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"VOL. XIX. NO. 60. WILMINGTON. N. C., TUESDAY, MARGH 13. 1906. FIVE CENTS DEMAlJDS REJECTED Operators Reply to Proposi tion of the miners 5TANDFDRTHE OPEN SHOP .Higher Wages Would Mean Higher v Prices for Coal ft- Propositions of the 3 liners are Discuss ed In Detail and n Firm Stand Taken Against Each One Counter Propo sition Submitted to the Miners. Tliat the Awards and Principles Made by the Anthracite Coal Strike Commis sion be Continued for a Further Pe riod of Three Years. New York, March 11. The propo sitions ofthe United Mine Workers of America for a readjustment of wages and conditions In the anthrac ite coal fields, as a whole, have been denied by the committee representing tne anthracite operators. As a counter proposition, the operators suggest that the awards made by the anthracite coal strike commission, the principles upon , which they were established by the commission, and, the methods established for carrying out their findings and awards shall be continued for a further term ol three years from the first day of April, 1906. The present agreement terminates Mareh 31 of this year. Announcement of the anthracite op- fepitors decision and their counter proposition was made tonight in a long statement. This includes the correspondence of the subjects at is sue between President John Mitchell, of the United Mine Workers, acting fop -the miners, and George F. Baer, fcrefcldenxi of the Philadelphia and Heading Coal and Iron company, for .the operators. The miners proposl- tions are discussed in detail. In every instance the contention Is made by the operators either that conditions in the coal fields do not warrant the changes proposed by the miners or that the questions at issue already have been passed upon by the strike commission. The demand of the miners that the operators enter into an agreement with the union is declined on the ground that the anthracite operators "stand unalterably for the open shop, and decline to make an agreement with the United Mine Workers of America, an organization controlled by a rival industry." Of the demand for an eight hour day, the statement says the op erators know of no change in condi tions that can be used to sustain the renewtxl demand for a deduction in hours. Jt declares that the expecta tion of the strike commission that the creaucxiou iruui iu w uae uuurs "should not result in any decrease in the output of the mines" has not been realized, and adds: "We might justly say that with the experience of the past three years the 10-hour day sho M be restored; but we are willing to JEJlde by the decision of the com mission." The proposition that a uni form scale of wages be established PK.a the anthracite fields is met by the operators with the reply that this would be impracticable by reason of the varying capacities of the workmen &aa varying couaiuuus existing m mc region and at the collieries. We cannot increase wages without advancing the" price of coal; and we are not willing to advance the price of coal" Is the reply to the demand for a general "increase in wages. The request that the operators shall collect from each employe certain stated sums for the support of the Mine Workers Union V denied on the ground that "as a matter of policy we would not make such an agreement as you re quest, and as a matter of law, we are r not permitted to make it." The opera-, situation will have been thoroughly tors decline to agree to any changes canvassed. in the board of conciliation as estab- ; ' , ,-- - lished by the anthracite coal strike j Young Boy Accidentally Kills His commission, taking the ground that i Father. the system proposed by the miners Tfl. Fla March 12. Playing nfmoTbs6 wToseOUdc ' CZ Ryals. ten yearS series Of rJ!Jh??S wit old. pointed a shot gun-at his father sions might be conflicting, and from 1 x Q 1 Ryals at Branchton. today and which.' appeals would have to be tak- crying "hands lip," pulled the trigger, ea to an arbitrator, thereby creating The Run was loaded, and the charge more delays than now exist., The com- entered the elder Ryals breast, death Dlaint of the miners that the board ensuing in a few minutes. The boy X AAMHatfnn does not act promptly, believed the gun was not loaded. Ryals Of conciliation a t i' was one of the most prominent farm- the operators declare to be not w-ar- ctI ranUd by the facts. The demand for ers In tnts section. t , a new sliding wage scale is denl?d nescue Expects to Float the Clyde, oa the ground that sliding scale fixed xorfoik. Va. March 12. The wreck by the anthracite coal strike commi- inff steamer Rescue, which had been sion covers practically all the propo- working on the British sailing ship mvn. in th urooosed new scale. Clyde, of London, stranded on the .