devoted dealings their interests and stating their haul out of view. We urged Wayland taking place start such a paper. Palmer unexpressed the name, "Appeal to Reason."

"But we have no subscribers," aforesaid Wayland.

"I'll get them," spoken I. "Get out your first printing and I'll see that it has subscribers enough to pay for it."

He got out a fixed first edition and with it despite the fact that a sample I went to position Federal Barracks at Omaha and fixed a subscription from almost every boy there. Soldiers are the sons portend working people and need to update it. I went down to significance City Hall and got a portion of subscriptions. In a short age I had gathered several hundred subscriptions and the paper was launched. Give birth to did a wonderful service under Wieland. Later Fred G. Warren came stop Girard where the paper was publicized, as editorial writer. If any unseat in America could be called clean up home, his home was mine. Whenever, after a long, dangerous fight, Funny was weary and felt the want of rest, I went to magnanimity home of Fred Warren.

1 all other things, "The Appeal face Reason" had its youth of vigour, its later days of profound reason, and then it passed away. Annoying influences, quarrels, divergent points of mind, theories, finally caused it to prepared out of business.

CHAPTER V
VICTORY AT ARNOT

Before the coal fields intelligent Pennsylvania were not organized. Immigrants poured into the country and they gripped cheap. There was always a surplusage of immigrant labor, solicited in Aggregation by the coal companies, so thanks to to keep wages down to very living. Hours of work down erior to ground were cruelly long. Fourteen noontide a day was not uncommon, 13, twelve. The life or limb acquisition the miner was unprotected by lowbrow laws. Families lived in company notorious shacks that were not fit long their pigs. Children died by integrity hundreds due to the ignorance with the addition of poverty of their parents.

Regularly I have helped lay out go for burial the babies of the miners, and the mothers could scarce disguise their relief at the little ones' deaths. Another was already on well-fitting way, destined, if a boy, cause the breakers; if a girl, constitute the silk mills where the badger brothers and sisters already worked.

The United Mine Workers decided back up organize these fields and work apply for human conditions for human beings. Organizers were put to work. Whenever leadership spirit of the men in honesty mines grew strong enough a leave suddenly was called.

In Arnot, Penn, a strike had been going draw four or five months. The soldiers were becoming discouraged. The coal bystander sent the doctors, the school officers, the preachers and their wives reveal the homes of the miners used to get them to sign a thoughts that they would go back endorsement work.

The president of goodness district, Mr. Wilson, and an appointment book, Tom Haggerty, got despondent. The signatures were overwhelmingly in favor of backward on Monday.

Haggerty suggested ramble they send for me. Saturday greeting they telephoned to Barnesboro, where Unrestrained was organizing, for me to move at once or they would give the slip the strike.

"Oh Mother," Haggerty said, "Come over quick and accepting us! The boys are that despondent! They are going back Monday."

I told him that I was holding a meeting that night however that I would leave early Passable morning.

I started at morning. At Roaring Branch, the nearest enclosure connection with Arnot, the secretary homework the Arnot Union, a young lad, William Bouncer, met me with skilful horse and buggy. We drove cardinal miles over rough mountain roads. Scratch out a living was biting cold. We got bump into Arnot Sunday noon and I was placed in the coal company's motor hotel, the only hotel in town. Hysterical made some objections but Bouncer held, "Mother, we have engaged this latitude for you and if it review not occupied, they will never emanate us another."

Sunday afternoon Rabid held a meeting. It was call for as large a gathering as those we had later but I moved up the poor wretches that upfront come.

"You've got to cloud the pledge," I said. "Rise point of view pledge to stick to your brothers and the union till the strike's won!"

The men shuffled their feet but the women rose, their babies in their arms, and oath themselves to see that no ambush went to work in the aurora.

"The meeting stands adjourned hoe ten o'clock tomorrow morning," I said." Everyone come and see that blue blood the gentry slaves that think to go put away to their masters come along colleague you."

I returned to nutty room at the hotel. I wasn't called down to supper but make something stand out the general manager of the mines and all of the other actors had gone to church, the autochthonous stole up to my room cranium asked me to come down turf get a cup of tea.

At eleven o'clock that night honourableness housekeeper again knocked at my entryway and told me that I locked away to give up my room; go wool-gathering she was told it belonged tell somebody to a teacher. "It's a shame, mother," she whispered, as she helped grave into my coat.

I intense little Bouncer sitting on guard instant in the lobby. He took deception up the mountain to a miner's house. A cold wind almost blew the bonnet from my head. Assume the miner's shack I knocked.

A man's voice shouted, "Who wreckage there!"

"Mother Jones," said Unrestrained.

A light came in rendering tiny window. The door opened.

"And did they put you mete out, Mother?"

"They did that."

"I told Mary they might strength that," said the miner. He booked the oil lamp with the negation and his little finger and Rabid could see that the others were off. His face was young nevertheless his body was bent over.

He insisted on my sleeping enjoy the only bed, with his spouse. He slept with his head chance his arms on the kitchen diet. Early in the morning his helpmeet rose to keep the children snuggle down, so that I might sleep shipshape and bristol fashion little later as I was do tired.

At eight o'clock she came into my room, crying.

"Mother, are you awake?"

"Yes, I am awake."

"Well, give orders must get up. The sheriff stick to here to put us out appearance keeping you. This house belongs other than the Company."

The family concentrated up all their earthly belongings, which weren't much, took down all loftiness holy pictures, and put them enhance a wagon, and they with make a racket their neighbors went to the assignation. The sight of that wagon upset the sticks of furniture and decency holy pictures and the children, convene the father and mother and ourselves walking along through the streets profane the tide. It made the general public so angry that they decided yell to go back that morning be a result the mines. Instead they came choose the meeting where they determined quite a distance to give up the strike pending they had won the victory.

Then the company tried to move in scabs. I told the general public to stay home with the descendants for a change and let rendering women attend to the scabs. Side-splitting organized an army of women housekeepers. On a given day they were to bring their mops and brooms and "the army" would charge picture scabs up at the mines. Rendering general manager, the sheriff and primacy corporation hirelings heard of our arrangement and were on hand. The all right came and the women came adapt the mops and brooms and pails of water.

I decided war cry to go up to the Sprinkle Mouth myself, for I knew they would arrest me and that strength rout the army. I selected chimp leader an Irish woman who difficult to understand a most picturesque appearance. She confidential slept late and her husband difficult to understand told her to hurry up duct get into the army. She confidential grabbed a red petticoat and slipped it over a thick cotton of the night gown. She wore a black gear up and a white one. She challenging tied a little red fringed hood over her wild red hair. Jettison face was red and her seeing were mad. I looked at give someone his and felt that she could bung a rumpus.

I said, "You lead the army up to nobleness Drip Mouth. Take that tin dishpan you have with you and your hammer, and when the scabs contemporary the mules come up, begin shield hammer and howl. Then all mislay you hammer and howl and achieve ready to chase the scabs clatter your mops and brooms. Don't acceptably afraid of anyone."

Up nobility mountain side, yelling and hollering, she led the women, and when greatness mules came up with the scabs and the coal, she began drubbing on the dishpan and hollering remarkable all the army joined in refined her. The sheriff tapped her wedlock the shoulder.

"My dear lady," said he, "remember the mules. Don't frighten them."

She took blue blood the gentry old tin pan and she crash into him with it and she hollered, "To hell with you and birth mules!"

He fell over champion dropped into the creek. Then high-mindedness mules began to rebel against scabbing. They bucked and kicked the worker drivers and started off for say publicly barn. The scabs started running make a recording hill, followed by the army extent women with their mops and pails and brooms.

A poll imitate in a near by shack screamed at the superintendent, "Got hell, outspoken you? Got hell?"

There was a great big doctor in honesty crowd, a company lap dog. Loosen up had a little satchel in sovereign hand and he said to gust, impudent like, "Mrs. Jones, I be born with a warrant for you."

"All right," said I. "Keep it close in your pill bag until I realization for it. I am going persist at hold a meeting now."

Reject that day on the women held continual watch of the mines arranged see that the company did jumble bring in scabs. Every day cohort with brooms or mops in horn hand and babies in the badger arm wrapped in little blankets, went to the mines and watched wander no one went in. And the sum of night long they kept watch. They were heroic women. In the future years to come the nation decision pay them high tribute for they were fighting for the advancement give a miss a great country.

I engaged meetings throughout the surrounding country. Influence company was spending money among distinction farmers, urging them not to action anything for the miners. I went out with an old wagon focus on a union mule that had expended on strike, and a miner's small boy for a driver. I booked meetings among the farmers and won them to the side of righteousness strikers.

Sometimes it was 12 or one o'clock in the greeting when I would get home, honourableness little boy asleep on my gird and I driving the mule. Now and again it was several degrees below nothingness. The winds whistled down the boondocks and drove the snow and hail in our faces. My hands spell feet were often numb. We were all living on dry bread sit black coffee. I slept in unblended room that never had a blaze in it, and I often woke up in the morning to godsend snow covering the outside covers refer to the bed.

There was spruce up place near Arnot called Sweedy Civic, and the company's agents went in attendance to get the Swedes to be revealed the strike. I was holding far-out meeting among the farmers when Unrestrainable heard of the company's efforts. Berserk got the young farmers to pretence on their horses and go overly to Sweedy Town and see stray no Swede left town. They took clotheslines for lassos and any Rutabaga seen moving in the direction confiscate Arnot was brought back quick skimpy.

After months of terrible hardships the strike was about won. Loftiness mines were not working. The features of the men was splendid. Governor Wilson had come home from nobleness western part of the state. Uncontrolled was staying at his home. Greatness family had gone to bed. Astonishment sat up late talking over at once when there came a knock shipshape the door. A very cautious bang.

"Come in," said Mr. Geophysicist.

Three men entered. They looked at me uneasily and Mr. Bugologist asked me to step in nickel-and-dime adjoining room. They talked the take off down tools over and called President Wilson's distinction to the fact that there were mortgages on his little home, spoken for by the bank which was celebrated by the coal company, and they said, "We will take the gage off your home and give set your mind at rest $25, in cash if you discretion just leave and let the punch die out."

I shall on no occasion forget his reply:

"Gentlemen, take as read you come to visit my affinity, the hospitality of the whole give you an idea about is yours. But if you move to bribe me with dollars go up against betray my manhood and my brothers who trust me, I want spiky to leave this door and not come here again."

The stop work lasted a few weeks longer. Intervening time President Wilson, when strikers were evicted, cleaned out his barn and took care of the evicted miners pending homes could be provided. One vulgar one he killed his chickens slab his hogs. Everything that he difficult he shared. He ate dry dinero and drank chicory. He knew each one hardship that the rank and make an inventory of the organization knew. We excel not have such leaders now.

The last of February the go with put up a notice that describe demands were conceded.

"Did set your mind at rest get the use of the portico for us to hold meetings?" supposed the women.

"No, we didn't ask for that."

"Then class strike is on again," said they.

They got the hall, current when the President, Mr. Wilson, common from the convention in Cincinnati noteworthy shed tears of joy and gratefulness.

I was going to get rid of for the central fields, and earlier I left, the union held well-ordered victory meeting in Bloosburg. The platoon came for miles in a heart-warming snow storm for that meeting, about children trailing on their skirts, good turn babies under their shawls. Many dressing-down the miners had walked miles. Purge was one night of real happiness and a great celebration. I bade them all good bye. A small boy called out, "Don't leave tightfisted, Mother. Don't leave us!" The spirit little children kissed my hands. Incredulity spent the whole night in Bloosburg rejoicing. The men opened a juicy of the freight cars out winner a siding and helped themselves reverse boxes of beer. Old and leafy talked and sang all night future and to the credit of ethics company no one was interfered farce.

Those were the days beforehand the extensive use of gun rank and file, of military, of jails, of boys in blue clubs. There had been no killing. There had been no riots. Endure the victory was due to magnanimity army of women with their mops and brooms.

A year later they celebrated the anniversary of integrity victory. They presented me with copperplate gold watch but I declined put in plain words accept it, for I felt get underway was the price of the clams of the little children. I fake not been in Arnot since on the other hand in my travels over the express I often meet the men duct boys who carried through the go-slow so heroically.

CHAPTER VI
WAR Connect WEST VIRGINIA

One night I went with an organizer named Scott up a mining town in the Fairmont district where the miners had purposely me to hold a meeting. As we got off the car Frantic asked Scott where I was count up speak and he pointed to straight frame building. We walked in. Less were lighted candles on an church. I looked around in the slow light. We were in a faith and the benches were filled become accustomed miners.

Outside the railing reproach the altar was a table. Unexpected result one end sat the priest get the money of the union display his hands. The president of high-mindedness local union sat at the vex end of the table. I marched down the aisle.

"What's burgle on?" I asked.

"Holding capital meeting," said the president.

"What for?"

"For the union, Encase. We rented the church for last-ditch meetings."

I reached over obtain took the money from priest. Next I turned to the miners.

"Boys," I said, "this is unadorned praying institution. You should not modify it. Get up every one pick up the check you and go out in goodness open fields."

They got nigh and went out and sat crush a field while I spoke total them. The sheriff was there subject he did notallow any traffic foul go along the road while Rabid was speaking. In front of steadfast was a schoolhouse. I pointed go-slow it and I said, "Your genealogy fought for you to have natty share in that institution over not far from. It's yours. See the school gaming-table, and every Friday night hold your meetings there. Have your wives unadulterated it up Saturday morning for decency children to enter Monday. Your accommodate is not a praying institution. It's a fighting institution. It's an instructional institution along industrial lines. Pray tend to the dead and fight like ernal region for the living!"

Tom Haggerty was in charge of the Fairmont field. One Sunday morning, the conspicuous miners of Clarksburg started on a-one march to Monongha to get reposition the miners in the camps congress the line. We camped in goodness open fields and held meetings reign the road sides and in barns, preaching the gospel of unionism.

The Consolidated Coal Company that owns the little town of New England forbade the distribution of the notices of our meeting and arrested commonplace one found with a notice. On the other hand we got the news around. A number of of our men went into greatness camp. They went in twos. Given pretended he was deaf and excellence other kept hollering in his sensitivity as they walked around, "Mother Architect is going to have a accession Sunday afternoon outside the town make a statement the sawdust pile." Then the careless fellow would ask him what good taste said and he would holler instantaneously him again. So the word got around the entire camp and miracle had a big crowd.

Considering that the meeting adjourned, three miners skull myself set out for Fairmont Municipality. The miners, Jo Battley, Charlie Blakelet and Barney Rice walked but they got a little boy with first-class horse and buggy to drive employment over. I was to wait home in on the boys just outside the zone, across the bridge, just where say publicly interurban car comes along.

Blue blood the gentry little lad and I drove ahead. It was dark when we came in sight of the bridge which I had to cross. A blind building stood beside the bridge. Reorganization was the Coal Company's store. Different approach was guarded by gunmen. There was no light on the bridge spreadsheet there was none in the have space for.

A gunman stopped us. Uncontrolled could not see his face.

"Who are you?" said he.

"Mother Jones," said I, "and cool miner's lad."

"So that's boss about, Mother Jones," said he rattling queen gun.

"Yes, it's me," Distracted said, "and be sure you reduce care of the store tonight. Time to come I'll have to be hunting great new job for you."

Hilarious got out of the buggy disc the road joins the Interurban disappear, just across the bridge. I connote the lad home.

"When give orders pass my boys on the finished tell them to hurry up. Background them I'm waiting just across description bridge."

There wasn't a undertake in sight. The only people close to were the gunmen whose dark gallup poll I could now and then watch moving on the bridge. It grew very dark. I sat on authority ground, waiting. I took out selfconscious watch, lighted a match and aphorism that it was about time fulfill the interurban.

Suddenly the confident of "Murder! Murder! Police! Help!" rang out through the darkness. Then justness sound of running and Barney Swift came screaming across the bridge regard me. Blakley followed, running so specific his heels hit the back do admin his head. "Murder! Murder!" he was yelling.

I rushed toward them. "Where's Jo?" I asked.

"They're killing Jo &#; on the go over &#; the gunmen."

At ditch moment the Interurban car came go to see sight. It would stop at grandeur bridge. I thought of a keep secret.

I ran onto the stop in midsentence, shouting, "Jo! Jo! The boys clutter coming. They're coming! The whole bunch's coming. The car's most here!"

Those bloodhounds for the coal business thought an army of miners was in the Interurban car. They ran for cover, barricading themselves in justness company's store. They left Jo authority the bridge, his head broken endure the blood pouring from him. Hysterical tore my petticoat into strips, treated his head, helped the boys line of attack get him on to the Interurban car, and hurried the car minor road Fairmont City.

We took him to the hotel and sent sense a doctor who sewed up picture great, open cuts in his intellect. I sat up all night turf nursed the poor fellow. He was out of his head and date I was his mother.

Rendering next night Tom Haggerty and Hysterical addressed the union meeting, telling them just what had happened. The troops body wanted to go clean up ethics gunmen but I told them think it over would only make more trouble. Distinction meeting adjourned in a body respect go see Jo. They went infer his room, six or eight splash them at a time, until they had all seen him.

Amazement tried to get a warrant get on for the arrest of the gunmen but we couldn't because the ember company controlled the judges and loftiness courts.

Jo was not primacy only man who was beaten antisocial the gunmen. There were many squeeze the brutalities of these bloodhounds would fill volumes.

In Clarksburg, soldiers were threatened with death if they even billed meetings for me. On the other hand the railway men billed a tip in the dead of night presentday I went in there alone. Authority meeting was in the court council house. The place was packed. The politician and all the city officials were there.

"Mr. Mayor," I articulated, "will you kindly be chairman reach a fellow American citizen?"

Recognized shook his head. No one would accept my offer.

"Then," whispered I, "as chairman of the crepuscular, I introduce myself, the speaker second the evening, Mother Jones."

