Tuesday September 29, 1931
The Bienfait Coal Strike
Resulted in the death of these 3 miners
In Estevan, near the Courthouse, on 4th St.
During a Strikers Parade.
Repeated attempts by some have tried to erase
The yellow stripe and the word RCMP.
There is still those in the area who restore
The graves headstone to this condition shown above.
 

Names on the headstone above-
P. Markunas age 28
N. Nargan, age 28
J. Gryshko, age 29

Peter Markunas- age 28, born in Lithuania,
his widow, Amelia, nee Billis,
re-married John Budris who also passed away
Peter worked at M&S mine prior to the riot

All 3 of these men buried in Bienfait
are considered Martyrs of the Labour Movement
and rightly so.

These are also the spelling of the names recorded
in the Encyclopaedia of Saskatchewan.

Leader Post in Regina in 2005 stated the names as
 Nick Nargan (23), Julian Gryshko (26), and Pete Markunas (27)

In the Estevan Mercury
 dated Oct 1, 1931 they list these names

Dead:

Julian Jryshko,
age 35 of Bienfait,
striker, employed at M&S Mine
Leaves Wife and one child,
shot through abdomen,
 (near Fegan Service Station),
identified Wednesday by Steve Stepanski,
body claimed by his wife.
(Died in the waiting room on arrival at the Estevan Hospital)

Nick Narwan,
age 26, of Taylorton,
 striker, employed at M&S Mine,
single,
 shot through heart,
identified only by Union card in his pocket,
body Unclaimed
Shot dead, while standing on the Fire truck defying the police.

Reported dying:

Louis Revay
 of Crescent Mine, striker,
shot in chest and right thigh, in Estevan Hospital.
(Louis Revay was among those immigrants arrested,
charged with unlawful assembly, and ordered deported.)

Pete Markuni of Bienfait,
striker shot in right leg, in Weyburn General Hospital.
(Died early Friday Morning, grave above)

Mike Kyatick, of Crescent Mine,
 striker, shot above heart,
bullet entering from rear, in Estevan Hospital

Injured:

John Forberg of Roche Percee, striker,
bullet wound in left leg, in Estevan Hospital.

Fred Konopacki, striker,
bullet wound in left leg, in Estevan Hospital.

Tony Stankewich, striker,
bullet wound in left leg, in Estevan Hospital.

Steve Daryluk of M&S Mine,
 striker, bullet wound in right leg, in Estevan Hospital.

Charles Grigalis, of M&S Mine,
striker, shot in toe on left foot, in Estevan Hospital.

Clive Butterworth of Estevan,
music teacher, bullet wound in right thigh in Estevan Hospital.
shot while walking up 11th ave.

Miss L. King of Nelson, Lancashire, England,
shot through left shoulder, in Estevan Hospital.
Visiting a Mrs T. Orr, and shot while in watching from an upstairs window.

Frank Hanna of Frobisher, Garage man,
shot in right leg, bone fractured, in Estevan Hospital.

Constable Sutherland, RCMP,
severe scalp wounds,
released from hospital Wednesday morning.

Constable Palmer, RCMP,
shot through left arm bone fractured,
released from hospital Wednesday morning.

Ewald Krueger, Estevan,
bullet wound in left cheek.
He was standing on the roof of a house nearby.

Tony Marten, age 15, Estevan,
 shot in right arm, just above the wrist,
 in Estevan Hospital.

Mike Pulhauriski,
found by police in bed, at M&S Mine, Wednesday,
 with severe bullet wound in back,
 taken to Estevan Hospital.

Chief of Police A. McCutcheon,
deep scalp wound from blow on head.

Detective Sergeant Mortimer, RCMP,
badly bruised shoulder.

Sergeant John Molyneux, RCMP, left ear torn.

Four other Police officers were treated for wounds,
no names shown.

Next came the Canadian Press,
Articles below printed in every newspaper in Canada.