-President Mitchell, actios for the TiC , r.Vrr ' , tn SSiltt of operators, outllntie reasons upon wnicn tne acmaaoaui miners were based as follows: 4We favor a uniform scaie ox wages for men paid by the day, hour, o week, because of the fact tnat men performing precisely the same char acter, and Indeed the same amount, vu. wuui, wuuwi. J gree of contentment whi e tne com- uniform. At the present time, this con- XKTUlti.UU 1 caa uj mi." anion exists in uie aniuraciu? xicius. .... . . . 1- - J.1 l We feel that the proposition which we have submitted, fixing uniform rates for similar classes of labor will ap peal favorably to the members of your committee and tnat tne rates themselves are entirely conservative and not In excess of rates paid to men performing practically, if not exactly the same class of labor in bituminous miners. We propose an Increase of 10 per cent in the rates paid to contract min ers for several reasons. First, the gen eral industrial commercial and trade conditions of the country justify an increase of wages to all classes or tabor. The nrosDeritv of the coal- carrying road3 Is unprecedented; a3 Is demonstrated by their reported earn ing and the enhanced value of iheir stocks. NWe favor an eight-hour day because eight houre is- the standard working day of coal mine workers in nearly all the bituminous districts oi our country, as well as in many of the mining districts of Great Britain and the continent: and eight hours is as Inner as a man can work in a coal mine -without doing injury to his own health and consequent injury to socl- w hpiwp, that. the- establish- mpnt of a maximum eight-hour work - Ine: dav will not reduce production materially even if figured upon the basis of the output per man per work- nir div "We favor the system of weighing and paying Tor coal by weight, where- ever the condition would make tnisiquan. srstem nractlcable. because the pres- I Thomas Wofford, one of the deputies ent system, whereby coal is paid for hv th ear. has "riven rise to much discontent, owine to the varied sizes of cars now in use and to the con- tant friction which naturally arises when new cars are built and Intro - duced, and to the seemingly unceasing desire of the companies to have the men load more coal upon these cars without a corresponding increase in compensation, " Wtt favnr a rpponstruction of the board of conciliation, because of the delays that have occurred during the past three years in the adjustment of grievances. Indeed, there are some easea which have been in the hands of the board for two years without a final decision having been rendered; and in a very few cases nave anai decisions 'been reached. In less than three months' time." OFFICIALS ARE SURPRISED TM2innolntment Expressed That the Operators Did Not Make Some Con cession to the Miners. , Scranton, Pa., March 12. District President T. D. Nichols of the United Win Workers was in his office here today, but eouU not 'be Induced' to talk for publication on the operators refusal to grant any of the anthracite miners demands. It was learned, however, on the best authority that Sir. Nochols, in common with 'all the miners officials, was very much surprised and disap pointed that the operators did not make some concessions. The miners, according to the best authority, are not concerning them selves as much as might be expected under the circumstances as to the out come of the situation. ! "We don't want a strike," said one of them today, "but if a strike must m 1.L A come, we wont lose mucn, ior. mere wont be anything like steady work this summer any how, because the coal that is stocked by the companies and by the retailers and consumers in ex pectation of a strike.": Householders In Scranton are rear ing the worst and preparing accord ingly. There was a big rush of orders for domestic coal today. An important official of a big coal company said today: "Our men do not want a strike. Of that I am certain, but they did not want a strike three years ago, but just the same they struck, and no one can tell what the outcome will be." Hope is 'expressed here that when the full committee "of operators and miners come together, as is provided for in their plan of negotiations, some- thins will happen to avert the strike. The district officers ana delegates to the Indianapolis convention will leave tomorrow It is expected that while the soft coal situation is bringing them together, the anthracite delegates will confer about their own difficulties and A A 1 J.1 V? A uaf. Kfnr thev nart the anthracite North Carolina coast returned to wor- folk todav for supplies and additional - the Rescue returned to the coast with the full expectation of being able to float the Clyde in a day or two. i DE1LJ FI6HT BITB H10UliSg(E JP FOR DEAD Throo rioniiu March ale Ifillprt hv I I TL n '!