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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday July 9, 1902
Mother Jones News Round-Up of June 1902, Part I
Found Speaking to Striking Miners in West Virginia
From Virginia’s Richmond Dispatch of June 1, 1902:
THE MINING SITUATION.
From all that can be learned, nearly all of the miners in this field will strike on June 7th, in obedience to the order recently issued. The mine workers’ organization is making a big fight to get the men in this field to obey the order. Agitators are here in large numbers and strike talk is the principal topic of conversation.
“Mother” Jones, a strike agitator, has been in this region since Thursday and is making an appeal to the miners to quit good jobs and join the strike. Yesterday she addressed a large crowd of miners on the mountain side near Coaldale [West Virginia]. To-morrow night she will make another address to the miners at Keystone. Although there is only a small percentage of the miners in this field that belong to the union it is believed that nearly every one will come out. The miners in this field number nearly 200,000. including the Thacker field, and much trouble is feared, in case the strike order is obeyed.
[Photograph added.]
From The Dayton Evening Herald of June 4, 1902
SAYS SHE EXPECTS TO BE KILLED
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Mother Jones Makes Sensational Address
Before West Virginia Striking Miners.
———-Huntington, W. Va., June 4.-“Mother” Mary Jones addressed 1,000 miners near Keystone in the Norfolk and Western coal fields last night. Her utterances were extremely sensational. She said her life had been threatened, and that she expected to be killed before she got away from the coal fields. She added:
But for every strike sympathizer that is killed, it will take the life of two operators to appease the crime.
Mother Jones is having tremendous meetings at every point in that region. It is believed the strike order will be generally obeyed on Saturday.
From Virginia’s Tazewell Republican of June 5, 1902:
“Mother” Mary Jones, the noted labor agitator, spoke to a crowd of about one thousand persons at Pocahontas last Saturday. She spoke from the porch of the residence of Col. J. S. Browning. She spoke Sunday night at Keystone, and her address was of a very incendiary character. She is urging the miners to go out on a strike.
From The Dayton Evening Herald of June 6, 1902
INDICATIONS OF A BIG STRIKE
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United Mine Workers in the Virginias
Go Out Tomorrow.
———-Bluefield, W. Va., June 6-Tomorrow is the day that the United Mine Workers of Virginia and West Virginia are to strike. The indications are that a large percentage will come out. Swarms of organizers are in the field, and there is nothing but strike talk. “Mother” Jones has canvassed this field and left for Fairmount. All the companies have notices posted warning all trespassers to keep off their land, and persons trespassing upon the property or attempting by any means to induce the employes to quit work, will be prosecuted. The strike fever is high here.