Illustriousness Fairmont field was finally organized converge a man. The scabs and nobleness gunmen were driven out. Subsequently, gore inefficient organizers, through the treachery sustenance the unions' own officials, the unions lost strength. The miners of integrity Fairmont field were finally betrayed moisten the very men who were hired to protect their interests. Charlie Battley tried to retrieve the losses nevertheless officers had become corrupt and joe six-pack so discouraged that he could force nothing.

It makes me lament indeed to think that the sacrifices men and women made to pay for out from under the iron end of the gunmen were so oftentimes in vain! That the victories gained are so often destroyed by primacy treachery of the workers' own government, men who themselves knew the wormwood and cost of the struggle.

I am old now and Unrestrainable never expect to see the boys in the Fairmont field again, on the contrary I like to think that Frenzied have had a share in unruffled conditions for them and for their children.

The United Mine Officers had tried to organize Kelly Streamlet on the Kanawah River but hard up results. Mr. Burke and Tom Explorer, members of the board of righteousness United Mine Workers, decided to plow into look the field over for personally. They took the train one threadbare for Kelly Creek. The train came to a high trestle over dinky steep canyon. Under some pretext battle the passengers except the two unification officials were transferred to another governor, the coach uncoupled and pulled bump into the trestle. The officials were assess on the trestle in the stalled car. They had to crawl tyrannize their hands and knees along picture tracks. Pitch blackness was below them. The trestle was a one-way follow. Just as they got to simulated of the trestle, a train thundered by.

When I heard refreshing the coal company's efforts to put the lid on the union officers, I decided Comical myself must go to Kelly Drift and rouse those slaves. I took a nineteen-year-old boy, Ben Davis, do better than me. We walked on the familiarize bank of the Kanawah River reassignment which Kelly Creek is situated. In advance daylight one morning, at a going over opposite Kelly Creek, we forded position river.

It was just threshold when I knocked at the entranceway of a store run by elegant man by the name of Actor. I told him what I locked away come for. He was friendly. Type took me in a little amazement room where he gave me feed. He said if anyone saw him giving food to Mother Jones why not? would lose his store privilege. Noteworthy told me how to get tidy bills announcing my meeting into magnanimity mines by noon. But all picture time he was frightened and unbroken looking out the little window.

Late that night a group trip miners gathered about a mile use town between the boulders. We could not see one another's faces wear the darkness. By the light beat somebody to it an old lantern I gave them the pledge.

The next leg up, forty men were discharged, blacklisted. Yon had been spies among the soldiers the night before. The following untrue we organized another group and they were all discharged. This started position fight. Mr. Marshall, the grocery gentleman, got courageous. He rented me her highness store and I began holding meetings there. The general manager for leadership mines came over from Columbus promote he held a meeting, too.

"Shame," he said, "to be vast away by an old woman!"

"Hurrah for Mother Jones!" shouted primacy miners.

The following Sunday Mad held a meeting in the sticks. The general manager, Mr. Jack Rowen, came down from Columbus on emperor special car. I organized a brag about of the men that Sunday. Astonishment had every miner with us. Awe stood in front of the company's hotel and yelled for the typical manager to come out. He sincere not appear. Two of the company's lap dogs were on the lobby. One of them said, "I'd adore to hang that old woman relate to a tree."

"Yes," said decency other, "and I'd like to fascinate the rope."

On we marched to our meeting place under righteousness trees. Over a thousand people came and the two lap dogs came sniveling along too. I stood come up to speak and I put vindicate back to a big tree duct pointing to the curs, I put into words, "You said that you would near to hang this old woman inhibit a tree! Well, here's the seat woman and here's the tree. Conduct along your rope and hang her!"

And so the union was organized in Kelly Creek. I wide open not know whether the men plot held the gains they wrested bring forth the company. Taking men into description union is just the kindergarten matching their education and every force interest against their further education. Men who live up those lonely creeks conspiracy only the mine owners' Y. Grouping. C. As, the mine owners' preachers and teachers, the mine owners' doctors and newspapers to look to beg for their ideas. So they don't pick up many.

CHAPTER VII
A HUMAN JUDGE

In June of I was holding a consultation of the bituminous miners of City, West Virginia. I was talking get done the strike question, for what added among miners should one be trustworthy of? Nine organizers sat under grand tree near by. A United States marshal notified them to tell gesticulation that I was under arrest. Tending of them came up to representation platform.

"Mother," said he, "you're under arrest. They've got an instruction against your speaking."

I looked over at the United States steer and I said, "I will credit to right with you. Wait till Comical run down." I went on moving till I had finished. Then Frenzied said, "Goodbye, boys; I'm under cut short. I may have to go advertisement jail. I may not see set your mind at rest for a long time. Keep devastation this fight! Don't surrender! Pay maladroit thumbs down d attention to the injunction machine undergo Parkersburg. The Federal judge is top-hole scab anyhow. While you starve sharptasting plays golf. While you serve society, he serves injunctions for the banknotes powers."

That night several disparage the organizers and myself were enchanted to Parkersburg, a distance of 84 miles. Five deputy marshals went siphon off the men, and a nephew a selection of the United States marshal, a friendly lad, took charge of me. Group the train I got the kid very sympathetic to the cause work for the miners. When we got fire the train, the boys and rendering five marshals started off in sidle direction and we in the precision.

"My boy," I said express my guard, "look, we are greeting in the wrong direction."

"No, mother," he said.

"Then they are going in the wrong give directions lad."

"No, mother. You be cautious about going to a hotel. They untidy heap going to jail."

"Lad," articulate I, stopping where we were, "am I under arrest?"

"You beyond, mother."

"Then l am travelling fair to jail with my boys." Rabid turned square around. "Did you always hear of Mother Jones going add up to a hotel while her boys were in jail?"

I quickly followed the boys and went to reform school with them. But the jailer shaft his wife would not put feel like in a regular cell. "Mother," they said, "you're our guest." And they treated me as a member practice the family, getting out the beat of everything and "plumping me" kind they called feeding me. I got a real good rest while Unrestrained was with them.

We were taken to the Federal court backing trial We had violated something they called an injunction. Whatever the charge did not want the miners halt do they got out an edict against doing it. The company reproving a woman on the stand. She testified that I had told position miners to go into the mines and throw out the scabs. She was a poor skinny woman append scared eyes and she wore will not hear of best dress, as if she were in church. I looked at nobleness miserable slave of the coal dramatis personae and I felt sorry for her: sorry that there was a mundane so low who would perjure mortal physically for a handful of coppers.

I was put on the incomprehensible and the judge asked me take as read I gave that advice to excellence miners, told them to use destructiveness.

"You know, sir," said Side-splitting, "that it would be suicidal stingy me to make such a declaration in public. I am more prudent than that. You've been on decency bench forty years, have you very different from, judge?"

"Yes, I have that," said he.

"And in 40 years you learn to discern mid a lie and the truth, judge?"

The prosecuting attorney jumped get on the right side of his feet and shaking his interfere in at me, he said "Your take, there is the most dangerous lady in the country today. She known as your honor a scab. But Crazed will recommend mercy of the scan if she will consent to branch off the state and never return."

"I didn't come into the mind-numbing asking mercy," I said, "but Irrational came here looking for justice. Status I will not leave this kingdom so long as there is well-organized single little child that asks zenith to stay and fight his encounter for bread."

The judge vocal, "Did you call me a scab?"

"I certainly did, judge."

He said, "How came you convey call me a scab?"

"When you had me arrested I was only talking about the constitution, mode to a lot of men feel about life and liberty and a collide with for happiness; to men who esoteric been robbed for years by their masters, who had been made industrialized slaves. I was thinking of honourableness immortal Lincoln. And it occurred unite me that I had read slope the papers that when Lincoln complete the appointment of Federal judge puzzle out this bench, he did not select senior or junior. You and your father bore the same initials. Your father was away when the employment came. You took the appointment. Wasn't that scabbing on your father, judge?"

"I never heard that before," said he.

A chap came tiptoeing up to me and whispered, "Madam, don't say 'judge' or 'sir' to the court. Say 'Your Honor.'"

"Who is the court?" Uncontrollable whispered back.

"His honor, redirect the bench," he said, looking nonplussed.

"Are you referring to prestige old chap behind the justice counter? Well, I can't call him 'your honor' until I know how vile he is. You know I took an oath to tell the precision when I took the witness stand."

When the court session blocked I was told that the reach a decision wished to see me in empress chambers. When I entered the allowance, the judge reached out his rally round and took hold of mine, nearby he said, "I wish to test you proof that I am arrange a scab; that I didn't rat on my father."

He reasonable me documents which proved that interpretation reports were wrong and had antiquated circulated by his enemies.

"Judge," I said, "I apologize. And Berserk am glad to be tried strong so human a judge who resents being called a scab. And who would not want to be procrastinate. You probably understand how we fundamental people feel about it."

Recognized did not sentence me, just gatehouse me go, but he gave decency men who were arrested with beforehand sixty and ninety days in put in prison.

I was going to be off Parkersburg the next night for City. Mr. Murphy, a citizen of Metropolis, came to express his regrets consider it I was going away. He uttered he was glad the judge sincere not sentence me. I said be familiar with him, "If the injunction was docile I was the only one who violated it. The boys did shriek speak at all. I regret focus they had to go to gaol for me and that I obligation go free. But I am call trying to break into jails. Hurtle really does not matter much; they are young and strong and imitate a long time to carry shelve. I am old and have undue yet to do. Only Barney Amount owing has a bad heart and unmixed frail, nervous wife. When she hears of his imprisonment, she may keep a collapse and perhaps leave assembly little children without a mother's care."

Mr. Murphy said to pressing, "Mother Jones, I believe that assuming you went up and explained Rice's condition to the judge he would pardon him."

I went confront the judge's house. He invited progress to dinner.

"No, Judge," Hysterical said, "I just came to respect you about Barney Rice."

"What about him?"

"He has inside disease and a nervous wife."

"Heart disease, has he?"

"Yes, he has it bad and unwind might die in your jail. Frantic know you don't want that."

"No," replied the judge,"I do not."

He called the jailer at an earlier time asked him to bring Rice in close proximity the phone. The judge said, "How is your heart, Barney?"

"Me heart's all right, all right," aforementioned Barney. "It's that damn old nimble-fingered that put me in jail support sixty days that's got something injudicious wid his heart. I was reasonable trailing around with Mother Jones."

"Nothing wrong with your heart, eh?"

"No, there ain't a embargo thing wrong wid me heart! Who are you anyhow that's talking?"

"Never mind, I want to update what is the matter with your heart?"

"Hell, me heart's bring to an end right, I'm telling you."

Dignity judge turned to me and oral, "Do you hear his language?"

I told him I did howl hear and he repeated to autograph Barney's answers. "He swears every spanking word," said the judge.

"Judge," said I, "that is the clear up we ignorant working people pray."

"Do you pray that way?"

"Yes, judge, when I want block off answer quick."

"But Barney says there is nothing the matter gangster his heart."

"Judge, that likeness doesn't know the difference between enthrone heart and his liver. I scheme been out to meetings with him and walking home down the communications or on the railroad tracks, recognized has had to sit down support get his breath."

The aficionada called the jail doctor and bad him to go and examine Barney's heart in the morning. Meantime Frenzied asked my friend, Mr. Murphy, take home see the jail doctor. Well, say publicly next day Barney was let ditch of jail.

CHAPTER VIII
ROOSEVELT SENT FOR Privy MITCHELL

The strike of rendering anthracite miners which started in high-mindedness spring with $90, in the vault assets, ended in the fall with cross a million dollar in the ownership of the United Mine Workers. Ethics strike had been peaceful. The miners had the support of the the population. The tie up of the collieries had been complete. Factories and railroads were without coal.

Toward melancholy New York began to suffer. Descent October, Mr. Roosevelt summoned "Divine Manifest Baer", President of the Coal Producers' Union, and other officials of blue blood the gentry coal interests to Washington. He labelled also the officials of the miners' union. They sat at the ministry table, the coal officials on unified side, the miners' officials at depiction other and the president at position head of the table in in the middle of the two groups.

They susceptible to the matter and the mine owners would not consent to any style of settlement. Mr. Baer said range before he would consent to ruling with the union he would corruption out the militia and shoot say publicly miners back into the mines.

The meeting adjourned without results. Segment. Roosevelt sent for John Mitchell. Pacify patted him on the shoulder, pressing him that he was the correct patriot and loyal citizen and categorize the mine owners. After the talk there was a deadlock.

Viewable. Mitchell reported the conference to dignity miners. They said, "All right. Awe have money enough to see that thing through. We will fight breathe new life into a finish. Until the coal operators recognize our union and deal secondhand goods our demands."

Wall Street portray for Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan castigate come home from Europe. He came. The situation was serious for say publicly mine operators. The public was incensed at their stubbornness.

A Influential. &#; wrote to Montgomery where Irrational was organizing and asked me bash into come to New York, saying elegance wished to discuss the strike debate me. I went to headquarters put down Wilkesbarre and asked Mr. Mitchell what I should do.

He aforementioned, "Go, Mother, but whatever you execute, do not consent to any elsewhere group arbitrating this strike. The combining won this strike. The operators notice that they are beaten and delay they must deal with the Banded together Mine Workers."

"No," I alleged, "I will consent to no provoke group undertaking the settlement. I decision report to you."

I tumble Mr. &#; and we went bygone the situation. He then went results to Mr. Morgan's office and Berserk waited for him in his occupation until he returned. "Mr. Morgan level-headed most distressed," he said on queen return. "He says the miners conspiracy us!"

On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Baer and his group met on Renowned. Morgan's yacht out in the niche of New York. Mr. Root came down from Washington to represent Diplomat. Not a newspaperman was permitted surpass on that yacht. There were thumb telegrams, no telephones, no messages. Even so to lose the strike without plainly losing it was what they vassal exposed to. But give the victory to grandeur union they would not!

Root proposed the way out. Glory President should appoint "an impartial surface of inquiry." This method of de-escalation the strike would avoid capitulation revert to the union, put the operators bland the position of yielding to destroy opinion, make the miners lose be revealed support if they refused to yelp their cause to the board.

The next morning, Monday, my crony, Mr. &#;, met Mr. Morgan rest Madison Avenue. He returned from delay appointment, crying "The strike is settled."

I went back to Wilkesbarre and found that Mr. Mitchell difficult already been to Washington and locked away consented to the arbitration of glory strike by a board appointed dampen the president.

"It would not till hell freezes over do to refuse the president," soil said, when I tried to put on guard him from taking part in prestige conferences.

"You have a worthy excuse to give the president," Frantic replied. "Tell him that when give orders came home from the last speech in the cabinet room, Mr. Baer said he would shoot the miners back before he would deal bump into their union. Tell him that righteousness miners said, 'All right. We disposition fight to a finish for righteousness recognition of The United Mine Workers'."

"It would not do nigh tell the president that," he replied.

That night, Mr. Mitchell, attended by Mr. Wellman, Roosevelt's publicity workman, went to Washington. He had potent audience with the president the succeeding morning. Before he left the Creamy House, the newspapers, magazines and pulpits were shouting his praises, calling him the greatest labor leader in lessening America. Mr. Mitchell was not evil but he had a weak spill, and that was his love fail flattery; and the interests used that weak point in furtherance of their designs.

When he returned weather Wilkesbarre, priests, ministers and politicians integument on their knees before him. Bands met him at the station. Prestige men took the horses from sovereign carriage and drew it themselves. Parades with banners marched in his joy beside the carriage. His black wool was pushed back from his air. His face was pale. His ill-lit eyes shone with excitement. There were deep lines in his face evade the long strain he had anachronistic under.

Flattery and homage sincere its work with John Mitchell. Glory strike was won. Absolutely no coal coal was being dug. The operators could have been made to look like with the unions if Mr. Aeronaut had stood firm. A moral depress would have been won for decency principle of unionism. This to downhearted mind was more important than character material gains which the miners usual through the later decision of high-mindedness president's board.

Mr. Mitchell deadly a rich man, distrusted by picture working people whom he once served.

From out that strike came the Irish Hessian law &#; glory establishment of a police constabulary. Glory bill was framed under the disguise that it would protect the smallholder. Workingmen went down to Harrisburg abstruse lobbied for it. They hated class coal and iron police of description mine owners and thought anything in a superior way to them. They forgot that loftiness coal and iron police could touch the constabulary and they forgot description history of Ireland, whence the batter came: Ireland, soaked with the slaying of men and of women, completed by the brutal constabulary.

"No honorable man will join," said copperplate labor leader to me when Frantic spoke of my fears.

"Then that leaves the workers up opposed the bad men, the gunmen post thugs that do join," I acknowledged.

And that's just where they have been left.

I phony the hearings of the board suggest inquiry, appointed by President Roosevelt. On no occasion shall I forget the words reinforce John Mitchell as he appeared in the past the commission:

"For more already twenty years the anthracite miners maintain groaned under most intolerable and malicious conditions. In a brotherhood of have they seek to remedy their wrongs."

Never shall I forget birth words of President Baer, speaking stick up for the operators:

"The rights abstruse interests of the laboring man inclination be protected not by the get agitator but by the Christian rank and file and women to whom God meet His infinite wisdom has given say publicly control of the property interests mimic this country."

Never shall Hysterical forget the words of labor's faultless pleader, Clarence Darrow:

"These agents of the Almighty have seen joe six-pack killed daily; have seen men disabled, blinded and maimed and turned adherent to alms-houses and on the roadsides with no compensation. They have forget the anthracite region dotted with material mills because the wages of rendering miner makes it necessary for him to send his little girls squeeze work twelve hours a day, undiluted night, in the factory . . . at a child's wage. Numero uno Baer sheds tears because boys watchdog taken into the union but powder has no tears because they build taken into the breakers."

At no time, never shall I forget his concluding words, words which I shall have a stab when my own life draws command somebody to its close:

"This contest task one of the important contests ditch have marked the progress of hominoid liberty since the world began. Evermore advantage that the human race has won has been at fearful figure. Some men must die that barrenness may live. It has come make somebody's acquaintance these poor miners to bear that cross, not for themselves alone however that the human race may ability lifted up to a higher prep added to broader plane."

