Even the children could not get out
to go to school. It was late in the afternoon before the police heard of
it, and came and cut the ropes, and so relieved the imprisoned inmates.
This happened for a morning or two, and then the practice stopped, for
the police watched the doors throughout the whole night. This
preoccupation of the police was taken advantage of to raid again old
Hairyfithill's potato field, and also to pay a visit to the bing for
coal, and a very profitable time was thus spent by the strikers, even
though the blacklegs were at their work in a few days.
What was happening in Lowwood was typical of almost all other mining
villages throughout the country. Everywhere high spirits and
cheerfulness prevailed among the men. As for the leaders, the situation
proved too big for some of them to cope with it, the responsibility was
too great; and so they failed at the critical moment. The demand of an
increase of a shilling a day, for which the men had struck, had been
conceded by some of the owners, whilst others had offered sixpence. Some
of the leaders were in favor of accepting these concessions, and
allowing the men at the collieries concerned to resume work, and so be
able to contribute considerably to help keep out those whose demands had
not been met.
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