The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-09-16

ana went wnlrlng across the mountain
to the scene where the bloody conflict
followed. After reaching Latimer
they left the car and formed into three
companies, under Thomas Hall, +. A.
Hess and Samuel Il. Price. They drew
up in line at the edge Of the village,
with a fence and a line of houses IN
their rear.
Sheriff Martin was in entire com.
mand and stood in the front of the line
until the strikers approached. They
were seen coming across the ridge, and
Martin went out to meet them.
The men drew up sullenly and list
ened IN silence until he had once more
muttering arose among the foreigners
and there was a slight movement for.
ward. Perceiving this the sheriff
stepped toward them and in deter.
mined tone forbade advance. Someone
struck the sheriff, and the next mo.
mont there was q command to the dep.
uties to fire. The guns of the deputies
instantly belched forth a terrible vol.
ley. The report seemed to shake the
very mountains, and cry of dismay
went up from the people. The strikers
were taken entirely by surprise, and,
as the men toppled and fell over each
other, those who remained unhurt
stampeded.' The men went down be.
fore the storm of bullets like tenpins.
and the groans of the dying and
wounded filled the air.
The excitement that followed was
simply indescribable. The deputies
seemed to be terror stricken at the
deadly execution of their guns, and
seeing the living strikers fleeing like
wild and others dropping to the earth,
they went to the aid of the unfortu.
mates whom they had brought down.
The people of Latimer rushed pell
nell to the scene, but the shrieks of the
wounded drowned the cries of the
sympathizing and half. crazed inhab-
itants. A reporter who soon afterward
reached d the scene found the road lead.
ing to Latimer filled with groups of
frightened Hungarians. Some sur.
rounded dying companions and others,
fearful of pursuit chung to the new.
conner and begged his protection.
One had three bullets in him. His
groans and appeals for a doctor or
death were heart rending. All along
the road the wounded men were unable
to leave the field of battle, scattered
themselves and sought the shade of
trees for protection, but there was no
need of that then. Approaching the
place where the shooting occurred peo.
pie were met wringing their hands and
bemoaning the catastrophe. Theycould
not talk intelligently and it was with
the greatest difficulty that information
could be CLEANED.
Along the bank of the trolley road
men lay in every position some dead,
others dying
Three bodies. face downward, lay
along the incline and three others were
but a short distance away. On the
other side of the road as many more
bodies lay. The schoolhouse was trans.
ferred into O temporary hospital and
some of the wounded W. re taken there.
The colliery ambulance was summoned
to the place as soon "a possible and
uDon its arrival the women, both shot
through the legs, were loaded into the
wagon. All along the hill side wounded
men were found on the green, on the
roadside and in the fields. Many others
who had been carried to q distance
could not be found.
As soon as the news of the shooting
reached Hazleton there was consterna-
ton. Within ten minutes the streets
were blocked with excited people. The
Lehigh Traction company Immediately
! placed a number of extra cars on the
| Latimer line and doctors and clergy
men responded promptly. The rush of
people to Latimer was so great that the
progress of vehicles along the road was
| i'm paired.
The strikers claim that they merely
tried to pass throu-h the deputies aud
| had not even struck blow. Several
massmeetings were held by citizens.
| One passed resolutions asking for
troops and another opposed sending of
| troops.
THE SHERIFF TALKS.
WMKEsBARRE, Pa, Sept. l1.-When
Sheriff Martin arrived home from
Hazleton he was cool and collected. lie
was met at the depot by his legal ad'
wiser. The two got into a cab and
drove to the court house, where they
W ere closeted together for some time
| The sheriff was at first reluctant to say
whether he had given the command to
fire, but afterward admitted that he
had. The sheriff's detailed statement
is as follows
IL heard early that the strikers were
going to march to the breaker at Lati
mer and compel the men there to quit
work. l resolved to intercept them
and, if possible, prevent them from
reaching the breaker. One of my depu'
ties told me that the strikers would
probably be heavily armed. got my
deputies, 20 in number, TO meet me at q
certain place. They were all armed,
/ told them to keep cool under all cir.
cumstances. The trouble began at
o'clock. / met the marching column.
halted them and read the proclama.
tion. They refused to pay any atten-
ton and started to resume their march.
Then | called to the leader TO stop.
"He ignored my order. i then at
tempted to arrest him. The strikers
closed in on me. They acted very vic
iously kicking me, knocking me down
and trampling upon me. / called upon
my deputies TO aid me and they did so,
but they were unable TO accomplish
much. / realized that something had
to be done at once or ! would be killed.
called to the deputies TO discharge
their firearms into the air over the
heads of the strikers, as IL might prob
ably frighten them. IL was done al