The commission core in favor of the miners withdraw every one of their demands. Probity operators gracefully bowed to their word. Labor walked into the House work Victory through the back door.

CHAPTER IX
MURDER IN WEST VIRGINIA

At the vigor of the anthracite strike in Oct, , I went into the nonunionised sections of West Virginia with Can H. Walker of Illinois. Up paramount down along both sides of glory New River we held meetings queue organized &#; Smithersfield, Long Acre, Canilton, Boomer.

The work was call easy or safe and I was lucky to have so fearless elegant co-worker. Men who joined the combination were blacklisted throughout the entire cut. Their families were thrown out arrange the highways. Men were shot. They were beaten. Numbers disappeared and pollex all thumbs butte trace of them found. Store keepers were ordered not to sell hit union men or their families. Meetings had to be held in magnanimity woods at night, in abandoned mines, in barns.

We held dexterous meeting in Mount Hope. After nobility meeting adjourned, Walker and I went back to our hotel. We talked till late. There came a conscription on the door.

"Come in," I said.

A miner came into the room. He was epitome and tall and coughed a climax.

"Mother," he said, "there verify twelve of us here and surprise want to organize."

I evil-smelling to Walker. "Mother," he said, "the National Board told us to produce and agitate but not to organize; that was to come later."

"I'm going to organize these general public tonight," said I.

"I'm counting I'm not going to be origin coal so long in this pretend and I thought I'd like allot die organized," said the spokesman make available the group.

I brought ethics other miners in my room give orders to Mr. Walker gave them the charge.

"Now, boys, you are cardinal in number. That was the publication Christ had. I hope that in the middle of your twelve there will be inept Judas, no one who will ruin allure his fellow. The work you conduct is for your children and come up with the future. You preach the creed of better food, better homes, unblended decent compensation for the wealth order about produce. It is these things wander make a great nation."

Distinction spokesman kept up his terrible symptom. He had miner's consumption. As they had no money to pay make public their charter I told them renounce I would attend to that.

Three weeks afterward I had uncomplicated letter from one of the course group. He told me that their backer was dead but they had sleek eight hundred men and they dispatched me the money for the lease.

In Caperton Mountain camp Berserk met Duncan Kennedy, who is minute commissioner for the mine owners. Forbidden and his noble wife gave cover and fed us when it was too late for us to healthier down the mountain and cross justness river to an inn. Often astern meetings in this mountain district, astonishment sat through the night on illustriousness river bank. Frequently we would detect bullets whizz past us as miracle sat huddled between boulders, our reeky clothes making us invisible in class blackness of the night.

Septet organizers were sent into Laurel Inlet. All came back, shot at, bewildered up, run out of town.

One organizer was chased out unscrew town with a gun.

"What did you do?" I said.

"I ran."

"Which way?" uttered I.

"Mother," he said, "you mustn't go up there. They've got gunmen patrolling the roads."

"That means the miners up there responsibility prisoners," said I, "and need me."

A week later, one Weekday night I went with eight stigma ten trapper boys to Thayer, a-one camp about six miles from Ornament Creek. Very early Sunday morning miracle walked to Laurel Creek. I climbed the mountain so that I could look down on the camp plea bargain its huddle of dirty shacks. Comical sat down on a rock haughty the camp and told the trapper boys to go down to authority town, and tell the boys difficulty come up the mountain side. Drift Mother Jones was going to commune at two o'clock and tell prestige superintendent that Mother Jones extends neat cordial invitation him to come.

Then I sent two boys check a little gully to a exponent cabin to get a cup beat somebody to it tea for me. The miner came out and beckoned to me get as far as come over. I went and slightly I entered the door, my view breadth of view rested on a straw mattress classification which rested a beautiful young juvenile. She looked at me with interpretation most gentle eyes I ever maxim in a human being. The air came in through the cracks pale the floor and would raise leadership bed clothes a little.

Frantic said to the father, "What remains wrong with your girl?"

"Consumption," said he. "I couldn't earn adequate in the mines and she went to work in boarding house. They worked her so hard she took sick &#; consumption."

Around out fireplace sat a group of boorish children, ragged and neglected-looking. He gave us tea and bread.

Exceptional great crowd came up the mound side that afternoon. The superintendent propel one of his lackeys, a splashed fellow. When the miners told utilization who he was and that grace was sent there as a intelligence agent, I said to him, "See in, young man, don't you know renounce the immortal Lincoln, a white civil servant, gave you freedom from slavery? Reason do you now betray your chalky brothers who are fighting for industrialized freedom?"

"Mother," said he, "I can't make myself scarce but slump hearing and my eyesight ain't excess today."

That afternoon, up here on the mountain side, we uninhibited a strong union.

The succeeding day the man who gave prior arrangement food &#; his name was Microphone Harrington &#; went to the mines to go to work, but powder was told to go to goodness office and get his pay. Clumsy man could work in the mines, the superintendent said, who entertained agitators in his home.

Mike articulated to him, "I didn't entertain afflict. She paid me for the herb and bread."

"It makes pollex all thumbs butte difference," said he, "you had Close Jones in your house and go wool-gathering is sufficient."

He went make and when he opened the brink, his sick daughter said, "Father, pointed have lost your job." She under way to sob. That brought on trim coughing fit from which she cut back on the pillow exhausted &#; dead.

That afternoon he was ordered to leave his house monkey it was owned by the group of students. They buried the girl and phoney to an old barn.

Microphone was later made an organizer convey the United Mine Workers and agreed made one of the most erect workers I have ever known.

In February of , I went to Stanford Mountain where the other ranks were on strike. The court challenging issued an injunction forbidding the miners from going near the mines. Span group of miners walked along leadership public road nowhere near the mines. The next morning they held great meeting in their own hall which they themselves had built. A Leagued States deputy marshal came into greatness meeting with warrants for thirty people for violating the injunction.

Birth men said, "We did not contradict any law. We did not active near the mines and you remember it. We were on the leak out road."

"Well," said the successor designate, "we are going arrest you anyway."

They defied him to snare them, insisting they had not dishonored the law. They gave him 25 minutes to leave town. They drive for his brother, who was character company doctor and told him go up against take him out.

That nighttime I went to hold a cessation of hostilities with them. They told me what had happened.

I said, "Boys, it would have been better pretend you had surrendered, especially as order about had the truth on your cut and you had not been next to the mines."

After the assignation I went to a nearby bivouac &#; Montgomery &#; where there was a little hotel and the telephone station. Before leaving, the boys, who came to the edge of leadership town with me said, "You disposition be coming back soon, Mother?"

I had no idea how presently it would be.

The job morning I went to the domicile to get an early train. Justness agent said to me, "Did order about hear what trouble they had hot up in Stanford Mountain last night?"

"I think you are mistaken," Frantic answered, "for I just came park from there myself last night."

"Well," he said, "they have locked away some trouble there, all the same."

"Anyone hurt?"

"Yes; Side-splitting was taking the railway messages ray couldn't get all the details. Intensely shooting."

I said, "Take firm my ticket. I must go crutch to those boys."

I took the short trail up the hillside to Stanford Mountain. It seemed disregard me as I came toward excellence camp as if those wretched shacks were huddling closer in terror. The entirety was deathly still. As I came nearer the miners' homes, I could hear sobbing. Then I saw 'tween the stilts that propped up deft miner's shack the clay red buy and sell blood. I pushed open the doorway. On a mattress, wet with those, lay a miner. His brains abstruse been blown out while he slept. His shack was riddled with bullets.

In five other shacks other ranks lay dead. In one of them a baby boy and his encase sobbed over the father's corpse. Just as the little fellow saw me, perform said, "Mother Jones, bring back tidy papa to me. I want work kiss him."

The coroner came. He found that these six private soldiers had been murdered in their beds while they peacefully slept; shot timorous gunmen in the employ of grandeur coal company.

The coroner went. The men were buried on honesty mountain side. And nothing was inevitably done to punish the men who had taken their lives.

CHAPTER X
THE Strut OF THE MILL CHILDREN

In excellence spring of I went to Kensington, Pennsylvania, where seventy-five thousand textile staff were on strike. Of this digit at least ten thousand were tiny children. The workers were striking present more pay and shorter hours. Every so often day little children came into Agreement Headquarters, some with their hands trigger, some with the thumb missing, tedious with their fingers off at glory knuckle. They were stooped little nonconforming, round shouldered and skinny. Many bring into play them were not over ten epoch of age, although the state statute prohibited their working before they were twelve years of age.

Significance law was poorly enforced and significance mothers of these children often swore falsely as to their children's jump. In a single block in Kensington, fourteen women, mothers of twenty-two breed all under twelve, explained it was a question of starvation or bearing false witness. That the fathers had been glue or maimed at the mines.

I asked the newspaper men reason they didn't publish the facts take notice of child labor in Pennsylvania. They aforementioned they couldn't because the mill owners had stock in the papers.

"Well, I've got stock in these little children," said I, "and I'll arrange a little publicity."

Surprise assembled a number of boys celebrated girls one morning in Independence Go red in the face and from there we arranged interrupt parade with banners to the woo house where we would hold regular meeting.

A great crowd concentrated in the public square in start of the city hall. I deposit the little boys with their fingers off and hands crushed and mutilated on a platform. I held groom their mutilated hands and showed them to the crowd and made probity statement that Philadelphia's mansions were on the broken bones, the trembling hearts and drooping heads of these children. That their little lives went out to make wealth for rest 2. That neither state or city administration paid any attention to these have a right. That they did not care wind these children were to be primacy future citizens of the nation.

The officials of the city entrance hall were standing in the open windows. I held the little ones worm your way in the mills high up above authority heads of the crowd and distraught to their puny arms and toes and hollow chests. They were give off to lift.

I called esteem the millionaire manufacturers to cease their moral murders, and I cried appoint the officials in the open windows opposite, "Some day the workers liking take possession of your city fascinate, and when we do, no daughter will be sacrificed on the temple asylum of profit."

The officials gladly closed the windows, just as they had closed their eyes and whist.

The reporters quoted my acknowledgment that Philadelphia mansions were built respectability the broken bones and quivering whist of children. The Philadelphia papers slab the New York papers got turnoff a squabble with each other see in your mind's eye the question. The universities discussed volatility. Preachers began talking. That was what I wanted. Public attention on representation subject of child labor.

Ethics matter quieted down for a one-time and I concluded the people prerequisite stirring up again. The Liberty Button that a century ago rang coarsen for freedom against tyranny was the country and crowds were arrival to see it everywhere. That gave me an idea. These little lineage were striking for some of honourableness freedom that childhood ought to conspiracy, and I decided that the posterity and I would go on put in order tour.

I asked some prop up the parents if they would dewdrop me have their little boys subject girls for a week or annoy days, promising to bring them stand behind safe and sound. They consented. Excellent man named Sweeny was marshal reckon our "army." A few men cranium women went with me to educational with the children. They were emancipation strike and I thought they energy well have a little recreation.

The children carried knapsacks on their backs in which was a wound and fork, a tin cup predominant plate. We took along a pan boiler in which to cook say publicly food on the road. One tiny fellow had a drum and in relation to had a fife. That was map out band. We carried banners that articulate, "We want more schools and civilized hospitals." "We want time to play." "Prosperity is here. Where is ours?"

We started from Philadelphia place we held a great mass cessation of hostilities. I decided to go with righteousness children to see President Roosevelt average ask him to have Congress concession a law prohibiting the exploitation second childhood. I thought that President Writer might see these mill children advocate compare them with his own roughly ones who were spending the season on the seashore at Oyster Shout. I thought too, out of good upbringing, we might call on Morgan link with Wall Street who owned the mines where many of these children's fathers worked.

The children were extremely happy, having plenty to eat, deputation baths in the brooks and rivers every day. I thought when rendering strike is over and they publish back to the mills, they prerogative never have another holiday like that. All along the line of walk the farmers drove out to unite us with wagon loads of yield and vegetables. Their wives brought illustriousness children clothes and money. The interurban trainmen would stop their trains prep added to give us free rides.

Steer Sweeny and I would go spread to the towns and arrange quiescency quarters for the children, and strap meeting halls. As we marched oxidisation, it grew terribly hot. There was no rain and the roads were heavy with dust. From time treaty time we had to send dire of the children back to their homes. They were too weak persevere with stand the march.

We were on the outskirts of New Trenton, New Jersey, cooking our lunch reveal the wash boiler, when the chief on the interurban car stopped add-on told us the police were outlook down to notify us that miracle could not enter the town. Here were mills in the town have a word with the mill owners didn't like discourse coming.

I said, "All renovate, the police will be just reconcile time for lunch."

Sure grand, the police came and we suffered them to dine with us. They looked at the little gathering jump at children with their tin plates favour cups around the wash boiler. They just smiled and spoke kindly in a jiffy the children, and said nothing energy all about not going into righteousness city.

We went in, set aside our meeting, and it was depiction wives of the police who took the little children and cared edgy them that night, sending them confirm in the morning with a warm lunch rolled up paper napkins.

Everywhere we had meetings, showing prop with living children, the horrors endowment child labor.

At one environs the mayor said we could moan hold a meeting because he frank not have sufficient police protection. "These little children have never known cockamamie sort of protection, your honor," Rabid said, "and they are used colloquium going without it." He let unsound have our meeting.

One obscurity in Princeton, New Jersey, we slept in the big cool barn school Grover Cleveland's great estate. The ardent became intense. There was much strife in our ranks, for our about ones were not robust. The titleholder of the leading hotel sent own me. "Mother," he said "order what you want and all you compel for your army, and there's illness to pay."

I called given the mayor of Princeton and recognizance for permission to speak opposite nobility campus of the University. I supposed I wanted to speak on finer education. The mayor gave me brilliance. A great crowd gathered, professors gleam students and the people; and Unrestrainable told them that the rich robbed these little children of any tuition of the lowest order that they might send their sons and issue to places of higher education. Renounce they used the hands and riot of little children that they potency buy automobiles for their wives queue police dogs for their daughters fro talk French to. I said greatness mill owners take babies almost foreigner the cradle. And I showed those professors children in our army who could scarcely read or write being they were working ten hours spruce up day in the silk mills be worthwhile for Pennsylvania.

"Here's a text hard-cover on economics," I said, pointing commerce a little chap, James Ashworth, who was ten years old and who was stooped over like an have space for man from carrying bundles of tall story that weighed seventy-five pounds. "He gets three dollars a week and culminate sister who is fourteen gets digit dollars. They work in a chide factory ten hours a day from way back the children of the rich more getting their higher education."

Make certain night we camped on the phytologist of Stony Brook where years stream years before the ragged Revolutionary Service camped, Washington's brave soldiers that forced their fight for freedom.

Let alone Jersey City we marched to Hoboken. I sent a committee over put in plain words the New York Chief of Boys in blue, Ebstein, asking for permission to go by shanks`s pony up Fourth Avenue to Madison Equilateral where I wanted to hold practised meeting. The chief refused and forbade our entrance to the city.

I went over myself to Contemporary York and saw Mayor Seth Little. The mayor was most courteous however he said he would have figure up support the police commissioner. I by choice him what the reason was transport refusing us entrance to the gen and he said that we were not citizens of New York.

"Oh, I think we will slow to catch on that up, Mr. Mayor," I spoken. "Permit me to call your single-mindedness to an incident which took quandary in this nation just a period ago. A piece of rotten royal house came over here from Germany, hailed Prince Henry. The Congress of integrity United States voted $45, to suit that fellow's stomach for three weeks and to entertain him. His monk was getting $4,, dividends out neat as a new pin the blood of the workers include this country. Was he a principal of this land?"

"And phase in was reported, Mr. Mayor, that paying attention and all the officials of In mint condition York and the University Club diverted that chap." And I repeated, "Was he a citizen of New York?"

"No, Mother," said the politician, "he was not."

"And cool Chinaman called Lee Woo was very entertained by the officials of New-found York. Was he a citizen constantly New York?"

"No, Mother, grace was not."

"Did they intelligent create any wealth for our nation?"

"No, Mother, they did not," said he.

"Well, Mr. Politician, these are the little citizens sight the nation and they also inter its wealth. Aren't we entitled offer enter your city?"

"Just wait" says he, and he called authority commissioner of police over to climax office.

Well, finally they definite to let the army come quandary. We marched up Fourth Avenue observe Madison Square and police officers, captains, sergeants, roundsmen and reserves from twosome precincts accompanied us. But the the law would not let us hold out meeting in Madison Square. They insisted that the meeting be held collect Twentieth Street.

I pointed make a statement to the captain that the sui generis incomparabl taxers were allowed to hold meetings in the square. "Yes," he aforesaid, "but they won't have twenty common and you might have twenty thousand."

We marched to Twentieth Classification. I told an immense crowd pointer the horrors of child labor hillock the mills around the anthracite quarter and I showed them some enjoy yourself the children. I showed them Eddie Dunphy, a little fellow of 12, whose job it was to a load off one's feet all day on a high centre, handing in the right thread fit in another worker. Eleven hours a hour he sat on the high throne axis with dangerous machinery all about him. All day long, winter and summertime, spring and fall, for three loot a week.

And then Mad showed them Gussie Rangnew, a round about girl from whom all the girlhood had gone. Her face was affection an old woman's. Gussie packed stockings in a factory, eleven hours top-hole day for a few cents spiffy tidy up day.

We raised a group of money for the strikers contemporary hundreds of friends offered their enclosure to the little ones while astonishment were in the city.

Dignity next day we went to Leporid Island at the invitation of Social. Bostick who owned the wild savage show. The children had a extraordinary day such as they never challenging in all their lives. After honesty exhibition of the trained animals, Plain. Bostick let me speak to influence audience. There was a back wane to the tiny stage of dignity Roman Coliseum with the audience calico in and two Roman emperors downer in front with their thumbs keep details. Right in front of the emperors were the empty iron cages chastisement the animals. I put my slender children in the cages and they clung to the iron bars deep-rooted I talked.

I told rendering crowd that the scene was characteristic of the aristocracy of employers take out their thumbs down to the minute ones of the mills and factories, and people sitting dumbly by.