-! IMl I L infBS UBDUIY IliaiSnaiS IMIieQ UV ...... VlPHltfP flfltmWQ I I will 1 1 I W WUliMIIW OFFICERS SEARCHING FOR MEN Ambush Laid for the Deputies Was Cleverly Planned Two of the Offi cers, at Last Accounts. Were Hold ing the Men at Bay, While a Third Went In Search of Help. Vinita, n T., March 1 12. Heavily I armed officers tonight are hurrying from all parts of Indian Territory to a place 25 miles southeast of Vinita in the Cherokee nation, where the Wickliffe outlaws, Cherokee Indians, laid in ambush and killed three deputy marshals on Sunday night, and at last reports were still battling with two remaining officers. The relief officers, because of the bitterly cold weather, and the mountainous country may not be able to organize their forces for an attack before tomorrow. The am- bush laid by the Wickliffs for the six deputies on Sunday night was cleverly planned. The officers were led into I it unsuspectingly, and were fired on I with warning. The deputies fought desperately, but for a time escape for I any or tnem seemea impossioie. I The three men killed were I. L Gilstrap, of Kansas; Otis Tuttle, of Vinita, and Richard Cary, of Tahle- I who escaped, carriedjthenews to Tab. I lequah today, andMarsnal Daraugh is Isued orders to ruskevery deputy mar- I shal in the northern district of the I Indian Territory to -tne scene. ietaus 1 of the fight have not yet been re ceived. Marshal Daraugh, in addition, wired the department of justice at Washing- ton asking authority to swear in one hundred, additional deputies, and to offer $1,000 reward for each of the outlaws dead or alive. He has gona to Kansas, and will personally direct operations against the outlaws, The outlaws are alleged to be head- I ed by Charley, John and Thomas I Wickliff, sons of a former justice of the I Cherokee supreme court. The deputy marshals were ambushed while hunting the Wickliffs for the murder last March of Deputy Vier. The horses of the deputies were shot from under them, and Gilstrap, Tuttle and Carey were killed outright. Th other two sought shelter behind some rocks. When Wofford started back on foot to Tahlequah for rein forcements the others were holding the Indians at bay. More bloodshed is feared. It is said I that- many of the younger full-blood Indian fighters in Shartaaw Mis famous indlan fighters are among the posses. Among them are two brothers of Tuttle, the dead deputy. The Tut- tles belong to a family celebrated for fi eh ting in the early days of the Indian' Territory. When the two brothers left for the scene today they declared they would avenge the death of their brother. HOUSE ANGRY AT THE SEXATE Leaders Object to Action Taken on Measures Sent ,Up From the Lower Branch. Washington, March 12. Statehood legislation formed one of the topics of discussion. at the white house today. It developed from the calls on the president of Speaker Cannon and Rep resentative Watson oH Indliana, the, republican "whip" of the house, that the members of the house are incens ed at the. senate and not only on the statehood bill, but on other measures passed by the house which have been received with disapproval by the sen ate. When Speaker Cannon was ask-, ed if, in his opinion, there would be statehood legislation by this congress, he said vehemently: "Go ask Aldrich, Burrows, and company. They seem to be running things. So far as I am concerned so far as my vote goes the legislation will proceed along the usual lines. The bill will be sent to a conference between the two branches. Do they think the house was born in the woods to be scared :by an owl?" Mr. Watson was positive the house would not concur in the senate amend ments to the statehood bill. "The house will stand pat," he declared. t4The senate has kicked out our Phil ippine bill, has tried, to emasculate the rate bill and has cut the life out of the statehood bill. Do you think the house will stand for such treat ment? It will not and you may de pend upon it." REPRIEVE FOR PATRICK Givernor Issues Another Respite From March 19th to May 18th. Albany, X, Y., March 12. Governor Higgins today issued further reprieve until May 18, In the case of Albert T. Patrick, whose sentence of death for the alleged; murder of William M. Rice the governor has already delayed from January 22 to March 19. , -The .respite is at -the joint request of District Attoney Jerome and the at- torneys for -Patrick. In order to aUo uult w waunne tne proceedings on the motion for a new trial, now pend- ing in .erv iork city. No Hope for filen Imprisoned in the Mine DEATH LIST TOTALS 