Sept 30, 1931

Oct 1, 1931

Oct 2, 1931

Oct 3, 1931

Oct 5, 1931 article

Then came more Trials
the next spring

Mar 3, 1932

Mar 4, 1932

John Robert Brodie Biography

THIS IS A PLAQUE
PLACED BY THE SASK. FEDERATION OF LABOUR
unveiled by  Amelia Billis Budris, Peter Markunas's widow
 
ESTEVAN COURTHOUSE
LOCATION OF THE 3 MINERS DEATH
OLD MINING CAR IS "COAL MINERS CORNER"
 
COAL MINERS CORNER
 
THE ESTEVAN MERCURY ARTICLE ABOUT THE STRIKE
ON DISPLAY AT THE BIENFAIT MUSEUM
 

LINK BELOW
TO READ AN  ARTICLE IN
THE LEADER POST IN REGINA
http://library.usask.ca/sni/stories/con13.html

In 1997 Steve Hewitt wrote this article
http://www.allbusiness.com/services/religious-grantmaking-civic-professional/657372-1.html

Review of Bienfait: The Saskatchewan Miners' Struggle of '31
BY MATT PROCHNOW
http://www.marshall.edu/pat/Journal/CurrentIssue/Prochnow_Matt_2.htm

Funny after 70+ years, we are just now hearing the whole truth
of what happened in Estevan that day, and why.
His findings in brief put the blame on the mine owners
and managers at the time hiring scab workers,
which provoked the riot in the first place.
We now know Charles Campbell Morfit
hired a dozen scabs at the Western Dominion Mine,
a number not big enough to run the mine,
but enough to stir up the miners on strike.
Sgt Mulhall, of the local RCMP was quoted in reports he made,
that he blamed this one episode for the whole strike.
Charles Morfit was involved in strikes in Pennsylvania
where the police just mowed the miners on strike down,
and he wanted to see the same here, and was provoking
the striking miners, just to achieve this end.
Was he charged for inciting a riot?  NO!
Funny thing he worked for a company in New York
who for almost 20 years prior, had contracts in Communist Russian mines
and here was this guy, preaching about the evils of the Communist union?
Wonder how the guys in Russia would have liked to hear that back then?
There is some reports of the Estevan Council Meeting minutes
 Held in the morning, before the riot,
were supposedly a rush stop order, to the parade, was passed,
 were altered,
Or should I say, at least "appeared" to be altered.
Another book, thinks this might have happened
but not convinced it did.
during the Commission, written transcripts
of a phone call made to stop the parade were entered as evidence.
Now I'm not a CSIS member, but in 1931 they wrote down
what they said over the phone?
You could barely talk over a phone in those days.
I know they used the press to promote how terrible the Communist Union was
and how great the Owners were to stop it.
It could have been a union formed by the Catholic Church priest,
and these guys would have found fault with it,
let's face it, they DIDN'T WANT A UNION AT THE MINES!
The Commie, red thing was the biggest red herring in the world.
And Joe Q public believed it.
Still to this day, I might add.
If it was in the Mercury, it was True.
I know some think there was a cover-up.  others don't
Some think the RCMP were right, others don't
Some think the managers and owners were right, others don't
I'm afraid I am a strong member of the DON'T side.

The RCMP head in the area at the time,
Sergeant William Mulhall
was sympathetic to the miners.
I do not think this would have happened
if he was left in charge.
The head officers in Regina replaced this fellow,
with their own Riot Squad,
who were sympathetic with the mine owners,
and in my opinion went looking for a fight.
I know one thing for sure, 3 young fellows died,
 trying to make a living.
I don't care who is right or wrong,
that is the worst part of this.

