What Happened to Fred?

After my weekend trip to Nashville, I spent most of my Monday holiday running errands, paying bills and reading. A while back, my kids had given me a copy of "The New York Times: The Complete Front Pages: 1851-2008" and it seemed like a nice day to explore these pages and the accompanying CDs. Within just a few minutes, I was deeply involved in a little research project on Fred Jones.

Although I was stifled early in my attempts to find much about Fred on the web, my search led me to a piece of local history that I knew nothing about. Consequently, I spent a couple of hours trying to learn something new.

One of the headlines I found from the Pittsburg Press, dateline Linton, Indiana, on April 30th, 1919 stated "Truce Made Pending Phone Strike in Indiana". On April 29th, 1919, the Gettysburg Times had a headline that read "Martial Law in Indiana Town -- Striking Telephone Operators Caused Trouble in Linton on Monday Night -- State Troops Called -- Mob Held Mass Meeting. Smashed Windows in Telephone Building. Want More Pay and Shorter Hours. The Hartford Courant headlines from April 29th of that same year announced "Shots Fired in Telephone Strike Riot In Indiana".

Now we're talking, shootings in downtown Linton, this sounded interesting. The Hartford Courant article went on to say, "About fifty shots were fired by state militia troops this afternoon in breaking up a demonstration by sympathizers of the girl operators of the New Home Telephone Company here, who have been on strike for several days." Oh boy, the Indiana State Militia was firing shots in downtown Linton, now that is history and I was pretty well pumped up for a good story.

Further searching reveals a Chicago Tribune story "Call Out Troops in Girl's Strike - Linton (Ind.) Miners Attack Substitute Telephone Operators". Hey that's more like it; the Linton miners are attacking women telephone operators.

Finally I found a wealth of information from a story written by Donald Edward Jones, Butler University, dated in 2008. Mr. Jones' very well written article is titled "The Battle for Linton: Radical Hoosier Women's Engagement of the Indiana National Guard during a General Strike". (First thought that went through my head; I wonder if he is related to Fred.)

To summarize what had happened in Linton at this time, let me say that several telephone operators walked off their jobs demanding better hours and a higher wage. The citizens of that great city of Linton threw their support behind these beleaguered belles and started a general sympathy strike throughout all of the area's businesses, including the coal mines. Then the New Home Telephone Company sent in replacement operators and the scene in town became a little nasty. Consequently, Governor Goodrich sent the National Guard to restore the peace. According to Mr. Jones' article, "Goodrich clearly believed that Linton's rank and file had fomented a revolutionary general strike, thus he issued a "Proclamation Declaring Martial Law," which said, in part,"

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'Whereas, There now exists within the city of Linton, Greene County, Indiana,...a state of riot and lawless insurrection against the laws of the state of Indiana involving frequent and continued breaches of the peace, and destruction of property and personal injury to peaceable and law-abiding citizens . . . I, James P. Goodrich . . . hereby proclaim martial law throughout said city. . .'

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This wasn't just a little show of force, not at all, according to Mr. Jones, "five companies of militia were sent to Linton in Greene County to halt rioting and demonstrations resulting from a strike of operators of the Home Telephone Company ..." (This revolutionary attitude is precisely why I moved across the river.)

Mr. Jones lists the following ladies as the operators who had walked out of the job with their demands: "Thelma Anderson, Edna Craft, Myrtle Tincher, Veda White, Roberta Chapman, Lila Howe, Mae Froescheke, Margaret Browning, Madge Porter, Hazel Clausheld, Ester Arprister, Martha Pope, Gladys Campbell, and Ruby Slinger." Quite possibly some of you may know one or more of these women or even be related to them. Let me tell you this, these striking sisters were successful in getting their hours reduced from 9 to 8 hour days and also received a 40% raise. Nothing like walking softly and carrying a big picket sign.

Mr. Jones goes on to say that "Miss Maude Sherb, the ex-chief operator who refused to honor the pickets, was fired as per the union's demand." Not sure what happened to Maude as a result of this firing, but I'd bet a dollar to a doughnut that she was probably making her phone calls from out of this area code. (They probably didn't even have area codes back then, did they?)

I never did find anymore about Fred Jones beyond that first line that I read from the New York Times' United Press report that stated, "Fred Jones, a miner, was shot in the head when the troops repulsed an attack against them near the telephone building. He will live." I guess that's all we need to know. Do you think that maybe he's related to the Mayor?