Mexborough and Swinton Times June 12, 1885
The Relief Fund for the Distressed Families at Denaby Main
The relief given by the reverent T.J.Leslie to the evicted and all the families of the Denaby miners has been a very great boon to them. Had it not been for the help thus giving it is an undoubted five that the sufferings of some of the poor families would have been extremely painful.
Even with a little out there have received some of them have only just been saved from starvation. Mr Leslie’s work is simply a work of love. No questions asked of the applicant for relief as to whether he is in the Union are not. The only question which are asked are:
“What is your name? And what is a number of your family?
The bread was then given according to the number of the family. When the work was commenced, on the day of the first evictions, Mr Leslie had not any idea that it would continue so long, or that it would become so great. At the time of the publication of the last balance sheet, on the first inst. £267 2s had been received and expended. Through the kindness of the ladies in London, Mr Leslie has also been able during the last week or 2 to give relief to families where there has been sickness and death; also in cases of confinement.
Whilst the reverent gentleman has his own opinion as to the conduct of the owners of the Denaby Main colliery in their treatment of their work men, he did not enter upon this work with any desire to take a part in the bitter strife which he found exists in between the owners and their men.
His only object has been to feed the hungry and to save the women and children from starvation many of the work whose families have been a very great need were not miners that is, not call getters, but were employed as the colliery as day work. These men were not in the miners union, and they had no claim upon its funds. The help however, at the best was but very little, and had it not have been for the supplementary help received from the bread fund, some of them declared that they might have starved.
Help is greatly needed, and any money sent into the reverent Thomas James Leslie, Mexborough, will be thankfully received and acknowledged from week to week in this paper.”