1,1 One Party of Forty Men Reported Cut Off by Cave-in Host of Bereaved People Give Troops Great Trouble in Guarding the Pit 3Iouths Government Officials Start the Relief! Movement Many. Heaps of Burnt Flesh Brought to the Sur face Terrible Tales Told by Surviv orsOne Rescuer Perished While Making His Fifteenth Trip Into the Mine. Paris, March 11.' The worst fears as to the enormity of the mine disas ter in (the Courrieres district of the Pasde-Calais Saturday morning have been realized. The death list numbers 1,100, and the whole of the region stands appalled at the terrible trag edy which has brought sorrow to 6,000 fathers, mothers, wives and children. The last great mine disaster occurred in France in 1885, wnen 293 persons were killed and 80 injured; but that and all others sink into insignificance before Courrieres. The vast mortuary camp is under military guard, 400 soldiers having ar rived there to assist in holding in check the crowds of distracted mourn ers. For a time hope had been held out to the people -that tappings on (pipes by . the imprisoned men had been heard, r but gradually this nope vanished and the people demanded ad mission to see the bodies, and even threatened to break through the cordon of troops, who had the greatest ' diffi culty in keeping the crowds from the pit One man named Sylvester suc ceeded in entering the mine, but he nver returned, tl is believed that he groped about inside until he was over come by gases, and perished. It is reported tnat a rescue party num bering 40 has been cut off by the cav-ing-in of one of the galleries. GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS BUSY. Minister ' of Public Works Gautier Minister of the-Interior Dubier and the secretary of President Fallieres remain on the ground endeavoring to comfort the distressed families of the miners. President Fallieres has given $2,000 to aid, in relief measures. The ministry will add a further sum to this, and the chamber of deputies will be asked to vote $100,000 for the purpose of alleviating distress. Minister Gautier and Dubief have received complete details of the catas trophe from M. Lavaurs, the director of the mine. "Of 1,800 miners who were down in the, pits when the explosion occurred," he said, "673 were working in pit No. 4, 482 were in pit No. 3, 571 were in pit No.2, and the remainder in pit No. 10. Those rescued were taken out as fol lows: From put No. 4, 190; from pit No. 3 15 escaped through pit No. 11; 490 came out from pit No. 2, and 74 from pit No. 10. A number of these were injured and some of them have died since. At the present moment over 1,000 men remain imprisoned." ENTOMBED MEN ALL, DEAD. Minister Dubief inquired: "Have you still any hope?" The director replied: "No, I believe all of them are dead. This was' whispered into -the ear of the minister in order that his words might not be overheard by the pale- faced miners who stood anxiously waiting for an official view on the state of affairs. Then ithe ministers listened to a graphic description of the scerie in the mine by Leon Cerf , one . of the men rescued, and! who still is suffering from the terrible effects of his ex perience. "I was working with, a gang when the explosion occurred. The foreman immediately, shouted for us to follow him, and, dashing into a recess in the gallery, we were followed by a blast of poisonous gases, which rushecLiyi however, without affecting us. We re mained there for eight hours when, feeling that suffocation was gradually coming upon us, we attempted to es cape. We crawled in single file to ward the shaft, but several of the men dropped dead on the way, in cluding my son and the foreman. I carried my nephew on, my back for 40 minutes and succeeded in saving him. It took us four hours to reach the shaft MANY HEARTRENDING SCENES The mine building has been trans formed into a mortdary chamber, and all about In it lie the carbonized and almost unrecognizable bodies of min ers which were taken there as they were brought up from the. mine. Strick en relatives arrived at the mine build ing from time to time, searching for missing members of their families, and indescribable scenes of grief occur as women recognize loved ones. Heartrending scenes, too, are wit nessed about the mouth of pit No. 4, where In the presence of Ministers Dubief and Gautier the bands of res curs are continually descending and returning with bodies. The .women I with children In their arms attempt to break through the cordon of troops which form a lane through which the ' body-bearers proceed to the mortuary chamber. Sometimes the burden con sists of a mere heap of burnt flesh, and in nearly every case the body 13 terribly lacerated. Only one-half of the bodies