The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-09-11

noon a body of strikers numh hering 250 de-
cided TO march to Latimer mines and In
duce the miners their TO quit work 1t was
a little after 3 o'clock when they neared
| the Lattimer colliery, intending to go
through it and ask the men TO give up
their work and join them. A couple OF
hundred yards from the breaks they
found their path blocked by Sheriff
Martin and some 90 of his deputies. The
sheriff ordered them to stop. They obeyed
his command and halted, about six
abreast.
The sheriff walked up to the head of the
line.
You must stop marching an1 dis
disperse, I" he said. "This is contrary to
the law and you are creating a distur-
bance You must 20 back. l won't let
you 40 on TO the colliery."
The leaders expostulated with him and
said they had been marching in this way
ever since the strike commenced. Even in
Hazelton they hal marched and had not
been molested; the citizens hau cheered
them and the police had see that no row.
dies disturbed them.
Martin said that he could not help that,
and they must disperse. dozen or so OF
the mon In the foremost ranks were by
this time crowded around him arguing
that as American citizens they had a per
feet right TO parade as much as they
liked. as long as they did not disturb the
peace.
RIOT ACT READ.
Finding that his words had no effect.
Sheriff martin said that no would read
the riot act to them, and he proceeded to
do so.
Most of the strikers did not understand
this as but few of them can speak Eng
lish, and thinking IL was SONS sort Of
warrant for their arrest, they crowded
around him. ,Bystanders say that in the
crowding Martin was offered no violence
but was only iostled about because the
men were anxious TO know what he was
reading, and those behind pushed those in
front
The sheriff, however, seemed to think
he was in danger, and he pushed his way
out OF the ring around him and endeav-
ored TO get back To his line OF deputies.
.Iu ust as he emerged from their ranks
voice was heard shouting, Fire, fire on
'em. ~
The next instant the deputies had
leveled their rifles and n terrible volley
was poured into the huddled mass OF
strikers at close range
IhG Ef As Ell TEA hf III.
The effect was fearful dozens of men
fell, and tho others shrieked and cried Tor
mercy as they ran away.
Many of tho wounded hung onto their
more fortunate comrades, moaning and
crying for help. The first voliey came so
unexpectedly that for an instant the
strikers huddled together before they re-
gained their presence of mind and ran.
In that instant. bystanders say. another
volley smote them, and they fell before 10
in heaps. The smoke of the rifles dis
charged so close TO them hung over them
in cloud, and for some moments con-
cealed the terrible execution that had
been done.
On the outskirts Of the cloud dozens of
the mon were seen running, and at these
he deputies are said to have fired another
voiloy, killing one of the strikers in
stantly.
After the firing ceased tho deputies,
with their hot and smoking weapons, ro-
treated slowly toward the breaker. and
the people in the vicinity lining the road
on each side. recovering from their fright
ran toward the spot where the dead and
wounded lay with the latter moaning
pi teousiy.
NINETEEN DEAD.
Nineteen dead and forty-one wounded
is the record of tho Winchestors welded
by the deputy sheriffs as shown by todays
investi CATION.
Eleven of the unfortunate miners
dropped dead in their tracks under the
terrible battery, four more died during
the night and four were added to the
record this morning. The work Of idonti-
fying the dead was actively going on oil
night and is still so far from COM
plete that an accurate list Of the victims
will not 30 obtained for some time to
come.
Ihe Ninth Regiment Of the Third
Brigade, undor Col. Dnugherty, Of
Wilkesbarre. was the first detachment Of
the state militia TO arrive. They came in
after O'Clock this morning and camped
on the common in the center OF Hazelton.
The Pittson, Lebanon and Mahonoy mon
have not made their appearance up to 10
o'clock.
a JURY 1MPANELED.
Coroner Bow man hos impaneled jury
and the inquest into the affair will prob
ably be heid this afternoon.
80 far from peing wildly excited this
morning, this place Is peryaded 10y sort
Of sullen quiet, which appeared even
more ominous.
Wild rumors are aflost. one being to tho
effect that 30J0 miners in the South Side
mines were marching on Hazeltou with
threats Of revenge for the shooting. They
had not reached hero nv 9 o'clock. and 10
was later reported that they had dispersed
upon learning oil the presence of the
troops.
The arrival OF tho soldiers was not
marked by anv demonstration further
than the gathering OF large but orderly
crowd. Indignation against the deputies
/ is running high and the charge Is publicly
| made that there was absolutely no neces-