Both Nick Nargan and Julian Gryshko
were card carrying members
of the Communist Party of Canada
which at the time was the "Red" scourge of the Earth
and the big thing the management of the mines
pushed in the press,
to throw off the masses from joining a Union.
Funny thing the scare is still around today.
Now it's "the Unions are too big" scenario.
The Conservative press will push their agenda
to protect the Rich Class, always have, and always will.
Companies want Canadian and American Dollars,
they just don't want to have to pay Union wages here.
That's why you have India, Pakistan, Philippines,
China, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, etc getting the jobs.
There are no Unions there, child labour, poor working conditions, etc.
And a bunch of poor people stepping over each other for the jobs.
In all of these countries there are some of the richest men in the world.
Funny how that works.
1930's we were fighting the Communists,
today they own a lot of the big natural resources in Canada,
and we are begging them to buy more!

In my opinion,
I can see now those court cases back then,
 seem to be all "fixed" or maybe "bent"
 on the side of the owners.
The laws have always been
 on the side of the Business owners.
That is, and will always be, the case.
A working man only has his labour as a tool.
He can either work, or not work.

Slowly we are seeing changes to the way the RCMP
handles strikes, and protests. 
But there is still room for improvement there as well.

The trial of the Communist leaders of the Union,
blamed for the riot, and eventually charged,
was held in the new Estevan Court House.
Judge John Fletcher Leopold Embury, from Regina, presided.
He was born Nov 10, 1875, in Thomasburg, Ontario.
By Nov 1, 1916, He became a Brigadier General in WWI,
13th Brigade, 5th Division.
He was eventually on the Saskatchewan Supreme Court.
He ran as a Conservative member of Parliament.
He was a member of the Masons.
 

Here is another book you can read for yourself,
written by a Methodist Minister at that time.
"All My Life"
Rev. Albert Edward Smith
An Autobiography
1871-1947
Read Chapter 12 here
Miner's Blood on Estevan Coal
He does not mix words, tells it like it was.
He became a member of the Communist party,
and was sympathetic to the Communism movement,
and friends with the Union leaders.
But as a Reverend, would he lie?
You make that decision.

Go to my Books, video page
 and check out other information
available on this subject.
Every book has a different opinion.
One thing I will add is this story is NOT talked about enough.
It is a story NOT talked about at all in the Bienfait Estevan area.
The newer generation has never heard of it,
and the older generation don't want to be reminded of it.
I take the stand, EVERYONE should know,
and NEVER forget.
It is like saying we shall never remember
the soldiers in WWI or WWII
It is a story that should be taught in schools.
Are we still afraid of the "red" "communist"  connection?
It's like still being afraid of the boogey man, in my opinion!
I am more afraid of Capitalism than that.
Just have to look at the world economy in 2009.
Capitalism has not worked too great for us either.
Anyway whoever was right or wrong:
The Coal Miners, The Union, Estevan City Police, RCMP, Judges,
Estevan City Council, Mine Owners, Biased Newspaper Reporting,
Communist Movement, Capitalist Movement,
Many Fraternity Organizations at the time,
The Federal Coal subsidy that was instituted before the strike
making Alberta Coal as cheap in Winnipeg, as Bienfait coal,
or maybe the Truax-Traer strip mine shovels,
that out placed hundreds of workers,
Maybe all need to take a portion of the blame,
some more than others.
Push a good man in a corner,
and look out, he will fight hard to come out. 
The miners were pushed, and pushed hard.
I think it could have been a peaceful march,
as others before it were,
but this all changed with the edict to bring in the RCMP Riot squad.
There never was a threat made by the miners on anything in Estevan.
They could have caused major damage at the Crescent Mine,
when they stopped to pick up men there,
if there was anything like that on their minds.
That decision to make a big deal of the situation,
making the RCMP in Regina think this was 500% worse than it was,
changed the outcome of this day.
It should be talked about, not covered up.
Learn from the mistakes made, don't keep making the mistakes.
Study it, don't hide from it!
Talk about it, don't stick your head in the sand,
and pretend it did not happen.