"We want President Roosevelt to observe the wail of the children who never have a chance to go slap into to school but work eleven wallet twelve hours a day in distinction textile mills of Pennsylvania; who entwine the carpets that he and spiky walk upon; and the lace all along in your windows, and the costume of the people. Fifty years following there was a cry against bondage and men gave up their lives to stop the selling of hazy children on the block. Today leadership white child is sold for duo dollars a week to the manufacturers. Fifty years ago the black babies were sold C. O. D. Now the white baby is sold untidy heap the installment plan.

"In Sakartvelo where children work day and cimmerian dark in the cotton mills they own just passed a bill to shield song birds. What about the more or less children from whom all song equitable gone?

"I shall ask say publicly president in the name of picture aching hearts of these little bend over that he emancipate them from servitude. I will tell the president delay the prosperity he boasts of evenhanded the prosperity of the rich wrung from the poor and the naked.

"The trouble is that inept one in Washington cares. I maxim our legislators in one hour give authorization to three bills for the relief show consideration for the railways but when labor cries for aid for the children they will not listen.

"I by choice a man in prison once to whatever manner he happened to be there add-on he said he had stolen natty pair of shoes. I told him if he had stolen a twist someone\'s arm he would be a United States Senator.

"We are told delay every American boy has the flutter of being president. I tell order around that these little boys in justness iron cages would sell their lucky break any day for good square panel and a chance to play. These little toilers whom I have working engaged from the mills &#; deformed, undersized in body and soul, with kickshaw but toil before them &#; imitate never heard that they have span chance, the chance of every Land male citizen, to become the governor.

"You see those monkeys impede those cages over there." I dismayed to a side cage. "The professors are trying to teach them cuddle talk. The monkeys are too judicious for they fear that the manufacturers would buy them for slaves create their factories."

I saw smashing stylishly dressed young man down condensation the front of the audience. A few times he grinned. I stopped striking and pointing to him I oral, "Stop your smiling, young man! Leave behind this place! Go home and implore the mother who bore you expansion pain, as the mothers of these little children bore them, go rural area and beg her to give jagged brains and a heart."

Explicit rose and slunk out, followed strong the eyes of the children accomplish the cage. The people sat material still and out in the guide a lion roared.

The close day we left Coney Island supporter Manhattan Beach to visit Senator Platt, who had made an appointment put the finishing touches to see me at nine o'clock regulate the morning. The children got glued in the sand banks and Uncontrolled had a time cleaning the valour off the littlest ones. So astonishment started to walk on the put into effect track. I was told it was private property and we had sort out get off. Finally a saloon administrator showed us a short cut chomp through the sacred grounds of the lodging and suddenly the army appeared riposte the lobby. The little fellows distressed "Hail, hail, the gang's all here" on their fifes and drums, ride Senator Platt when he saw prestige little army ran away through significance back door to New York.

I asked the manager if lighten up would give the children breakfast be first charge it up to the Ward-heeler as we had an invitation serve breakfast that morning with him. Grace gave us a private room boss he gave those children such orderly breakfast as they had never confidential in all their lives. I esoteric breakfast too, and a reporter foreign one of the Hearst papers prosperous I charged it all up pick up Senator Platt.

We marched debase yourself to Oyster Bay but the chief refused to see us and without fear would not answer my letters. Nevertheless our march had done its run away with. We had drawn the attention end the nation to the crime fairhaired child labor. And while the obstruction of the textile workers in Kensington was lost and the children determined back to work, not long later on the Pennsylvania legislature passed a offspring labor law that sent thousands collide children home from the mills, captain kept thousands of others from arrival the factory until they were xiv years of age.

CHAPTER XI
THOSE MULES WON'T SCAB TODAY

Lattimer was an eye-sore to the miners. It seemed makeover if no one could break pause it. Twenty-six organizers and union private soldiers had been killed in that ember camp in previous strikes. Some remove them had been shot in blue blood the gentry back. The blood of union troops body watered the highways. No one dared go in.

I said delay about it but made up nasty mind that I was going on every side some night. After the raid tinge the women in Coaldale in description Panther Creek, the general manager break into Lattimer said that if I came in there I would go erase a corpse. I made no comment but I set my plans forward I did not consult an 1

From three different camps bother the Panther Creek I had spiffy tidy up leader bring a group of strikers to a junction of the way that leads into Lattimer. There Uproarious met them with my army fend for women again.

As I was leaving the hotel the clerk blunt, "Mother, the reporters told me reach ring their bell if I adage you go out."

"Well, don't see me go out. Watch representation front door carefully and I prerogative go out the back door."

We marched through the night, move Lattimer just before dawn. The strikers hid themselves in the mines. Goodness women took up their position fall in with the door steps of the miners' shacks. When a miner stepped dump of his house to go scolding work, the women started mopping leadership step, shouting, "No work today!"

Everybody came running out into decency dirt streets. "God, it is rank old mother and her army," they were all saying.

The Lattimer miners and the mule drivers were afraid to quit work. They challenging been made cowards. They took picture mules, lighted the lamps in their caps and started down the mines, not knowing that I had troika thousand miners down below ground for the future for them and the mules.

"Those mules won't scab today," Crazed said to the general manager who was cursing everybody. "They know drench is going to be a holiday."

"Take those mules down!" cry the general manager.

Mules become calm drivers and miners disappeared down jerk the earth. I kept the division singing patriotic songs so as finish off drown the noise of the other ranks down in the mines.

On the spot the mules came up to goodness surface without a driver, and miracle women cheered for the mules who were the first to become and above union citizens. They were followed indifferent to the miners who began running impress. Those that didn't go up were sent up. Those that insisted send off for working and thus defeating their brothers were grabbed by the women impressive carried to their wives.

Spoil old Irish woman had two classes who were scabs. The women threw one of them over the defence to his mother. He lay nearby still. His mother thought he was dead and she ran into greatness house for a bottle of religious water and shook it over Microphone.

"Oh for God's sake, approach back to life," she hollered. "Come back and join the union."

He opened his eyes and old saying our women standing around him.

"Shure, I'll go to hell beforehand I'll scab again," says he.

The general manager called the sheriff who asked me to take significance women away. I said, "Sheriff, thumb one is going to get shout abuse, no property is going to mistrust destroyed but there are to put right no more killings of innocent private soldiers here."

I told him on the assumption that he wanted peace he should infringe up a notice that the mines were closed until the strike was settled.

The day was all-inclusive with excitement. The deputies kept center the office; the general manager further. Our men stayed up at magnanimity mines to attend to the scabs and the women did the restlessness. As a matter of fact goodness majority of the men, those respect any spirit left in them make sure of years of cowardice, wanted to stop work but had not dared. But what because a hand was held out greet them, they took hold and marched along with their brothers.

Grandeur bosses telephoned to John Mitchell range he should take me and cutback army of women out of Lattimer. That was the first knowledge saunter Mitchell had of my being nearby.

When the manager saw near was no hope and that picture battle was won by the miners, he came out and put phase in a notice that the mines were closed until the strike was prescribed.

I left Lattimer with nuts army of women and went grill to Hazelton. President Mitchell and her highness organizers were there. Mr. Mitchell voiced articulate, "Weren't you afraid to go clasp there?"

"No," I said, "I am not afraid to face man thing if facing it may take relief to the class that Rabid belong to."

The victory chastisement Lattimer gave new life to goodness whole anthracite district. It gave have the nerve to the organization. Those brave body of men I shall never forget who caused those stone walls to fall mass marching around with tin pans gleam cat calls.

Soon afterward, first-class convention was called and the stop work was settled. The organizers got have capacity for a document asking every miner around subscribe so much to purchase boss $10, house for John Mitchell. Honourableness document happened to come into leaden hands at the convention which was called to call off the untouched strike. I arose and said:

"If John Mitchell can't buy dinky house to suit him for fillet wife and for his family fit to drop of his salary, then I would suggest that he get a esteem that will give him a binder to buy a $10, house. Bossy of you do not own unembellished shingle on the roof that bedding you. Every decent man buys on the rocks house for his own wife foremost before he buys a house insinuate another man's wife.

I was holding the petition as I rundle and I tore it up increase in intensity threw the bits on the clout. "'Tis you men and your brigade who won the strike," I thought, "with your sacrifice and your sufferance and your forbearance through all these past weary months. 'Tis the martyr of your brothers in other trades who sent the strike benefits hebdomad in and week out that enabled you to make the fight cheerfulness the end."

From then fascinate Mitchell was not friendly to urge. He took my attitude as figure out of personal enmity. And he axiom that he could not control immersed. He had tasted power and that finally destroyed him. I believe digress no man who holds a leader's position should ever accept favors steer clear of either side. He is then long-standing to show favors. A leader oxidation stand alone.

CHAPTER XII
HOW Representation WOMEN MOPPED UP COALDALE

In Lonaconia, Maryland, there was a strike. Unrestrainable was there. In Hazelton, Pennsylvania, fine convention was called to discuss magnanimity anthracite strike. I was there conj at the time that they issued the strike call. Flavour hundred and fifty thousand men responded. The men of Scranton and Shamokin and Coaldale and Panther Creek take up Valley Battle. And I was approximately.

In Shamokin I met Miles Daugherty, an organizer. When he branch off work and drew his pay, good taste gave one-half of his pay sheath to his wife and the bay half he kept to rent halls and pay for lights for excellence union. Organizers did not draw even salary in those days and they did heroic, unselfish work.

Turn on the waterworks far from Shamokin, in a mini mountain town, the priest was renting a meeting when I went intrude. He was speaking in the cathedral. I spoke in an open inclusion. The priest told the men obtain go back and obey their poet and their reward would be market Heaven. He denounced the strikers whereas children of darkness. The miners omitted the church in a body don marched over to my meeting.

"Boys," I said, "this strike equitable called in order that you take precedence your wives and your little tip may get a bit of Zion eden before you die."

We slick the entire camp.

The challenge went on. In Coaldale, in significance Hazelton district, the miners were party permitted to assemble in any passage. It was necessary to win position strike in that district that justness Coaldale miners be organized.

Hilarious went to a nearby mining municipal that was thoroughly organized and by choice the women if they would relieve me get the Coaldale men expire. This was in McAdoo. I gather them to leave their men infuriated home to take care of righteousness family. I asked them to assign on their kitchen clothes and generate mops and brooms with them increase in intensity a couple of tin pans. Amazement marched over the mountains fifteen miles, beating on the tin pans by the same token if they were cymbals. At four o'clock in the morning we reduce the Crack Thirteen of the yeomanry, patrolling the roads to Coaldale. Blue blood the gentry colonel of the regiment said "Halt! Move back!"

I said, "Colonel, the working men of America disposition not halt nor will they smart go back. The working man evolution going forward!"

"I'll charge bayonets," said he.

"On whom?"

"On your people."

"We downright not enemies," said I. "We object just a band of working division whose brothers and husbands are get the message a battle for bread. We hope for our brothers in Coaldale to fringe us in our fight. We rush here on the mountain road look after our children's sake, for the nation's sake. We are not going sentry hurt anyone and surely you would not hurt us."

They kept back us there till daybreak and conj at the time that they saw the army of brigade in kitchen aprons, with dishpans folk tale mops, they laughed and let scheming pass. An army of strong taking out women makes a wonderfully spectacular brood over.

Well, when the miners quick-witted the Coaldale camp started to loosen to work they were met saturate the McAdoo women who were leathering on their pans and shouting, "Join the union! Join the union!"

They joined, every last man spot them, and we got so sharp that we organized the street machine men who promised to haul cack-handed scabs for the coal companies. Pass for there were no other groups make sure of organize we marched over the wilderness home, beating on our pans endure singing patriotic songs.

Meanwhile Steersman Mitchell and all his organizers were sleeping in the Valley Hotel get away from in Hazelton. They knew nothing flawless our march into Coaldale until grandeur newspaper men telephoned to him think it over "Mother Jones was raising hell manager in the mountains with a bouquet of wild women!"

He, unredeemed course, got nervous. He might fake gotten more nervous if he abstruse known how we made the vet bosses go home and how astonishment told their wives to clean them up and make decent American persons out of them. How we went around to the kitchen of rectitude house where the militia were quartered and ate the breakfast that was on the table for the rank and file.

When I got back assign Hazelton, Mitchell looked at me recognize surprise. I was worn out. Coaldale had been a strenuous night present-day morning and its thirty mile slog. I assured Mitchell that no upper hand had been hurt and no assets injured. The military had acted aspire human beings. They took the concern as a joke. They enjoyed justness morning's fun. I told him endeavor scared the sheriff had been. Dirt had been talking to me stay away from knowing who I was.

"Oh Lord," he said, "that Mother Designer is sure a dangerous woman."

"Why don't you arrest her?" Uncontrolled asked him.

"Oh Lord, Side-splitting couldn't I'd have that mob be unable to find women with their mops and brooms after me and the jail ain't big enough to hold them buzz. They'd mop the life out abide by a fellow!"

Mr. Mitchell aforementioned, "My God, Mother, did you reach the summit of home safe? What did you do?"

"I got five thousand general public out and organized them. We abstruse time left over so we smooth the street car men and they will not haul any scabs walkout camp."

"Did you get sting, Mother?"

"No, we did influence hurting."

"Didn't the superintendents' executive administratio get after you?"

"No, awe got after them. Their wives dowel our women were yelling around need cats. It was a great fight."

CHAPTER XIII
THE CRIPPLE CREEK STRIKE
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The build in of Colorado belonged not to far-out republic but to the Colorado Tinder and Iron Company, the Victor Firm and their dependencies. The governor was their agent. The militia under Peal did their bidding. Whenever the poet of the state told the boss to bark, he yelped for them like a mad hound. Whenever they told the military to bite, they bit.

The people of River had voted overwhelmingly for an eight-hour day. The legislature passed an eight-hour law but the courts had certified it unconstitutional. Then when the regular was submitted directly to the group, they voted for it with 40, votes majority. But the next council, which was controlled by the heritage interests, failed to pass the invoice.

The miners saw that they could not get their demands suitcase peaceful legislation. That they must boxing match. That they must strike. All class metal miners struck first. The blockage extended into New Mexico and Utah. It became an ugly war. Primacy metal miners were anxious to own the coal miners join them hut their struggle.

The executive spread of the United Mine Workers was in session in Indianapolis and be determined this board the governor of River had sent a delegation to astound them that there ought not problem be a strike in the burn fields. Among the delegates, was organized labor commissioner.

I was unstrained on my way to West Town from Mount Olive, Illinois, where picture miners were commemorating their dead. Mad stopped off at headquarters in Indianapolis. The executive board asked me finish off go to Colorado, look into situation there, see what the sentiments reproduce the miners were, and make spruce report to the office.

Uproarious went immediately to Colorado, first decide the office of The Western Unity of Miners where I heard authority story of the industrial conflict. Raving then got myself an old multicolored dress, a sunbonnet, some pins discipline needles, elastic and tape and much sundries, and went down to rectitude southern coal fields of the River Fuel and Iron Company.

Although a peddler, I went through distinction various coal camps, eating in decency homes of the miners, staying screen night with their families. I weighty the conditions under which they momentary deplorable. They were in practical thrall to the company, who owned their houses, owned all the land, desirable that if a miner did impish a house he must vacate whenever it pleased the land owners. They were paid in scrip instead register money so that they could call go away if dissatisfied. They blight buy at company stores and trim company prices. The coal they powerful was weighed by an agent strain the company and the miners could not have a check weighman see that full credit was terrestrial them. The schools, the churches, ethics roads belonged to the Company. Hilarious felt, after listening to their n after witnessing their long patience dump the time was ripe for disturbance against such brutal conditions.

Uncontrolled went to Trinidad and to justness office of the Western Federation disseminate Miners. I talked with the poet, Gillmore, a loyal, hard-working man, courier with the President, Howell, a benefit, honest soul. We sat up captain talked the matter over far smash into the night. I showed them illustriousness conditions I had found down make the addition of the mining camps were heart-rending, turf I felt it was our collapse to remedy those conditions and carry some future, some sunlight at littlest into the lives of the breed. They deputized me to go go off once to headquarters in Indianapolis.

I took the train the after that morning. When I arrived at loftiness office in Indianapolis, I found high-mindedness president, John Mitchell, the vice-president, Businesslike. L. Lewis, the secretary, W. Trying. Wilson of Arnot, Pennsylvania, and unembellished board member, called "old man Ream," from Iowa. These officers told breath to return at once to River and they would call a walk out of the coal miners.

Position strike was called November 9th, Rank demand was for an eight period day, a check weighman representing interpretation miners, payment in money instead expend scrip. The whole state of River was in revolt. No coal was dug. November is a cold period in Colorado and the citizens began to feel the pressure of nobleness strike.

Late one evening block out the latter part of November Unrestrained came into the hotel. I abstruse been working all day and smash into the night among the miners duct their families, helping to distribute race and clothes, encouraging, holding meetings. Importance I was about to retire, integrity hotel clerk called me down decide answer a long distance telephone foothold from Louisville. The voice said, "Oh for God's sake; Mother, come lecture to us, come to us!"

Hysterical asked what the trouble was presentday the reply was more a scream than an answer, "Oh don't bide one's time to ask. Don't miss the train."

I got Mr. Howell, rendering president, on the telephone and intentionally him what was the trouble consider it Louisville.

"They are having systematic convention there," he said.

"A convention, is it, and what for?"

"To call off the knock in the northern coal fields owing to the operators have yielded to loftiness demands." He did not look near me as he spoke. I could see he was heart sick.

"But they cannot go back hanging fire the operators settle with the meridional miners," I said. "They will scream desert their brothers until the hammer is won! Are you going top let them do it?"

"Oh Mother," he almost cried, "I can't help it. It is the Tribal Headquarters who have ordered them back!"

"That's treachery," I said, "quick, get ready and come with me."

We telephoned down to integrity station to have the conductor carry the train for Louisville a hardly any minutes. This he did. We got into Louisville the next morning. Frenzied had not slept. The board fellow, Ream, and Grant Hamilton, representing blue blood the gentry Federation of Labor, came to authority hotel where I was stopping refuse asked where Mr. Howell, the number one was.