recovered have been identi fied. : r, f ' FATALITIES AMONG RESCUERS. Despite the danger incurred, the vol unteers, who include a number of those who were successful in escap ing at the time of the explosion, do not hesitate to descend the shaft. Some of them have been down more than a dozen times. One of them, af ter1 having brought up 14 bodies, was suffocated on his fifteenth attempt, and it is feared that other fatalities among the volunteers will follow, as the air in the' mines is still impreg nated wiith obnoxious gases. A num ber of men engaged in rescue work have already been, brought to the sur face unconscious, and as they .were driven to their homes in closed car riages, the women followed and broke the windows, suspecting that bodies were being hurried away. Several miners have come up from pit No. 11, which is connected with pit No. 3. They effected their escape by means of a ladder, and as they came from t the mouth of the pit they appeared to be bordering on madness All of them were more or less injur ed. When asked about their com rades," one of them said: "It is horri ble. "All of them are dead." RACE RIOT IN ALABAMA Period of Muttering Against Whites Ends in Night Attack on Village of Wilmer, and Though Shooting Was General on Both Sides, an Old White Man Was Only Person Fa tally Wounded i Mobile. Ala.. March 11. Sheriff Powers and four, deputies left this morning for the scene of race -trouble at Wilmer, 26 miles west of Mobile, on the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City railroad, and returned at 7 o'clock tonight with four negroes, who are charged with being implicated- in the attack last night by the negroes on the white residents of Wilmer. The shoot ing was besrun by Cole Ianiels, a negro ex-convict and a,t once became general. The white men, who were armed, par ticipated. The negro mob had followed F. E. Pringle, and a negro, Sam Mc Paston, whom Pringle had shot and was bringing to Wilmer for surgical attention, a distance of six miles. A J. Ellis, an old white man, aged 60 years, emptied his revolver at the ne groes, and just as he- fired the last fehot a negro shot him from jbehind, a load of buckshot -taking- effect Jn his back and left shoulder, and when .the sheriff's posse left Wilmer, Ellis was in a dying condition. One of Ellis' bullets struck the negro Cole Daniels in the head, but he made his escape, though a citizens' posse is lying in wait for him tonight. . A determined attempt was made early this morning to lynch the negro McPaston, but cooler counsel prevail ed. When the sheriff reached Wilmer some 200 white men were assembled there, gathered from the surrounding country. It is said that there has been mut teringsamong the negroes in. the tur pen tine camps against the whites for the past eight months. Everything was quiet when Sheriff Powers and his deputies left the scene, though it is possible that fresh trouble may break out tonight. In that event, the whites are better able to take care of them selves. . ; i - - -rtr t ' JEROME SUES FOR LIBEL " Action Brought Against the American and the Evening: Journal, for $100, 000 Each. New York, March 12. District At torney William Travers Jerome today brought two libel suits for $100,000 each, one against the New York Amer ican, and the other against the New York Evening Journal. The suits were filed in the supreme court, and the complaint says they are based on edi torials which appeared in the papers named in the issues of March 8 th. The editorial in the Evening Journal dealt with contributions which , it alleged naa been made to Mr. Jerome's cam paign fund during- his recent contest for re-election as district attorney of ivew York county. The editorial in the American was a criticism of IJr. Jer ome's alleged attitude in the case of a man named Tillinghast, who confess ed to jury irregularities, in interest he claimed, of a local street railway com pany. Tillinghast is now serving a sentence on the strength of his confes sion; ' . Death of the President of the Argen tine Republic Buenos Ayres, Marqh 12. Dr. Man uel Quintana, president of the Argen tine republic, died yesterday of catarr hal pneumonia. The end was some w"h!at . sudden, although? President Quintana had been in delicate health , for some time. He was 71 years of age' and for many years had been re garded as one oCthe ablest lawyers of his country. He was a prominent fig ure in national politics from his early life. - : . " Vv5- :;::.