The way I look at it, after the Royal Commission,
after months of deliberation,
changes to the way these mines could operate took place.
If like the owners claimed, there was NO problem in Sept 1931,
why were the changes instituted?
There is NO doubt in my mind the reason is,
what they were doing was as bad as slave labour.
Safety regulations be damned.
It was full speed ahead for the almighty buck!
NO ONE can change the facts of this.
They can sugar coat it, but can not erase this fact.
Strikes do not happen for NO reason.
Contrary to what the Press like to publish,
They love to print that All Unions are:
TOO BIG, TOO GREEDY, TOO POWERFUL.
Look at today 2009, workers getting laid off, big recession,
caused by Greedy Capitalists, Greedy Managers,
and dumb right wing Governments.
What gets the blame, the Union Pensions are too high,
the Union health costs are too high.
Not our Executive Bonuses are too high!!!!
They finally had to sell a jet or 2
 and stop one or 2 trips to Jamaica,
only to quiet the public a little bit.
It wasn't because they were diligent managers,
wanting to trim the fat, and watch where the dollars are going.
They were outright humiliated into doing it.
And even then they kept doing it.
The whole thing makes me sick.
Maybe these 3 fellows did die for nothing!

We are seeing another threat today,
with the RCMP and the taser.
Yes it is better than bullets, like this riot.
But is it necessary to fire it at an unarmed single man,
if there is 4 officers around him?
Even if he was holding a chair and a stapler??
If 4 men can't handle him,
 there is something wrong with the men.
If they can not subdue a single man,
what are they trained for?
If the guy has a weapon, gun or knife,
then I can see using it.
But isn't pepper spray a lot better?
I haven't heard of one person dying from it yet!

In this case the question comes down to,
did the miners have guns?
 Who really shot first?
But again, I repeat, it would not have happened,
 if no RCMP line was there.
Armed confrontation, leads to Violent Confrontation.

I had a phone call the other day from a young girl,
who was doing a report for school,
and she picked the Estevan Riot in 1931, as her subject.
Her mother told me she asked her
if maybe she shouldn't write about it,
maybe her teachers would be mad if she wrote about this
If she said something bad about the RCMP for instance.
Here we live in Canada, and we still fear what we say, and write.
I am glad her mother encouraged her to continue.
It will be a learning experience for her classmates,
and a big one for the teacher no doubt.
In her interview with me,
she asked some very good questions,
her last question caught me off guard.
it was "what is the moral of this story?"
Tough question for a young writer!
All I could think of quickly, was
If all Businesses treat their employees fairly,
this will never happen again.
After I got off the phone, I thought of others.
She did an excellent job in preparing for the phone call.
At her age, I had a tough time writing anything!
Even copying from the encyclopaedia was tough!
OK, maybe I did this once or twice!!!
I could have been an honour student with the internet now!
Don't even need to write, just copy and paste!
I applaud her on her report, and not quitting,
and would give her 100%
for writing what she wants, about whatever she wants!
That is why we are Canadians!

more links below,
Please Note- These are not my sites:

You Tube Video Song About The Riot

The 2 articles below are Socialist sites.

A great article on the events of the day

The next article below is from a Marxist Site,
No, I am NOT a Marxist, nor a Communist,
Yes I am more left wing, than right wing,
and Yes I have strong Union Beliefs.
I still have respect for the RCMP,
but some of their members have fallen out of line.
Some Union leaders I disagree with also.
But what I think isn't important here.
Getting at the real truth about Sept 29, 1931
is what is important to me.
If you want to read what really happened Sept 31,
 then you need to read this literature.
The other side of the story so to speak.
No it wasn't printed in the Estevan Observer
or the Estevan Mercury,
Nothing, or very little was written
in support of the miners, ever back then.
I don't think they would ever depict this on the CBC.
But if you want to read about the part of the trial that
pertained to Annie S. Buller, then read the first chapter,
listed on this link. 
She defended herself,
in this "Inciting a Riot" trial.
I know lots of folks in Estevan and Bienfait,
blamed this lady for the riot.
In hindsight, 70 some years later,
was it her fault?
Also notice- No women were on the Jury!
She spoke her mind, and she went to jail.
Not once, but many times.
Life was different back then!

Annie S. Buller's Trial
March 10th, 1933