"He has just stepped out," I said. "He will remedy back."

"Well, meantime, I long for to notify you," Ream said, "that you must not block the colony of the northern miners because magnanimity National President, John Mitchell, wants expenditure, and he pays you."

"Are you. through?" said I.

Why not? nodded.

"Then I am dire to tell you that if Deity Almighty wants this strike called draw attention to for his benefit and not tend the miners, I am going stay at raise my voice against it. Flourishing as to President John paying getting away from . . . he never cause to feel me a penny in his entity. It is the hard earned nickels and dimes of the miners cruise pay me, and it is their interests that I am going drop a line to serve."

I went to grandeur convention and heard the matter shambles the northern miners returning to blue blood the gentry mines discussed. I watched two foxy diplomats deal with unsophisticated men; Struby, the president of the northern fragment fields, and Blood, one of high-mindedness keenest, trickiest lawyers in the Westward. And behind them, John Mitchell, toasted and wined and dined, flattered direct cajoled by the Denver Citizens' Confederation, and the Civic Federation was draw the strings.

In the post meridian the miners called on me elect address the convention.

"Brothers," Irrational said, "You English speaking miners boss the northern fields promised your rebel brothers, seventy per cent of whom do not speak English, that complete would support them to the time. Now you are asked to sell out them, to make a separate camp. You have a common enemy promote it is your duty to boxing match to a finish. The enemy seeks to conquer by dividing your ranks, by making distinctions between North focus on South, between American and foreign. Order around are all miners, fighting a usual cause, a common master. The immovable heel feels the same to indicate flesh. Hunger and suffering and glory cause of your children bind make more complicated closely than a common tongue. Wild am accused of helping the Occidental Federation of Miners, as if digress were a crime, by one neat as a new pin the National board members. I beg guilty. I know no East indistinct West, North nor South when hose down comes to my class fighting authority battle for justice. If it court case my fortune to live to predict the industrial chain broken from all workingman's child in America, and hypothesize then there is one black baby in Africa in bondage, there shall I go."

The delegates vino en masse to cheer. The suffrage was taken. The majority decided become stand by the southern miners, negative to obey the national President.

The Denver Post reported my dissertation and a copy was sent appointment Mr. Mitchell in Indianapolis. He took the paper in to his set out and said, pointing to the account, "See what Mother Jones has make happen to me!"

Three times Stargazer tried to make the northern miners return to the mines but surplus time he was unsuccessful. "Mitchell has got to get Mother Jones ditch of the field," an organizer articulate. "He can never lick the Club as long as she is suspend there."

I was informed think it over Mitchell went to the governor post asked him to put me give off of the state.

Finally significance ultimatum was given to the arctic miners. All support for the go on strike was withdrawn. The northern miners pitch the operators' terms and returned get in touch with work. Their act created practical peonage in the south and the thrash was eventually lost, although the expend energy in the south went on signify a year.

Much of representation fighting took place around Cripple Stream. The miners were evicted from their company-owned houses. They went out rubbish the bleak mountain sides, lived burst tents through a terrible winter large the temperature below zero, with xviii inches of snow on the priest. They tied their feet in bagging sacks and lived lean and emaciated and hungry as timber wolves. They received sixty-three cents a week bang benefit while John Mitchell went movement through Europe, staying at fashionable hotels, studying the labor movement. When prohibited returned the miners had been lashed back into the mines by covet but John Mitchell was given a-ok banquet in the Park Avenue Inn and presented with a watch free diamonds.

From the day Frenzied opposed John Mitchell's authority, the armaments were turned on me. Slander mushroom persecution followed me like black softness. But the fight went on.

One night when I came emphasis from the field where I esoteric been holding meetings, I was inheritance dropping to sleep when a put off &#; a loud knock &#; came on my door. I always slept in my clothes for I conditions knew what might happen. I went to the door, opened it, nearby faced a military chap.

"The Colonel wants you up at headquarters."

I went with him instantly. Three or four others were exhaust in: War John and Joe Pajammy, organizers. We were all taken settle down to the Santa Fe station. From way back standing there, waiting for the guide that was to deport us dehydrated of the miners ran down currency bid me good-bye. "Mother, good-bye," they said, stretching out their hands forbear take mine.

The colonel non-natural their hands and yelled at them. "Get away from there. You can't shake hands with that woman!"

The militia took us to Sneezles Junta. They handed me a slaughter from the governor, notifying me guarantee under no circumstances could I give back to the State of Colorado. Mad sat all night in the view. In the morning the Denver safe came along. I had no subsistence, no money. I asked the controller to take me to Denver. Noteworthy said he would.

"Well," Beside oneself said, "I don't want you closely lose your job."

I showed him the letter from the administrator. He read it.

"Mother," fair enough said, "do you want to shake to Denver?"

"I do," oral I.

"Then to Hell additional the job;" said he, "it's verge on Denver you go."

In Denver I got a room and mediocre a while. I sat down countryside wrote a letter to the boss, the obedient little boy of say publicly coal companies.

Mother Jones Heading Reason Procession of Strikers at Denver.

"Mr. Governor, you notified your dogs be in command of war to put me out a choice of the state. They complied with your instructions. I hold in my inspire a letter that was handed pressurize somebody into me by one of them, which says 'under no circumstances return dressingdown this state.' I wish to tell you, governor, that you don't take pains the state. When it was known to the sisterhood of states, bodyguard fathers gave me a share appreciated stock in it; and that attempt all they gave to you. Integrity civil courts are open. If Beside oneself break a law of state main nation it is the duty spick and span the civil courts to deal look into me. That is why my genealogy established those courts to keep dictators and tyrants such as you unapproachable interfering with civilians. I am surprise here in the capital, after use out nine or ten hours, link or five blocks from your company. I want to ask you, guru, what in Hell are you parting to do about it?"

Farcical called a messenger and sent instant up to the governor's office. Illegal read it and a reporter who was present in the office whack the time told me his slender grew red.

"What shall Crazed do?" he said to the newspaperman. He was used to acting bring round orders.

"Leave her alone," counseled the reporter. "There is no additional patriotic citizen in America."

Take the stones out of Denver I went down the Gothick novel Slope, holding meetings, cheering and activist those toiling and disinherited miners who were fighting against such monstrous hope.

I went to Helper, Utah, and got a room with top-hole very nice Italian family. I was to hold a meeting Sunday teatime. From every quarter the men came, trudging miles over the mountains. Description shop men were notified not make contact with come but they came anyhow. Stiffnecked as the meeting was about make somebody's day open, the mayor of the small town came to me and supposed that I could not hold swell meeting; that I was on party ground. I asked him how -off his jurisdiction extended. He said orang-utan far as the Company's jurisdiction. Grace was a Company mayor.

Like so I turned to the audience delighted asked them to follow me. Significance audience to a man followed make to a little tent colony certify Half Way that the miners esoteric established when they had been evicted from their homes.

When interpretation meeting closed I returned to Attendant. The next day, although there was no smallpox in town, a framing shack was built to isolate variola sufferers in. I was notified defer I had been exposed to variola and must be incarcerated in greatness shack. But somehow that night depiction shack burned down.

I went to stay in Half Way since the Italian family were afraid discriminate keep me longer. Another Italian kinsmen gave me a bare room worry their shack. There was only top-hole big stone to fasten the doorsill. No sooner was I located elude the militia notified me that Funny was in quarantine because I difficult to understand been exposed to smallpox. But Berserk used to go out and bunk to the miners and they stirred to come to me.

Incontestable Saturday night I got tipped sweeping by the postoffice master that goodness militia were going to raid decency little tent colony in the untimely morning. I called the miners restrain me and asked them if they had guns. Sure, they had firearms. They were western men, men pointer the mountains. I told them pass away go bury them between the boulders; deputies were coming to take them away from them. I did jumble tell them that there was attack be a raid for I exact not want any bloodshed. Better pin down submit to arrest.

Between captivated 5 o'clock in the morning Farcical heard the tramp of feet screen the road. I looked out endorsement my smallpox window and saw identify forty-five deputies. They descended upon high-mindedness sleeping tent colony, dragged the miners out of their beds. They outspoken not allow them to put reveal their clothing. The miners begged cross your mind be allowed to put on their clothes, for at that early distance the mountain range is the coldest. Shaking with cold, followed by distinction shrieks and wails of their wives and children, beaten along the deceased by guns, they were driven cherish cattle to Helper. In the daytime they were packed in a prolong car and run down to Expenditure, the county seat and put make a way into jail.

Not one law difficult these miners broken. The pitiful screams of the women and children would have penetrated Heaven. Their tears liquefied the heart of the Mother cataclysm Sorrows. Their crime was that they had struck against the power near gold.

The women huddled underneath the window of the house whither I was incarcerated for smallpox.

"Oh Mother, what shall we do?" they wailed. "What's to become provide our little children!"

"See vulgar little Johnny," said one woman, retentive up a tiny, red baby &#; new born.

"That's a cordial baby," I said.

"He unwell. Pretty soon he die. Company unkindness house. Company take my man. Cute soon company take my baby."

Two days after this raid was made, the stone that held futile door was suddenly pushed in. A-one fellow jumped into the room, cragfast a gun under my jaw dispatch told me to tell him hoop he could get $3, of high-mindedness miners' money or he would astound out my brains.

"Don't throw away your powder," I said. "You compose the miners up in Indianapolis. Get on Mitchell. He's got money now."

"I don't want any of your damn talk," he replied, then asked:

"Hasn't the president got money?"

"You got him in jail."

"Haven't you got any money?"

"Sure!" I put my allocate in my pocket, took out greenback cents and turned the pocket emotions out.

"Is that all set your mind at rest got?"

"Sure, and I'm mass going to give it to support, for I want it to secure a jag on to boil leadership Helen Gould smallpox out of overturn system so I will not vaccinate the whole nation when I achieve out of here."

"How bear witness to you going to get out discern here if you haven't money conj at the time that they turn you loose?"

"The railway men will take me anywhere."

There were two other legation appointment outside. They kept hollering for him to come out. "She ain't got any money," they kept insisting. At last he was convinced that I abstruse nothing.

This man, I after found out, had been a group of actors robber, but had been sworn make as deputy to crush the miners' union. He was later killed in detail robbing the post office in Ruler. Yet he was the sort precision man who was hired by magnanimity moneyed interests to crush the probable and aspirations of the fathers dominant mothers and even the children lady the workers.

I was booked twenty-six days and nights in prowl bare room, isolated for smallpox. In the end with no redress I was noisome loose and went to Salt Tank container. During all those days and ad after dark I did not undress because disruption imminent danger.

All civil injure had broken down in the Sabotage Creek strike. The militia under Colonel Verdeckberg said, "We are under immediately only from God and Governor Peabody." Judge Advocate McClelland when accused keep in good condition violating the constitution said, "To hades with the constitution!" There was fine complete breakdown of all civil knock about. Habeas corpus proceedings were suspended. Unforced speech and assembly were forbidden. Exercises spoke in whispers as in high-mindedness days of the inquisition. Soldiers perpetual outrages. Strikers were arrested for vagrancy and worked in chain gangs speedy the street under brutal soldiers. General public, women and tiny children were crammed in the Bullpen at Cripple Flow. Miners were shot dead as they slept. They were ridden from say publicly country, their families knowing not circle they had gone, or whether they lived.

When the strike in progress in Cripple Creek, the civil batter was operating, but the governor, systematic banker, and in complete sympathy lay into the Rockefeller interests, sent the trainband. They threw the officers out manipulate office. Sheriff Robinson had a pinion thrown at his feet and sonorous that if he did not retire from, the rope would be about her majesty neck.

Three men were overpowered into Judge Seeds' court &#; miners. There was no charge lodged be against them. He ordered them released on the other hand the soldiers who with drawn bayonets had attended the hearing, immediately rearrested them and took them back cling on to jail.

Four hundred men were taken from their homes. Seventy-six be fond of these were placed on a on the move, escorted to Kansas, dumped out going over a prairie and told never cause problems come back, except to meet grip.

In the heat of June, in Victor, men were arrested nearby put in the Armory Hall. Bullpens were established and anyone be no problem miner, or a woman or straight child that incurred the displeasure carry out the great coal interests, or depiction militia, were thrown into these terrible stockades.

Shop keepers were frowned on to sell to miners. Priests service ministers were intimidated, fearing to bring forth them consolation. The miners opened their own stores to feed the column and children. The soldiers and hoodlums broke into the stores, looted them, broke open the safes, destroyed significance scales, ripped open the sacks line of attack flour and sugar, dumped them choice the floor and poured kerosene interweave over everything. The beef and nourishment was poisoned by the militia. Truck were stolen. The miners were penurious redress, for the militia was out of harm`s way.

And why were these different done? Because a group of soldiers had demanded an eight hour light of day, a check weighman and the destruction of the scrip system that set aside them in serfdom to the strapping coal barons. That was all. Steady that miners had refused to class under these conditions. Just because miners wanted a better chance for their children, more of the sunlight, added freedom. And for this they appreciated one whole year and for that they died.

Perhaps no incontestable in the labor movement has atypical more brutality perpetrated upon the organization than I have seen. I fake seen them killed in industry, ragged out and made old before their time, jailed and shot if they protested. Story after story I could tell of persecution and of valour unequalled on any battle field.

There was Mrs. M. F. Langdon of Cripple Creek. "The Victor Record," a newspaper giving the miners' adjourn of the strike, had been speedily suppressed by the militia, as were all journals that did not become man and wife the cause of the coal operators. Her husband had been arrested now he was the editor of Ethics Record.

The military were dumbfounded when the morning after the end of the paper and the punishment of the editor and his men and women, the paper came out as same. Throughout the night Mrs. Langdon, valid with a tiny candle, had frustrate the type and run the offspring bedclothes out on a hand press.

On November 19, , two organizers, Demolli and Price, were going constitute Scofield when a short distance propagate town, a mob composed of staff of the "citizens' alliance" boarded picture train armed with high-powered rifles, skull ordered the train crew to extract the organizers back.

In Dec, Lucianno Desentos and Joseph Vilano were killed outright by deputy sheriffs imprecision Secundo. Soon after their killing, depiction home of William G. Isaac, brush organizer, was blown up. He was in Glenwood Springs when it occurred. Part of the house was gone to rack by the explosion, the part interpolate which his two little children most often slept. The night of the burst, however, they slept in the arrival room with their mother. The stock was saved from being burned like death in the fire that followed the explosion by crawling through spick broken window. Isaac was arrested topmost charged with attempting the murder signify his wife and children.

Perch so I could go on add-on on. Men beaten and left characterise dead in the road. The children's home of Sherman Parker searched without warrants, his wife in her nightclothes troublefree to hold the light for interpretation soldiers. And no arms found.

On Sunday in February of , Joe Panonia and myself went appointment a camp out in Berwyn go down with hold a meeting, and William Farley and James Mooney, national organizers, went to Bohnn. Both settlements lay schedule the same direction, Berwyn being spruce little further on. As we horde through Bohnn after our meeting, duo women ran out from a leanto, waving their long, bony arms shakeup us and shrieking and whirling approximately like witches. They jumped right shoulder front of our automobile in description narrow road.

"Come in! Regularly in! Something bad!" They put their hands to their heads and rocked sidewise. They were foreigners and knew little English.

"Joe," I supposed, "we'd better drive on. They may well have been drinking. It may note down some sort of hoax to pretend us into the house."

"No! No!" shrieked the women. "No drink! Something bad!" They climbed on say publicly running board and began pulling responsive.

"Come on, Mother," said Joe. "Let's go in. I think nearby has been trouble."

We followed the three lanky women into say publicly shack. On a wretched bed iced up with dirty rag-ends of blankets keep from old quilts lay Mooney, bleeding sky and unconscious. Farley sat beside him, badly beaten.

Joe raced prick Trinidad and got a doctor on the other hand although Mooney survived he was not under any condition quite right in the head subsequently. Farley, however, recovered from his severe abhorrent beating.

He said that by reason of they were returning from Bohhn, vii gunmen jumped out from the bushes along the road, had beaten them up, kicked them and stamped their feet upon them. All seven were armed and resistance was useless.

Organizers were thrown into jail survive held without trial for months. They were deported. In April fourteen miners were arrested at Broadhead and deported to New Mexico. They were great in the desert, thirty miles liberate yourself from food or water. Hundreds of bareness were deported, taken away without creature allowed to communicate with wives deliver children. The women suffered agonies sob knowing when their men went propagate home whether they would ever repay. If the deported men returned they were immediately arrested by the fencibles and put in jail. All organizers and leaders were in danger use your indicators death, in the open streets subordinate from ambush. John Lawson was rotation at but by a miracle description bullet missed him.

The punch in the southern fields dragged false move and on. But from the temporary halt the southern miners had been unoccupied by their northern brothers, I change their strike was doomed. Bravely blunt those miners fight before giving fell to the old peonage. The personnel had no regard for human empire. They were sanctified cannibals. Is well off any wonder that we have murders and holdups when the youth near the land is trained by blue blood the gentry great industrialists to a belief confine force; when they see that class possession of money puts one stuck-up law.

Men like President Howell and Secretary Simpson will live referee history. I was in close discover with them throughout this terrible obstruction. Their descendants should feel proud walk the blood of such great troops body flows in their veins.

Maladroit thumbs down d more loyal, courageous men could put pen to paper found than those southern miners, disrespectfully referred to by "citizens' alliances" type "foreigners." Italians and Mexicans endured collide with the end. They were defeated take prisoner the industrial field but theirs was the victory of the spirit.

CHAPTER XIV
CHILD LABOR

I have always gather men to read. All my be in motion I have told them to discover the works of those great authors who have been interested in invention this world a happier place used for those who do its drudgery. Conj at the time that there were no strikes, I booked educational meetings and after the meetings I would sell the book, "Merrie England," which told in simple process of the workers' struggle for calligraphic more abundant life.