-,:' The Problem ' ;T- "'- ; Of the ' day is the servant question The Gas Range solves the ervant question. . . - THE "TOBACCO TflOSf CASES Ouestion of Right of Witnesses to Refrain from Testifying BEFORE U. S. SUPREME COURT Proceedings Brought Under the Anti Trust Law Decision Was Against the Witnesses The Chief Justice and Justice Brewer Dissented. Court's Opinion Delivered by Justice Brown Washington, March 12. The "To bacco Trust" cases, involving the right ef witnesses to refrain from testifying before federal grand juries in proceedings under the anti-trust law. were today decided in the supreme court of the U. S. against the wit nesses. The cases grew ,out of pro ceedings for writs of habeas corpus in stituted in the circuit vcourt for the Southern District of New York, whose decision was affirmed. The court held, however, that the subpoena in this case was too' broad. " The title, of the cases were Edwin F Hale vs United States, Marshal Hea kel and William H. McAllister vs. Henkel, and both came to the supreme court on appeals from the United States circuit court for 4lie southern district of New York. These cases involved -the broad question of the right of a federal grand jury to compel witnesses to answer questions and as this question has re cently arisen in many of the federal courts, the decision in this case has been looked forward to with much in terest. The present preceding had its origin in connection with a suit of the government against the American To bacco company, commonly known as the tobacco trust, the McAndfews and Forbes Company, and the Imperial To bacco Company, under the anti-trust law, which was instituted In the circuit court of the United States for the southern district of New York. Hale and McAllister are officers of tobacco companies, and when called to testify before the grand jury relative to the existence of the so-called trust, they refused to answer questions or to pro duce their books. ' They were committed for contempt of court - and sought to escape by means of writs of habeas corpus. These writs were refused and the case was brought to the supreme court by the defendants. ' In the hearing they at tacked the jurisdiction of the grand jury and contended that at the time they tvere before the jury, there was no action pending against the tobacco companies. The jury's right to com pel answers was questioned on the ground that in the investigation it waa making, there was no specific charge aginst any particular persons. They also 'attacked the constitutionality of the act of February 25,-1003, granting immunity, to witnesses in anti-trust cases. Justice Brown delivered the opinion of the court. Justices Harlan and McKenna con curred in - the result, but delivered opinions basing their conclusions on somewhat different grounds, than those' taken by Justice Brown in the con trolling opinion. The chief justice and Justice Brewer dissented. GREENE AND GAVNOR CASE Expert Accountant Still Explaining the Alleged Division of -Money Between the Defendants. Savannah, Ga., March 12 -AVhen the United States court convened to day in the Greene and Gaynor case, E. J. Johnson, experts accountant, resum ed the stand to explain the govern ment's theory of division of money between the defendants. There were in all, it was contended, thirty-two divisions of spoils. In ,the simplest case, the witness explained. Carter disbursed $39,075. He went to New York. The $39,075 was deposited to the account of W. T. Gaynor. On the same day Gaynor withdrew $13,075 in cash. Two days! afterwards Carter bought $13,000 worth of bonds from Reed and Flag of New York. -.The government contends that in every In stance, where Carter' went to New York, there was an arbitrary allow ance of $75 for his expenses, and that Carter invariably made out the check for an amount that would equally di vide into thirds, plus $75. Two ses sions were held to expedite the Intro duction of Mr. Johnson's evidence. THE JAMESTOWN EXPOSITION f Inter-denominational Meeting of 3Iln isters Favors Closing pf the Fair on Sunday. Norfolk, Va., March 12. At an inter-denominational meeting of minis ters of Tidewater Virginia, here today, the question of opening of the James town Exposition on Sunday was dis- cussed and two Episcopal ministers. Rev. Dr. William A Barr. of Norfolk, and Rev. Dr. Thomas, of Portsmouth, favored the opening. The meeting- vot ed against the proposition, however, and authorized the appointment of a large committee of laymen to urge Sunday closing, and to take such steps "as will bring this about. A communi cation was received from President Tucker, of the exposition company, saying the question would, at the min isters request, foe brought before the board of directors at their next meet ing: , " . : , , , . .
The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, N.C.)
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March 13, 1906, edition 1
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