Vigilante Justice at the Blaine Shingle Mill
Striking workers at a troubled shingle mill take matters into their own hands after the proprietor fails to pay wages.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
For a long time there has been ill-feeling among the employees of the big shingle mill in Blaine because of a failure on the part of the proprietor, J. V. Chown, to pay his men for labor. They claimed that he had received $16,000 for shingles and had paid no bills for machinery, buildings, or freight, and only about $1,500 for labor. About three weeks ago the water pipes were washed out and the mill shut down. The men refused to go back to work under the Chown administration, and a receiver was appointed. In the meantime, Chown and the bookkeeper, Curtis, were nearly mobbed by the irate employees.
Under the receiver the mill started up Monday, and notwithstanding the bitter feeling, Chown went down to the mill, where he was assaulted by men from the logging camp, encouraged by some of the shingle men. A rope was thrown around his neck, his gold watch was seized, and he was otherwise maltreated. To add to the general discomfort, the mill broke down and is idle today. The men are in a dangerous mood, and if either Chown or Curtis go near the mill there is likely to be trouble. About fifty men have been employed about the mill and in the camp, and their only hope for pay is in the successful operation of the mill, which is covered by so many claims that it will be necessary for it to run steadily for the next six months to settle them.
“A rope was thrown around his neck, his gold watch was seized, and he was otherwise maltreated.”
The struggle over unpaid wages in Washington's timber industry feels remarkably familiar today, as workers in the gig economy and construction sectors frequently face similar battles against 'absconding' contractors. Just as the Blaine mill workers realized their labor was the only asset left to claim, modern workers often find themselves in precarious legal standoffs when ownership fails to meet payroll.
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