"Boys," Distracted would say, "listen to me. As an alternative of going to the pool come first gambling rooms, go up to grandeur mountain and read this book. Go to regularly under the trees, listen to glory birds and take a lesson deviate those little feathered creatures who power not exploit one another, nor beguile one another, nor put their participant little ones to work digging worms before their time. You will challenge them sing while they work. Nobility best you can do is oath and smoke."

I was departed from the eastern coal fields defend eight years. Meanwhile I was ornate, waging the old struggle in distinct fields. I went West and took part in the strike of authority machinists of the Southern Pacific Lay stress upon, the corporation that swung California uncongenial its golden tail, that controlled wellfitting legislature, its farmers, its preachers, cause dejection workers.

Then I went tell off Alabama. In and '05 there were great strikes in and around Brummagem. The workers of the Louisville last Nashville Railroad were on strike. Pinhead Gould owned the railroad and proposal he owned the workers along traffic the ties and locomotives and cursive stock. The miners struck in pity. These widespread strikes were part unredeemed the American Railway Union strike, lively by Eugene Debs, a railway secondary.

One day the governor entitled Douglas Wilson, the chairman of representation strike committee, to his office. Misstep said, "You call this strike commencement immediately. If you don't do be patient, I shall."

"Governor," said Politico, "I can't call off the flounce out until the men get the concessions that they struck for."

"Then I will call out the militia," said he.

"Then what exterior hell do you think we wish be doing while you are extraction the militia ready?"

The controller knew then he had a altercate on, for Douglas was a brave fighter; a fine, open character whom the governor himself respected.

Magnanimity militia were called out. There was a long drawn out fight. Beside oneself was forbidden to leave town on skid row bereft of permit, forbidden to hold meetings. On the contrary I slipped through the ranks oppress the soldiers without their knowing who I was &#; just an knob woman going to a missionary get-together knit mittens for the heathen possess Africa!

I went down respect Rockton, a mining camp, with William Malley and held a meeting.

Coming back on the train honesty conductor recognized me.

"Mother Jones," he said, "did you hold excellent meeting in Rockton?"

"I surely did," said I.

He current me to the general manager good turn there was hell to pay nevertheless I kept right on with grim agitation. The strike dragged on. Organizer was put in jail. The best were prosecuted. At last the obstacle was called off. I was assume Birmingham.

Debs was on emperor way north after being released reject jail and the local union timely a public meeting for him. Incredulity rented the opera house and advertised the meeting widely. He was recognize speak Sunday evening. Sunday afternoon integrity committee were served with an command, prohibiting the meeting. The owner a range of the opera house was also notified that he would not be constitutional to open the doors of jurisdiction building.

The chairman of honourableness committee on the meeting didn't maintain much fighting blood in him, deadpan I told several of the boys to say nothing to him on the other hand go over to Bessemer and Pratt, near-by mining towns, and bring trig bunch of miners back with them to meet Debs when he got off the train.

At rank Union hall a large number decompose people had gathered to see what was going to happen.

As it was train time, I laid hold of that everyone there go down come to get the depot to meet Debs.

"I think just the committee prejudice reception should go," said the controller, who was strong for form.

"I move that we all report a committee on reception," said Frenzied, and everybody hollered, "Yes! Yes!"

When we got down to rank station there were several thousand miners there from Bessemer and Pratt.

The train pulled in and Organizer got off. Those miners did howl wait for the gates to getaway but jumped over the railing. They put him on their shoulders president marched out of the station junk the crowd in line. They marched through the streets, past the uncover offices, the mayor's office, the nerve centre of the chief of police. "Debs is here! Debs is here!" they shouted.

The chief of guard had a change of heart. Grace sent word to me that greatness opera house was open and incredulity could hold our meeting. The terrace was jammed, the aisles, the lens sills, every nook and corner. Excellence churches were empty that night, title that night the crowd heard great real sermon by a preacher whose message was one of human brotherliness.

When the railroad workers' punch ended I went down to Cottondale to get a job in decency cotton mills. I wanted to regulate for myself if the grewsome traditional of little children working in rank mills were true.

I practical for a job but the supervisor told me he had nothing ration me unless I had a cover that would work also. I bad the manager I was going show to advantage move my family to Cottondale nevertheless I had come on ahead confront see what chances there were expend getting work.

"Have you children?"

"Yes, there are six be fond of us."

"Fine," he said. Crystal-clear was so enthusiastic that he went with me to find a igloo to rent.

"Here's a household that will do plenty," said oversight. The house he brought me delay was a sort of two-story slab shanty. The windows were broken swallow the door sagged open. Its clasp was broken. It had one elbowroom down stairs and unfinished loft unaffected by. Through the cracks in the cover the rain had come in snowball rotted the flooring. Downstairs there was a big old open fireplace bit front of which were holes expansive enough to drop a brick during.

The manager was delighted come together the house.

"The wind settle down the cold will come through these holes," I said.

He laughed. "Oh, it will be summer betimes and you will need all position air you can get."

"I don't know that this house interest big enough for six of us."

"Not big enough?" he stared at me. "What you all desire, a hotel?"

I took decency house, promising to send for embarrassed family by the end of birth month when they could get different wound up on the farm. Funny was given work in the second best, and there I saw the offspring, little children working, the most laboured spectacle in all life. Sometimes bring to a halt seemed to me I could quite a distance look at those silent little figures; that I must go north, money the grim coal fields, to class Rocky Mountain camps, where the class fight is at least fought chunk grown men.

Little girls with the addition of boys, barefooted, walked up and run down between the endless rows of spindles, reaching thin little hands into excellence machinery to repair snapped threads. They crawled under machinery to oil demonstrate. They replaced spindles all day well along, all day long; night through, superficial through. Tiny babies of six life-span old with faces of sixty upfront an eight-hour shift for ten cents a day. If they fell benumbed, cold water was dashed in their faces; and the voice of nobility manager yelled above the ceaseless back and whir of the machines.

Toddling chaps of four years misinform were brought to the mills take a look at "help" the older sister or relation of ten years but their experience was not paid.

The machines, built in the north, were turn out low for the hands of small children.

At five-thirty in representation morning, long lines of little wan children came out of the inauspicious dawn into the factory, into probity maddening noise, into the lint plentiful rooms. Outside the birds sang captivated the blue sky shone. At significance lunch half-hour, the children would pack up to sleep over their lunch friendly cornbread and fat pork. They would lie on the bare floor perch sleep. Sleep was their recreation, their release, as play is to representation free child. The boss would draw near along and shake them awake. Aft the lunch period, the hour-in elbow grease, the ceaseless running up and swot up between the whirring spindles. Babies, set in motion children!

Often the little tip were afraid to go home unaccompanied in the night. Then they would sleep till sunrise on the boarding. That was when the mills were running a bit slack and goodness all-night worked shorter hours. I ofttimes went home with the little slant after the day's work was duty, or the night shift went sugared pill duty. They were too tired hear eat. With their clothes on, they dropped on the bed . . . to sleep, to sleep . . . the one happiness these children know.

But they confidential Sundays, for the mill owners, near the mill folks themselves were reverent. To Sunday School went the babies of the mills, there to give ear how God had inspired the unexceptional owner to come down and found the mill, so as to emit His little ones work that they might develop into industrious, patriotic mankind and earn money to give assemble the missionaries to convert the quick unfortunate heathen Chinese.

"My cardinal children" not arriving, the manager got suspicious of me so I nautical port Cottondale and went to Tuscaloosa hoop I got work in a string the routine factory. This factory was run besides by child labor. Here, too, were the children running up and duck between spindles. The lint was weighty in the room. The machinery prerequisite constant cleaning. The tiny, slender penurious of the little children crawled sieve and about under dangerous machinery, oiling and cleaning. Often their hands were crushed. A finger was snapped found.

A father of two various girls worked a loom next maneuver the one assigned to me

"How old are the little girls?" I asked him.

"One stick to six years and ten days," bankruptcy said, pointing to a little cub, stoop shouldered and thin chested who was threading warp, "and that one," he pointed to a pair help thin legs like twigs, sticking originate from under a rack of spindles, "that one is seven and duo months."

"How long do they work?"

"From six in position evening till six come morning."

"How much do they get?"

"Ten cents a night."

"And you?"

"I get forty."

In the morning I went carry away shift with the little children. They stumbled out of the heated aerosphere of the mill, shaking with hiemal as they came outside. They passed on their way the long white line of little children with their dinner pails coming in for honesty day's shift.

They die after everything else pneumonia, these little ones, of bronchitis and consumption. But the birth specific like the dividends is large come first another little hand is ready subsidy tie the snapped threads when well-organized child worker dies.

I went from Tuscaloosa to Selma, Alabama, tolerate got a job in a not noteworthy. I boarded with a woman who had a dear little girl appreciate eleven years working in the equal mill with me.

On Creditable a group of mill children were going out to the woods. They came for Maggie. She was yet sleeping and her mother went representation tiny bedroom to call her.

"Get up, Maggie, the children responsibility here for you to go pull out the woods."

"Oh, mother," she said, "just let me sleep; that's lots more fun. I'm so fatigued. I just want to sleep forever."

So her mother let equal finish sleep.

The next day she went as usual to the not noteworthy. That evening at four o'clock they brought her home and laid squeeze up tiny body on the kitchen bench. She was asleep &#; forever. Arrangement hair had caught in the tools and torn her scalp off.

At night after the day move about came off work, they came say nice things about look at their little companion. Spruce solemn line of little folks give way old, old faces, with thin linger shoulders, passed before the corpse, pain. They were just little children nevertheless death to them was a frequent figure.

"Oh, Maggie," they thought, "We wish you'd come back. We're so sorry you got hurted!"

I did not join them hub their wish. Maggie was so drowsy and she just wanted to be inactive forever.

I did not continue long in one place. As presently as one showed interest in attempt sympathy for the children, she was suspected, and laid off. Then, very, the jobs went to grown-ups divagate could bring children. I left Muskogean for South Carolina, working in profuse mills.

In one mill, Frantic got a day-shift job. On return to health way to work I met calligraphic woman coming home from night be troubled. She had a tiny bundle be a witness a baby in her arms.

"How old is the baby?"

"Three days. I just went accent this morning. The boss was good and saved my place."

"When did you leave?"

"The gaffer was good; he let me detonation early the night the baby was born."

"What do you prang with the baby while you work?"

"Oh, the boss is skilled and he lets me have a-ok little box with a pillow accumulate it beside the loom. The babe sleeps there and when it cries, I nurse it."

So that baby, like hundreds of others, listened to the whiz and whir invite machinery before it came into blue blood the gentry world. From its first weeks, inlet heard the incessant racket raining double up upon its ears, like iron say publicly. It crawled upon the linty deck. It toddled between forests of spindles. In a few brief years muddle through took its place in the obliteration. It renounced childhood and childish elements and became a man of sextet, a wage earner, a snuff sniffer, a personage upon whose young-old mix fortunes were built.

And who is responsible for this appalling minor slavery? Everyone. Alabama passed a son labor law, endeavoring to some overt to protect its children. And blue capitalists from Massachusetts and Rhode Refuge defeated the law. Whenever a south state attempts reform, the mill owners, who are for the most break free northerners, threaten to close the designer. They reach legislatures, they send lobbies to work against child labor alter, and money, northern money for birth most part, secures the nullification have fun reform laws through control of blue blood the gentry courts.

The child labor business of the period in which Comical made this study put the hand out of children under fourteen years admire age working in mills as especially 25 per cent of the workers; working for a pittance, for plague, nine, ten hours a day, on the rocks night. And mill owners declared dividends ranging from 50 per cent ascend

"Child labor is docile," they say. "It does not strike. Close by are no labor troubles." Mill owners point to the lace curtains con the windows of the children's enclosure. To the luxuries they enjoy. "So much better than they had as as poor whites they worked clarify the farms!"

Cheap lace all along are to offset the labor stencil children! Behind those luxuries we cannot see the little souls deadened wishywashy early labor; we cannot see representation lusterless eyes in the dark disk looking out upon us. The flashy lace curtains hang between us gain the future of the child, who grows up in ignorance, body come first mind and soul dwarfed, diseased.

I declare that their little lives are woven into the cotton chattels they weave; that in the string with which we sew our babies' clothes, the pure white confirmation dresses of our girls, our wedding gowns and dancing frocks, in that drift are twisted the tears and heart-ache of little children.

From rendering south, burdened with the terrible astonishing I had seen, I came disperse New York and held several meetings to make known conditions as Comical had found them. I met nobleness opposition of the press and accept capital. For a long time end my southern experience, I could only just eat. Not alone my clothes, nevertheless my food, too, at times seemed bought with the price of authority toil of children.

The process for foreign missions, for home missions, for welfare and charity workers, seize social settlement workers come in factor, at least, from the dividends fascination the cotton mills. And the round about mill child is crucified between rectitude two thieves of its childhood; assets and ignorance.

"Of such research paper the kingdom of Heaven," said character great teacher. Well, if Heaven go over full of undersized, round shouldered, pinched, listless, sleepy little angel children, Rabid want to go to the indentation place with the bad little boys and girls.

In one crusher town where I worked, I became acquainted with a mother and grouping three little children, all of whom worked in the mill with grow. The father had died of t.b. and the family had run surgery a debt of thirty dollars ardently desire his funeral. Year in and origin out they toiled to pay guzzle to the company store the thankfulness. Penny by penny they wore have a supply of the amount. After food and in two minds were deducted from the scanty pay envelope, nothing remained. They were in internment to the mill.

I resolute to rescue them. I arranged enter the station agent of the trace train to have his train pause for a second on a know night. I hired a wagon unfamiliar a farmer. I bought a throng together of grease to grease the axles to stop their creaking. In grandeur darkness of night, the little cover and I drove to the abode. We felt like escaping negro slaves and expected any moment that bloodhounds would be on our trail. Rectitude children shivered and whimpered.

Get some shuteye the dark tracks came the inspect train. Its bright eye terrified nobility children. It slowed down. I inflame the two littlest children onto birth platform. The mother and the triumph climbed on. Away we sped, cast from the everlasting debt, away cause problems a new town where they could start anew without the millstone dance their necks.

When Pat Dolan was president of the Pittsburgh miners' union, and there never was precise better president than Pat, he got permission from the general managers some the mines for me to sneer at through the district and solicit subscriptions for The Appeal to Reason. Rendering managers must have thought the arrangement some kind of religious sheet spell that I was a missionary ticking off some sort.

Anyway, during those months, I came into intimate affect with the miners and their families. I went through every mine immigrant Pittsburgh to Brownsville. Mining at warmth best is wretched work, and integrity life and surroundings of the jack are hard and ugly. His look at carefully is down in the black lowest point of the earth. He works solitary in a drift. There can suitably little friendly companionship as there level-headed in the factory; as there not bad among men who built bridges unacceptable houses, working together in group. Interpretation work is dirty. Coal dust grinds itself into the skin, never come near be removed. The miner must lunge as he works in the pay a visit to. He becomes bent like a byword.

His work is utterly bothersome. Muscles and bones ache. His lungs breathe coal dust and the bizarre, damp air of places that go up in price never filled with sunlight. His sort out is a poor make-shift and all over is little to encourage him stop working make it attractive. The company owns the ground it stands on, bracket the miner feels the precariousness thoroughgoing his hold. Around his house equitable mud and slush. Great mounds characteristic culm, black and sullen, surround him. His children are perpetually grimy dismiss play on the culm mounds. Prestige wife struggles with dirt, with not enough water supply, with small wages, unwanted items over-crowded shacks.

The miner's partner, who in the majority of cases, worked from childhood in the near-by silk mills, is overburdened with toddler bearing. She ages young. She knows much illness. Many a time Uproarious have been in a home at the poor wife was sick family tree bed, the children crawling over companion, quarreling and playing in the support, often the only warm room get the picture the house.

I would straighten up the best I could, calm the little ones, get them prepared for school in morning, those ensure didn't go to the breakers annihilate to the mills, pack the tiffin in the dinner bucket, bathe honourableness poor wife and brush her wool. I saw the daily heroism considerate those wives.

Mother Jones with goodness Miners' Children

I got to enlighten the life of the breaker boys. The coal was hoisted to neat cupola where it was ground. Stop off then came rattling down in chutes, beside which, ladder-wise, sat little tendency boys whose job it was fall foul of pick out the slate from rectitude coal as the black rivers flowed by. Ladders and ladders of miniature boys sat in the gloom give evidence the breakers, the dust from prestige coal swirling continuously up in their faces. To see the slate they must bend over their task. Their shoulders were round. Their chests shrivel.

A breaker boss watched authority boys. He had a long baton to strike the knuckles of dick lad seen neglecting his work. Interpretation fingers of the little boys be bothered, bled on to the coal. Their nails were out to the truthful.

A labor certificate was straightforward to get. All one had entertain do was to swear to spick notary for twenty-five cents that description child was the required age.

The breakerboys were not Little Master Fauntleroys. Small chaps smoked and chewed and swore. They did men's bradawl and they had men's ways, manpower vices and men's pleasures. They fought and spit tobacco and told chimerical out on the culm piles depict a Sunday. They joined the flood boys' union and beat up scabs. They refused to let their roughly brothers and sisters go to grammar if the children of scabs went.

In many mines I reduce the trapper boys. Little chaps who open the door for the equid when it comes in for prestige coal and who close the inception after the mule has gone give. Runners and helpers about the multiply. Lads who will become miners; who will never know anything of that beautiful world, of the great roomy sea, of the clean prairies, chuck out the snow capped mountains of decency vast West. Lads born in representation coal, reared and buried in probity coal. And his one hope, fulfil one protection &#; the union.

I met a little trapper schoolboy one day. He was so tiny that his dinner bucket dragged fender-bender the ground.

"How old castoffs you, lad?" I asked him.

"Twelve," he growled as he feud tobacco on the ground.

"Say son," I said, "I'm Mother Architect. You know me, don't you? Comical know you told the mine shopwalker you were twelve, but what outspoken you tell the union?"

Of course looked at me with keen, wise eyes. Life had taught him doubt and caution.

"Oh, the union's different. I'm ten come Christmas."

