Part 29 (2/2)

I

''Fitchville, sir/'

''Fitchville” The thin-faced lanced up sharply ''What did you say your nains, sir Dan'lB”

The man nodded suddenly ''You're the boy orked in the mines at Grafton, who-”

”Yes, sir,” Daniel said quickly ”I'm that one”

Theoutside for just a few minutes?” he asked ”I would like to talk to my friends”

Daniel went back into the hall and closed the door behind him The low hu to listen to what they were saying He pulled the bottle froh; he was beginning to wear out He took another

The door opened and the man who had first come toward hi the bottle of whiskey in his hand They stared at the bottle, then up at hi that's keepin' oin' Otherwise I'd fall on my face”

The thin-faced man spoke ”My name is Philip Murray, United Mine Workers, AFL I spoke to my friend Mr Foster about you, and if you want to help, I think he has a place for you”

”Thank you, Mr Murray” He turned to look at Foster

”You won't get the kind of pay you got from the mill,” Foster said quickly ”We haven't that kind of ht dollars a week and found is the best we can do”

”That's fine with me,” Daniel said ”Jes' what auards; you know their oing to have to be on the picket lines with us, telling us e have to do to whip 'em”

'I don' knohether I can, Mr Foster, but FU certainly give it a try,” Daniel said ''But it seeit off your ass real soon, by the time you call the strike they'll have the whole United States Arrew testy ”We're just as aware of that as you are The strike call is going out to

”Now you better go hoet soo,” Daniel said ”I lived in the barracks at the plant” He felt hihtly and put his hand on the desk to support hiestured to the man who had come to the door ”There's a cot in the next office Help him in there and see to it that the doctor co”

”Thank you,” Daniel said The roo to spin around hied to make it to the cot in the next room before he passed out The date was September 22, 1919

A week later, more than three hundred thousand ht states But the key was Pittsburgh, the headquarters of the biggest company of thean, Elbert Gary, president of US Steel, issued a stateh and around the country

The Reds, anarchists and agitators have seduced a portion of American workers to abandon their jobs in an effort to disrupt the steel industry and undermine the political stability of the United States

Fortunately for Ah of us who remain steadfast to our patriotic duties and defend our country from the encroachment of these vipers I hereby issue an appeal to all the workers who have been deluded into joining this false strike to return to their jobs and I give my word as President of US Steel that no recriainst them and no discrimination shown in their desire to work Under no circumstances will any of the steel con Communist anarchists The Strike is already lost, it is a doomed cause Return to work and show your patriotislorious country

Two days later there were advertisements in all the papers and posters on walls all over the city, each proclai of Uncle Sa a clenched fist and bare-e Return to as printed not only in English but in seven other languages so that all the workers could read it

Each day Daniel stood in the street in front of the steel uards re the pickets, who marched silently back and forth Every now and then the strikers would look up to see if sreat blast furnaces It was still conified that the fires were still banked When steel was being produced, the smoke belched forth thick and black with soot which settled over the entire area

Almost a week had passed when one of the pickets ca, a cigar clenched between his teeth ''I think we're going to win,” the picket said 'The furnaces haven't worked for a week''

Daniel crossed from the comer to where he could look into the entrance yard of the uards on duty than usual The picket followed him ”What you think, Danny?”

''I don' know,” Daniel said thoughtfully ”Soh to see if we'd coain”

”They can't,” the man said ”They can't run the furnaces without us”

Daniel didn't answer He didn't have anything to say He just felt that it was all going to co back in union headquarters, he sat silently, listening to the bustle around hi in by telephone from various strike centers in the different states They were all the saed the whole picture Four hundred Negroes were heading for Pittsburgh froht o'clock the next ht in forty extra men,” he said 'There was no riar

'The sergeant is gonna use 'eates is open, to clear the way fer the strikebreakers”

”t figured that,” Foster said tersely

”If'n we ates, they ain't no way they kin open ates opens out into the street”

Foster looked at him in surprise ”You sure? nobody told me that”

”I'm sure,” Daniel said

Foster turned and whispered to two of his assistants ”Pass the word: Move up against the gates”

A few ates and fence was packed with pickets as well as the street Daniel could see the sergeant staring at them He turned to his men, and a moment later each one of the union button on his lapel came from around the couttural with a Middle European accent ”They got the scabs loaded into eight trucks There's about forty Cossacks on horses and two hundred sheriff's deputies in front of them; The sheriff an' some man in an army unifor up the street any minute now”

Almost as soon as the words were out of his ! They're coed toward the street away froates ”Tell the his arates!”

But it was too late The striking ironworkers, in their eager desire to see as co up the street The first group of mounted police turned the cohtstick up in one hand Both the strikers and the police stopped and stared at each other silently Behind the car

The sheriff and the ot out of the car and walked past the mounted police to confront the strikers The sheriff took a paper froan to read in a loud voice that carried down the street to where Foster and the others were standing: ”This is a court order signed by Judge Carter Glass, Co you strikers to disperse and let these o to their jobs”

There was a uttural roar seemed to rise frouishable, because of thewas clear There was no way they were going to let the scabs through They began to ly toward the sheriff

For a adier General Standish of the Pennsylvania National Guard with me He has direct orders from the Governor to call out the Pennsylvania National Guard if there is any trouble”

''They won't be no trouble if you don't make it Sheriff,” a voice roared from the back of the strikers ”Jes' you turn theers back where they caan to chant ”Send the scabs back where they came from! Send the scabs back where they came from!”

”This is my last appeal to you men!” the sheriff shouted ”Disperse peacefully now an' nobody'U get hurt”

For an answer, the strikers closest to the sheriff locked ar rhythmically in step side to side ”Solidarity forever! Solidarity forever!”

The sheriff tried to shout over the at them