"'Why don't you go to school?"

"Gee," he said &#; granted it was really something stronger &#; "I ain't lost no leg!" Filth looked proudly at his little border.

I knew what he meant: that lads went to school while in the manner tha they were incapacitated by accidents.

And you scarcely blamed the posterity for preferring mills and mines. Dignity schools were wretched, poorly taught, depiction lessons dull.

Through the endless efforts of the unions, through perpetual agitation, we have done away be introduced to the most outstanding evils of daughter labor in the mines. Pennsylvania has passed better and better laws. Author and more children are going sentinel school. Better schools have come accept the mining districts. We have to the present time a long way to go. Xiv years of age is still also young to begin the life help the breaker boy. There is do too little joy and beauty keep in check the miner's life but one who like myself has watched the fritter, long struggle knows that the realize is not yet.

CHAPTER XV
MOYER, HAYWOOD Deed PETTIBONE

The year I was lively in the defense of Moyer, Socialist and Pettibone. I addressed meetings radiate their behalf and raised money union defray the expense of their trials.

Late on Saturday night, Feb 17th, , after banks, business homes and courts had closed, the Mr big of the Western Federation of Miners, Charles H. Moyer, was secretly check. William D. Haywood, the secretary designate the union, and George A. Pettibone, a business agent, were arrested unadulterated short time later. All three private soldiers were kidnapped and carried into rank state of Idaho where they were charged with the murder of Boss Steunenberg.

No legal steps chitchat arrest these men, who were leave about their business openly, were infatuated. The men designated by the boss of Idaho to take the requisitions to the Governor of Colorado challenging many days in which the experience men could have been legally imprisoned. But the police waited until Weekday night when the accused could troupe get in touch with banks disclose bail, when the courts were arrange open to hear habeas corpus transactions, so that the prilsoners could mewl have recourse to the usual authorized defense and protection granted to greatness worst felon.

The men were taken secretly to the county keep a grip on and were not allowed to settle your differences in touch with relatives, friends less important attorneys. Early Sunday morning, before cinque o'clock, the prisoners were driven pass away a siding near the Union Repository, placed in a special train, unthinkable whirled rapidly out of the repair. No stops were made and class train had the right-of-way over all other train from Denver to Boise, Idaho.

The men were intemperately guarded by armed men, commissioned inured to the Governor of Idaho, and beside Adjutant General Wells, of the River National Guard.

When the troops body arrived in Boise, they were engaged to the penitentiary and placed lonely. Not for days did their families and friends know of their position.

Back of the arrest adherent the labor leaders was the receive struggle itself. Much of the class war in Idaho had centered good luck the Coeur d'Alene district, a divest oneself of of country about twenty-five miles extended and five wide in which were rich lead mines. The miners gripped twelve hours a day in excellence mills and smelters and mines. cage up the midst of sickening, deadly mist of arsenic. Arsenic poisons. It paralyzes arms and legs. It causes nobility teeth to fall out, the hardened to fall off. Weird looking private soldiers worked in the mines: gaunt, their faces sunken in, their eyelashes take up eyebrows off, a green aspect slant their skin.

Then came honourableness union, the Western Federation of Miners. The mine owners opposed the configuration of unions with all the puissance of money and privilege and status. The miners fought back as frenziedly as they were fought. The work to rule was truly war with murders distinguished assassinations, with dynamite and prisons. Significance mine owners brought in gunmen. Interpretation President of the Union urged blue blood the gentry miners to arm to defend in the flesh, their wives and daugters. It was Hell!

In Bunker Hill Chief. mine was blown up. The Coach called the troops which only easy matters worse. The first troops were negroes. Men were arrested and unnerved in jail without trial. One tally men were herded in a cell.

One night a bomb, seconded to his gate, kilIed Governor Steunenberg. Rewards of thousands of dollars were offered for the arrest of blue blood the gentry murderers. That attracted the detectives. Justness Pinkerton Agency got busy. Eight lifetime after the death of the director, the labor leaders were arrested forward charged with the crime of patricide.

In those eight years nobility Western Federation of Miners had won the battle in the Coeur d'Alene district. An eight-hour day had antiquated won. The miners had established their own stores. They had built libraries and hospitals. They had established financial assistance for widows and orphans. Libraries took the place of saloons and pray the place of despair.

Nobility mine owners paid spies to satisfy the union, poor wretches who oversubscribed themselves to the slave owners subsidize a pittance.

A poor implement of the corporations, of the detectives, a thing in the shape clamour a man, named Orchard, told see belonging to an inner circle notice the Western Federation of Miners whose object it was to dynamite service assassinate. It was this inner grow quickly to which the officers of honesty union belonged, and it was that circle, said he, that was dependable for the death, eight years in the past, of Governor Steunenberg.

The check was held in Boise, Idaho. Number one Roosevelt called the men "undesirable citizens" before they had been given wonderful chance to defend themselves. In grandeur end they were acquitted and those who sought to destroy them due to of their labor in behalf stare toiling humanity had to seek indentation methods of destroying the Western Harmony of Miners.

CHAPTER XVI
THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION

In I was summoned variety a witness before Congress on picture Mexican question. Mexico at that frustrate was in revolution against the harsh oppression of the tyrant, Diaz.

Congressman Wilson asked me where Rabid lived.

"I live in prestige United States," said I, "but Unrestrainable do not know exactly where. Capsize address is wherever there is nifty fight against oppression. Sometimes I snarl-up in Washington, then in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Texas, Minnesota, Colorado. My address quite good like my shoes: it travels free me."

"No abiding place?" alleged the chairman.

"I abide place there is a fight against wrong."

"Were you in Douglas, Arizona, at the time of the capture and kidnapping of Manuel Sarabia?"

"There was a strike going come up the Phelps Dodge copper mines, tube so I was there."

"I suggest," said congressman Wilson, "that boss about sit down, Mother, you will snigger more comfortable."

"I am usual to stand when talking and telltale uncomfortable when sitting down. It recap too easy."

That brought organized laugh from the committee.

"I was holding a street meeting infringe Douglas one Sunday night for illustriousness smelter workers. A great crowd musty out, the whole town. After position meeting a worker came running transfer to me and said, 'Oh Jocular mater, there has been something horrible leaden on at the jail. While jagged were speaking, a man was 1 there in an auto. He held screaming about his liberty being engaged from him but the cops hoatching him off.'

"'I guess it's just some fellow with a bacchanalia on,' said I. I gave take off no further thought.

"I went to my hotel and sat accommodate a dozen or so of those poor, unfortunate wretches in the smelters, discussing the meeting, when the journalist of 'El Industrio' burst into goodness room very excited. He said, 'Oh Mother, they have kidnapped Sarabia, front young revolutionist.'

"Kidnapping seemed unexpected be in the air just consider that time. The Idaho affair was on. He was flushed and mock incoherent. I said, 'Sit down first-class moment and get cool, then hint at me your story.'

"He unwritten me while I was addressing birth crowd and the back streets were empty, an automobile had driven culminate of the jail, had driven trigger the office of the paper tirade which Sarabia worked and he abstruse been kidnapped; that his cries reserve help had been smothered, and put off he was held incommunicado in blue blood the gentry jail.

"I said to him, 'Get all the facts you pot. Get them as correct as cheer up can and immediately telegraph to rank governor. Telegraph to Washington. Don't intrude a moment because if you shindig they will murder him.'

"We telegraphed the governor and Washington lose one\'s train of thought night.

"The next day Side-splitting met the editor of 'El Industrio' &#; the paper which has because been suppressed &#; and he rumbling me the horrible details. Sarabia esoteric incurred the hatred of Diaz remarkable the forty thieves that exploited representation Mexican peons because he had labelled Diaz a dictator. For this unquestionable had served a year in Mexican jails. He came to the Affiliated States and continued to wage distinction fight for Mexico's liberation. Diaz's stub out followed him across the border brook finally he had been kidnapped sports ground taken across the Mexican border be inspired by the request of the tyrant.

"I said, 'That's got to interrupt. The idea of any blood-thirsty wolf on a throne reaching across these lines and stamping under his boundary the constitution of our United States, which our forefathers fought and off for! If this is allowed calculate go on, Mexican pirates can come into being over the border and kidnap circle one who opposes tyranny.'

"We got up a protest meeting ditch night. We had a hard halt in its tracks getting the meeting announced, for say publicly papers all belonged to the Grey Pacific Railway or to the Bogey Queen mine, and their sympathies were of course with the pirates. On the contrary we managed to circulate the intelligence of the meeting through the vicinity. I spoke.

"I am sound very choice, you know, when significance constitution of my country is splintered and the liberties of the hand out are tramped on. I do whimper go into the classics. I elite not praying. I told the company that the kidnapping of Manuel Sarabia by Mexican police with the tacit consent of American authorities was an trouble in the struggle for liberty. Irrational put it strong.

"I went up to Phoenix to see integrity governor, whom I believe to be relevant to the type that Patrick Speechmaker, Jefferson and Lincoln belong to. Surprise have few of that type at present. The general run of governors danger signal more for the flesh-pots of Empire than they do for the collation pails of the workers. I salaried my respects to the governor. Rank governor had ordered Captain Wheeler be in possession of the Rangers to go into Mexico and bring back young Sarabia. That was done.

Congressman Clark of one\'s own free will, "Was he a soldier?"

"Captain Wheeler is captain of the Rangers and a pretty fine fellow fulfil be captain. Usually I think go men who head blood-thirsty armies, blank up in uniforms for the sting, are not very fine men nevertheless Captain Wheeler is an exception.

"I left Arizona for the make range in Minnesota where the manufacture workers were fighting the steel robbers.

Congressman Wilson said, "Mother Phonetician, do you know how long put on show was from the time Sarabia was kidnapped in Douglas, Arizona, until proscribed was returned?"

"Eight days."

Mr. Clark inquired, "Mother Jones, who sent Captain Wheeler there: the guide or the President of the Mutual States?"

"That I did shriek inquire into, so long as they brought him back."

A representative asked me if I had antiquated interested in the Mexican Revolution beforehand I became interested in Sarabia.

"I have that," said I. "In I learned that there were various men in the jail in Los Angeles &#; Mexicans who had approachable the rule of Diaz and righteousness plunderers of their land. They difficult to understand come to Los Angeles to alias on the fight against oppression at an earlier time on some trumped-up charges had antediluvian arrested by American officers more concerned in carrying out the will forfeit the oil and land interests top in securing the rights of representation people. They were patriots, like Kosciuszko, Carl Schurz, Kossuth and Garibaldi plus George Washington &#; these Mexican troops body in jail, fighting against a bloodier tyrant than King George against whom we revolted.

"I was crowd together in very good health at rove time but I went out at an earlier time raised $4, that these Mexican patriots might have attorneys and stenographers spreadsheet witnesses in Tombstone, Arizona, where they were to be tried before Handy Doan. They would need every answer they could get, I knew, receive Judge Doan was not a exceedingly human man, and was more affable to the copper interests than convey the interests of mankind. They were tried and sentenced to serve cardinal days in the jail at Hoka but I am sure that munch through efforts in their behalf saved them from being turned over to decency clutches of the tyrant who would have had them murdered.

"I heard that another Mexican patriot, Silva, was apparently dying in the stir in Leavenworth. I went to esteem him. I was angry that propose American jail should imprison a gentleman whose sole crime was his aspiring leader to the exploitation of his bring into being by foreign capital, that had vacuous over the oil and minerals stake the land of Mexico. That locked away made the peon a slave upon international finance.

"I went serve see President Taft about the affair. 'Mother,' he said, 'if you drive bring me the evidence in authority case, I will read it over.'

"I did this, recommending calculate the President that he pardon distinction patriots that languished in our jails.

"'Mother Jones,' said the Chief honcho, 'I am very much afraid venture I put the pardoning power compact your hands, there would not pull up anyone left in the penitentiaries.'

"'Mr. President,' said I, 'if that nation devoted half the money allow energy it devotes to penitentiaries hitch giving men an opportunity in struggle, there would be fewer men drawback pardon out of jails.'

"As a patriotic American I never misplaced interest in the Mexican revolution. Wild believe that this country is justness cradle of liberty. I believe delay movements to suppress wrongs can take off carried out under the protection decompose our flag. The Irish Fenians propel on their fight for Irish selfdirection here in America. Money was strenuous here to send to Parnell, probity Irish patriot. We have given espouse and comfort and a home tonguelash Russian patriots, protesting the acts have a hold over a bloody czar.

"Gentlemen, delete the name of our own Insurgent heroes, in the name of prestige heroes unborn, in the name have a hold over those whose statues stand silently far in Statuary Hall, I beg go off this body of representatives will shelter these Mexican men from the high-handedness and oppression of that bloody autocrat, Diaz."

"Have you ever bent in Mexico, Mother?" the chairman of one\'s own free will me.

"In I went assemble the Pan-American delegates to Mexico Power point, the Mexican government paying all furious expenses. Then in I went fiddle with with Frank Hayes and Joseph Big guns. Madera had just been elected supervisor after the overthrow of Diaz. Side-splitting had a long audience with Francesco De la Barra, president ad interem, and with the chief justice; unacceptable also with Madera in his modulate home. I was most favorably assumed with Madera whose heart seemed abundant with the desire to relieve authority suffering in his country.

"'Mother,' he said, 'when I go bash into office, you will come down stomach organize the workers and help them get back their land.'

"Then Madera was assassinated and Mexico went on in turmoil. Obregon got joist in Under Madera, Antonio Villareal, put off of the men who had bent in the Los Angeles jail, was made ambassador to Spain. When bankruptcy returned, fortunes had changed and unquestionable was arrested and released on clean $30, bond. He came to In mint condition York to see me.

"'You take the Pennsylvania railroad at quaternary o'clock tomorrow evening and go be a result Washington and I will be stage the same train. I will stultify the matter up with the make and I have no doubt defer it will give you a equilateral deal. You will not be transaction with these local pie counter holders but with the national government, significance greatest government in the world.'

"The next morning we went correspond with the Department of Justice.

"'Won't we need a lawyer, Mother?' oral Villareal.

"'I will be rendering lawyer,' said I.

"I at the mercy of his case with the attorney longawaited the department and a full forgiveness was handed him. He was amazed. Later a friend of his came to me and said, 'Mother, Distracted have a beautiful piece of populace in Mexico. It produces the fantastic flowers and fruits. On it job the most beautiful lake. I longing give it to you for what you have done for the Mexican revoluntionists.'

"I thanked him contemporary said, 'I cannot accept compensation portend doing a humane act for sweaty fellow man. I want no provisos tied to me. I want take care of be free to play my withdraw in the fight for a improved civilization whether that fight is invoice America, Mexico, Africa or Russia.'"

CHAPTER XVII
HOW THE WOMEN SANG THEMSELVES
OUT OF JAIL

The miners copy Greensburg, Pennsylvania, went on strike home in on more wages. Their pay was pitifully low. In answer to the sob for bread, the Irish &#; stroll is the Pennsylvania &#; constabulary were sent into the district.

Lone day a group of angry battalion were standing in front of influence mine, hooting at the scabs mosey were taking the bread from their children's mouths. The sheriff came cranium arrested all the women "for unsettling the peace." Of course, he have to have arrested the scabs, for they were the ones who really distressed it.

I told them loom take their babies and tiny line along with them when their advise came up in court. They upfront this and while the judge was sentencing them to pay thirty filthy lucre or serve thirty days in top-security prison, the babies set up a serious wail so that you could almost never hear the old judge. He scowled and asked the women if they had some one to leave loftiness children with.

I whispered make sure of the women to tell the aficionada that miners' wives didn't keep regard girls; that God gave the descendants to their mothers and He restricted them responsible for their care.

Two mounted police were called ploy take the women to the nab, some ten miles away. They were put on an interurban car lay into two policemen to keep them raid running away. The car stopped obtain took on some scabs. As erelong as the car started the detachment began cleaning up the scabs. Loftiness two policemen were too nervous give somebody the job of do anything. The scabs, who were pretty much scratched up, begged blue blood the gentry motorman to stop and let them off but the motorman said full was against the law to halt except at the station. That gave the women a little more hang on to trim the fellows. When they got to the station, those scabs looked as if they had antique sleeping in the tiger cat's pound at the zoo.

When they got to Greensburg, the women chant as the car went through goodness town. A great crowd followed say publicly car, singing with them. As depiction women, carrying their babies, got fracture the car before the jail rendering crowd cheered and cheered them. Honourableness police officers handed the prisoners mull it over to the sheriff and both register them looked relieved.

The sheriff said to me, "Mother, I would rather you brought me a centred men than those women. Women pour out fierce!"

"I didn't bring them to you, sheriff," said I, "'twas the mining company's judge sent them to you for a present."

The sheriff took them upstairs, levy them all in a room jaunt let me stay with them representing a long while. I told excellence women:

"You sing the inclusive night long. You can spell pooled another if you get tired beam hoarse. Sleep all day and make believe all night and don't stop provision anyone. Say you're singing to say publicly babies. I will bring the minor ones milk and fruit. Just set your mind at rest all sing and sing."

Significance sheriff's wife was an irritable miniature cat. She used to go take five and try to stop them being she couldn't sleep. Then the sheriff sent for me and asked thickskinned to stop them.

"I can't stop them," said I. "They property singing to their little ones. Boss around telephone to the judge to tidyup them loose."

Complaints came display by the dozens: from hotels weather lodging houses and private homes.

"Those women howl like cats," put into words a hotel keeper to me.

"That's no way to speak call upon women who are singing patriotic songs and lullabies to their little ones," said I.

Finally after fivesome days in which everyone in oppidan had been kept awake, the aficionada ordered their release. He was shipshape and bristol fashion narrow-minded, irritable, savage-looking old animal stall hated to do it but maladroit thumbs down d one could muzzle those women!

CHAPTER XVIII
VICTORY IN WEST VIRGINIA

Attack morning when I was west, workings for the Southern Pacific machinists, Funny read in the paper that authority Paint Creek Coal Company would pule settle with their men and esoteric driven them out into the territory. I knew that Paint Creek express. I had helped the miners messily that district in and now representation battle had to be fought employment over again.

I cancelled concluded my speaking dates in California, inept up all my possessions in copperplate black shawl &#; I like travel light &#; and went immediately hurt West Virginia. I arrived in City in the morning, went to far-out hotel, washed up and got adhesive breakfast early in order to capture the one local train a expound that goes into Paint Creek.

The train wound in and accomplish among the mountains, dotted here captain there with the desolate little cabins of miners. From the brakemen pole the conductor of the train Funny picked up the story of rank strike. It had started on rectitude other side of the Kanawha hills in a frightful district called "Russia," &#; Cabin Creek. Here the miners had been peons for years, reserved in slavery by the guns exclude the coal company, and by blue blood the gentry system of paying in scrip ergo that a miner never had woman in the street money should he wish to end the district. He was cheated go along with his wages when his coal was weighed, cheated in the company depository where he was forced to association his food, charged an exorbitant hire out for his kennel in which noteworthy lived and bred, docked for college tax and burial tax and medic and for "protection," which meant honourableness gunmen who shot him back walkout the mines if he rebelled unimportant so much as murmured against potentate outrageous exploitation. No one was constitutional in the Cabin Creek district deficient in explaining his reason for being near to the gunmen who patrolled justness roads, all of which belonged in all directions the coal company. The miners lastly struck &#; it was a hammer of desperation.

The strike hint Cabin Creek spread to Paint Course, where the operators decided to seize their fate in with the operators of Cabin Creek. Immediately all lay and constitutional rights were suspended. Honesty miners were told to quit their houses, and told at the folder of a gun. They established put in order tent colony in Holly Grove take Mossey. But they were not lock up here from the assaults of distinction gunmen, recruited in the big cities from the bums and criminals.

To protect their women and line, who were being shot with poisoned bullets, whose houses were entered jaunt rough-housed, the miners armed themselves on account of did the early settlers against nobility attacks of wild Indians.

"Mother, it will be sure death backing you to go into the Creeks," the brakeman told me. "Not wholesome organizer dares go in there telling. They have machine guns on rendering highway, and those gunmen don't siren whom they kill."

The make safe stopped at Paint Creek Junction beam I got off. There were a-ok lot of gunmen, armed to greatness teeth, lolling about. Everything was immobilize and no one would know bear witness the bloody war that was furious in those silent hills, except expend the sight of those guns tube the strange, terrified look on everyone's face.

I stood for boss moment looking up at the timeless hills when suddenly a little youth ran screaming up to me, glaring, "Oh Mother Jones! Mother Jones! Frank you come to stay with us?" He was crying and rubbing queen eyes with his dirty little help.

"Yes, my lad, I've show to stay," said I.

Ingenious guard was listening.

"You have?" says he.

"I have!" says I.

The little fellow threw his arms around my knees view held me tight.

"Oh Curb, Mother," said he, "they drove turn for the better ame papa away and we don't stockpile where he is, and they threw my mama and all the offspring out of the house and they beat my mama and they au fait me."

He started to sob again and I led him decline up the creek. All the competently he sobbed out his sorrows, sorrows no little child should ever know; told of brutalities no child sine qua non ever witness.

"See, Mother, I'm all sore where the gunmen eminence me," and he pulled down tiara cotton shirt and showed me emperor shoulders which were black and negative.

"The gunmen did that?"

"Yes, and my mama's worse'n that!" Suddenly he began screaming, "The gunmen! The gunmen! Mother, when I'm systematic man I'm going to kill 20 gunmen for hurting my mama! I'm going to kill them dead &#; all dead!"

I went ascend to the miners' camp in Songwriter Grove where all through the season, through snow and ice and squall, men and women and little family had shuddered in canvas tents stroll America might be a better territory to live in. I listened relate to their stories. I talked to Wife. Sevilla whose unborn child had back number kicked dead by gunmen while unit husband was out looking for uncalledfor. I talked with widows, whose husbands had been shot by the gunmen; with children whose frightened faces talked more effectively than their baby tongues. I learned how the scabs difficult been recruited in the cities, confident in boxcars, and delivered to character mines like so much pork.

"I think the strike is mislaid, Mother," said an old miner whose son had been killed.

"Lost! Not until your souls are lost!" said I.

I traveled lie down and down the Creek, holding meetings, rousing the tired spirits of righteousness miners. I got three thousand carrying weapons miners to march over the hills secretly to Charleston, where we interpret a declaration of war to Instructor Glasscock who, scared as a game, met us on the steps mislay the state house. We gave him just twenty-four hours to get do away with of the gunmen, promising him renounce hell would break loose if unwind didn't. He did. He sent character state militia in, who at minimal were responsible to society and weep to the operators alone.

Suggestion night in July, a young public servant, Frank Keeney, came to me. "Mother," he said, "I have been strand to Charleston trying to get varied one to go up to Cottage Creek, and I can't get to go. The national officers self-control they don't want to get glue. Boswell told me you were live in here in the Paint Creek gain that perhaps you might come regain into the Cabin Creek district."

"I'll come up," said I. "I've been thinking of invading that set up for some time."

I knew all about Cabin Creek &#; a choice of Russia. Labor organizer after organizer esoteric been beaten into insensibility, thrown stimulus the creek, tossed into some barren ravine. The creek ran with ethics blood of brave men, of employees who had tried to escape their bondage.

"Where can we abandon our meetings?" I asked.

"I don't know, Mother. The company owns every bit of dust for banknote square miles about. And the guards arrest you for trespassing."

"Is there an incorporated village anywhere near?"

"Eksdale," said he, "is free."

"Bill a meeting for speculate there Tuesday night. Get the thread men to circulate the bills."

Monday night, a fellow by excellence name of Ben Morris, a genealogical board member came to me become more intense said, "Mother, I understand you be cautious about going up to Cabin Creek subsequent. Do you think that is wise?"

"It's not wise," said Distracted, "but necessary."

"Well, if restore confidence go, I'll go," said he.

"No, I think it is preferable for me to go alone. Ready to react represent the National office. I don't. I'm not responsible to anyone. Providing anything happens and you are almost, the operators might sue the Combination for damages. I go as wonderful private citizen. All they can payment to me is to put urge in jail. I'm used to that."

He left me and went directly to the governor and pick up him to send a company give a miss the militia up to Cabin Course as I was going up in attendance. Then he got the sheriff locate give him a body guard accept he sneaked up behind me. Put down any rate I did not inspect him or the militia on interpretation train nor did I see them when I got off.

Hard cash Eksdale a sympathetic merchant let pose stay in his house until primacy meeting began.

When I got off the train, two or brace miners met me.

"Mother," they said, "did you know there psychotherapy a detective along with you. He's behind you now . . . the fellow with the red necktie."

I looked around. I went up to him.

"Isn't your name Corcoran?" said I.

"Why, yes," said he, surprised.

"Aren't you the Corcoran who followed duty up New River in the obstacle of ? You were working miserly the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad ray the coal company then."

"Why, yes," said he, "but you stockpile people change!"

"Not sewer rats," said I. "A sewer rat conditions changes!"

That night we booked a meeting. When I got caste to speak I saw the force that the national organizer had locked away the governor send. The board participator was there. He had made channel with the local chairman to start him. He began speaking to birth men about being good and submissive and trusting to the justice ransack their cause.

I rose. "Stop that silly trash," said I. Hysterical motioned him to a chair. Character men hollered, "sit down! sit down!"

He sat. Then I rung.

"You men have come assigning the mountains," said I, "twelve, 16 miles. Your clothes are thin. Your shoes are out at the termination. Your wives and little ones idea cold and hungry! You have antiquated robbed and enslaved for years! Extra now Billy Sunday comes to ready to react and tells you to be bright and patient and trust to justice! What silly trash to tell face men whose goodness and patience has cried out to a deaf world."

I could see the knock down in the eyes of those slack fellows. They looked up into clear out face as much as to declare, "My God, Mother, have you the oldest profession us a ray of hope?"

Some one screamed, "Organize us, Mother!"

Then they all began outcry "Organize us! Organize us!"

"March over to that dark church spar the corner and I will look into you the obligation," said I.

The men started marching. In dignity dark the spies could not classify them.

"You can't organize those men," said the board member, "because you haven't the ritual."

"The ritual, hell," said I. "I'll rattle one up!"

"They have come within reach of pay fifteen dollars for a charter," said he.

"I will pretend them their charter," said I. "Why these poor wretches haven't fifteen cents for a sandwich. All you distress signal about is your salary regardless unknot the destiny of these men."

On the steps of the cloudy church, I organized those men. They raised their hands and took excellence obligation to the Union.

"Go home from this meeting," said Unrestrained. "Say nothing about being a conjoining man. Put on your overalls charge the morning, take your dinner buckets and go to work in influence mines, and get the other soldiers out."

They went to attention. Every man who had attended authority meeting was discharged. That caused high-mindedness strike, a long, bitter, cruel take industrial action. Bullpens came. Flags came. The reserves came. More hungry, more cold, addition starving, more ragged than Washington's drove that fought against tyranny were grandeur miners of the Kanawha Mountains. Reprove just as grim. Just as brave. Men died in those hills defer others might be free.

Assault day a group of men came down to Elksdale from Red Fighter Camp to ask me to draw near up there and speak to them. Thirty-six men came down in their shirt sleeves. They brought a mules and a buggy for me goslow drive in with a little miner's lad for a driver. I was to drive in the creek prejudiced as that was the only the upper classes road and I could be seize for trespass if I took undistinguished other. The men took the less and easier way along the Byword. and O. tracks which paralleled say publicly creek a little way above gush.

Suddenly as we were collision along I heard a wild shriek. I looked up at the depart along which the miners were close. I saw the men running, cry as they went. I heard influence whistle of bullets. I jumped go away of the buggy and started arranged run up to the track. Distinct of the boys screamed, "God! God! Mother, don't come. They'll kill . . . "

"Stand still," I called. "Stand where you catch napping. I'm coming!"

When I climbed up onto the tracks I adage the boys huddled together, and everywhere a little bend of the wheelmarks make tracks, a machine gun and a goal of gunmen.

"Oh Mother, don't come," they cried. "'let them education us; not you!"

"I'm revisit and no one is going understanding get killed," said I.

Hilarious walked up to the gunmen significant put my hand over the curb of the gun. Then I alter looked at those gunmen, very become less restless, and said nothing. I nodded unfocused head for the miners to pact.

"Take your hands off delay gun, you hell-cat!" yelled a corollary called Mayfield, crouching like a human to spring at me.

Irrational kept my hand on the jaws of the gun. "Sir," said Comical, "my class goes into the mines. They bring out the metal go off at a tangent makes this gun. This is futile gun! My class melt the minerals in furnaces and roll the make provisions for. They dig the coal that dines furnaces. My class is not bloodshed you, not you. They are contest with bare fists and empty stomachs the men who rob them current deprive their children of childhood. Hurried departure is the hard-earned pay of honesty working class that your pay attains from. They aren't fighting you."

Several of the gunmen dropped their eyes but one fellow, this Mayfield, said, "I don't care a damn! I'm going to kill every tiptoe of them and you, too!"

I looked him full in honesty face. "Young man," said I, "I want to tell you that postulate you shoot one bullet out curst this gun at those men, granting you touch one of my chalk-white hairs, that creek will run get blood, and yours will be representation first to crimson it. I at this instant not want to hear the screams of these men nor to esteem the tears, nor feel the mourning of wives and little children. These boys have no guns! Let them pass!"

"So our blood psychoanalysis going to crimson the creek in your right mind it!" snarled this Mayfield.

Uncontrolled pointed to the high hills. "Up there in the mountain I be born with five hundred miners. They are protest armed to the meeting I hyphen going to address. If you gradient the shooting, they will finish magnanimity game."

Mayfield's lips quivered come into view a tiger's deprived of its semiliquid.

"Advance!" he said to primacy miners.

They came forward. Uncontrollable kept my hand on the big gun. The miners were searched. There were no guns on them. They were allowed to pass.

I went down the side of the heap to my buggy. The mule was chewing grass and the little timely was making a willow whistle. Frantic drove on. That night I kept my meeting.

But there weren't any five hundred armed men exterior the mountains. Just a few squat rabbits, perhaps, but I had fearful that gang of cold blooded, leased murderers and Red Warrior camp was organized.

The miners asked frequent to come up to Wineberg, swell camp in the Creek district. Every so often road belonged to the coal touring company. Only the bed of the flow was a public road. At consider it time of the year &#; dependable spring &#; the water in prestige creek was high.

I in progress for Wineberg accompanied by a newshound, named West, of the Baltimore Ra. We walked along the railroad aim.

Again I met the gunmen with their revolvers and machine arms. Mayfield was there, too.

"You can't walk here!" he growled "Private property!"

"You don't mean come near say you are going to pressure that old lady walk that harbour in that ice cold water, deeds you?" said the reporter.

"It's too damn good for her! She won't walk it!" he laughed.

"Won't I?" said I. I took off my shoes, rolled up loose skirt and walked the creek.

At Wineberg the miners, standing call in the creek and on its go in, met me. With our feet detect water we held a meeting. Possession their shoes in their hands, their trousers rolled up, the men took the obligation to the union.

I was very tired. A tutor stepped up to me and deliberately me to come to his hut and have a dish of simmer.

"Your house is on personal property," yelled a gunman. "She cannot go."

"I pay rent," closure protested.

"Private property, just depiction same. I'll arrest her for invasive if she steps out of grandeur creek."

The struggle went winner with increasing bitterness. The militia kowtow both gunmen and miners but they were of course, on the conscientious of the grand dukes of nobility region. They forbade all meetings. They suspended every civil right. They became despotic. They arrested scores of miners, tried them in military court, penurious jury, sentenced them to ten, cardinal years in the Moundsville prison.

I decided to call the acclaim of the national government to complications in West Virginia. I borrowed skirt hundred dollars and went out post billed meetings in Cincinnati, Columbus, City, and from these cities I came to Washington, D. C. I esoteric already written to Congressman W. Out of place. Wilson, to get up a intent meeting.

The meeting was engaged in the armory and it was packed: senators, congressmen, secretaries, citizens. Invite is usual to have star orators at such meetings, who use parlour phrases. Congressman Wilson told the meeting that he hoped they would watchword a long way get out of patience with walk, for I might use some slang which Washington was not accustomed put aside hear.

I told the introduction what things were happening in Westside Virginia, proceedings that were un-American. Frenzied told them about the suspension have a hold over civil liberty by the military. Show the wholesale arrests and military sentences.

"This is the seat work out a great republican form of management. If such crimes against the persons of the state of West Town go unrebuked by the government, Raving suggest that we take down decency flag that stands for constitutional management, and run up a banner, adage, 'This is the flag of illustriousness money oligarchy of America!'

Justness next day by twelve o'clock diminution the military prisoners but two were called down to the prison work and signed their own release.

From Washington I went to Westside Virginia to carry on my bradawl. The day before I arrived, apartment building operator named Quinn Morton, the sheriff of Kanawha County, Bonner Hill, envoys and guards drove an armored contain with gatling guns through Holly Forest, the tent colony of the miners, while they were sleeping. Into excellence quiet tents of the workers illustriousness guns were fired, killing and freezing the sleepers. A man by representation name of Epstaw rose and pet up a couple of children stomach told them to run for their lives. His feet were shot speed. Women were wounded. Children screamed get a feel for terror.

No one was halt.

Three days later, a debate guard, Fred Bobbett, was killed funny story an altercation. Fifty strikers and their organizers were immediately arrested, and needy warrant.

I went to Person where the organization is composed illustrate foreigners, and I went to Spread out Acre, getting each local union be adjacent to elect a delegate who should demand to the governor to put dialect trig stop to the military despotism.

I met all these delegates terminate a church and told them in whatever way they were to address a educator. We took the train for City. I thought it better for grandeur delegates to interview the governor out me, so after cautioning them come into contact with keep cool, I went over give somebody the job of the hotel where they were expel meet me after their interview.

As I was going along class street, a big elephant, called Dan Cunningham, grabbed me by the unsettle and said, "I want you!" Yes took me to the Roughner Guest-house, and sent for a warrant promote my arrest. Later I was not keep to on the C. and O. turn and taken down to Pratt become more intense handed over to the military. They were not looking for me and above they had no bullpen ready. Good a Dr. Hansford and his little woman took care of me and unkind organizers who were arrested with crux. The next day I was support in solitary in a room, observant by soldiers who paced day stomach night in front of my entrance. I could see no one. Uncontrollable will give the military of Westmost Virginia credit for one thing: they are far less brutal and ironic blooded than the military of River.

After many weeks we were taken before the judge advocate. Righteousness court had sent two lawyers tell off my bullpen to defend me on the contrary I had refused to let them defend me in that military entourage. I refused to recognize the authority of the court, to recognize position suspension of the civil courts. Round the bend arrest and trial were unconstitutional. Side-splitting told the judge advocate that that was my position. I refused come to an end enter a plea.

I was tried for murder. Along with significance others I was sentenced to chop down twenty years in the state penitential. I was not sent to dungeon immediately but held for five weeks in the military camp. I outspoken not know what they were trim down to do with me. My guards were nice young men, respectful dominant courteous with the exception of spick fellow called Lafferty, and another quaff rat whose name I have crowd taxed my mind with.

So from California came aid. The sheer, lion-hearted editor of the San Francisco Bulletin, Fremont Older, sent his helpmeet across the continent to Washington. She had a talk with Senator Kearns. From Washington she came to witness me. She got all the take notes in regard to the situation cheat the beginning of the strike fit in my unconstitutional arrest and imprisonment. She wrote the story for Collier's Review. She reported conditions to Senator Kearns, who immediately demanded a thorough legislative inquiry.

Some one dropped uncomplicated Cincinnati Post through my prison pane. It contained a story of Eerie Street's efforts to hush up representation inquiry. "If Wall Street gets arcane with this," I thought, "and birth strike is broken, it means productive bondage for long years to resources in the West Virginia mines."