The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-09-14

Fired Upon BY the sherifs Posse-Ths
Sheriff Gives Contradictory Accounts Of
the ~Afiair-St2te Troops Ordered TO the
Scene
Hazleton, Pa, September 1o.-The
strike situation reached a terrible crisis
on the outskirts of Latimer today when
a band of deputy sherifs fired into an
Infatuated mob Of miners. The men
fell like so nan sheep and the excite
ment since has been SO intense that
no accurate figure of the dead and
wounded can be obtained. Reports run
from fifteen to twenty odd killed and
forty or more wounded. Many of these
will die. One man who reached the
scene tonight counted thirteen corpses.
| Four others died in the mountains.
Those who were not injured carried
their dead and wounded friends into
the woods and estimate is bafled.
Three bodies were found tonight on
the road near Latimer.
The strikers left Hazleton at $3.50
o'clock this afternoon, announcing their
intention of going to Latimer. AS soon
as this became known, a band OF dep
uties was loaded on a trolley car and
sent whirling across the mountain to
the scene where the bloody conflict fol-
lowed. After reaching Laitmer, they
left the car and formed into three COM
panies, under Thomas Hall, E. A. Hess
and S. r. Price. They drew up in line
at the edge of the village with a fence
and a line Of houses in their rear. Sher-
iff Martin was in command and stood
in the front of the line unit. the strikers
approached. They were seen coming
| across the ridge and Martin went out
to meet them. The men drew UP sui
lenly and listened in silence until he
| had once more read the riot act. This
finished, a low muttering arose among
the foreigners and there was a slight
movement forward. Perceiving this,
| the sheriff stepped forward toward
them, and, in a determined tone, for
babe the advance. Some one struck
the sheriff and the next moment there
was a command to the deputies to fire.
The guns of the deputies instantly
| belched forth a terrible vOlley. The
! strikers were taken by surprise and as
the men toppled and fell over each
other, those who remained unhurt
stampeded. The men went down before
the storm of bullets like ten pins and
the groans of the dying and wounded
| filled the air. The excitement that fol-
1O"Co wac mp AlNSSSA 0OAS Al
deputies seemed to be terror-stricken
at the deadly execution Of their guns
| and, seeing the living strikers fleeing
| and the others dropping to the earth,
they went to the aid of the unfortu-
mates whom they had brought down.
The people of Latimer rushed to the
| scene, but the shrieks of the wounded
| drowned the cries of the sympathiZing
and half crazed inhabitants. A report
err who soon afterwards reached the
place found the road leading to Lati-
mer filled with groups of frightened
Hungarians. Some surrounded dying
companions and others, fearful CT pyr-
suit, chung to the newcomer and begged
| his protection. At Farley's hotel. there
were two men lying on the porch. Both
had been shot in the head. 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 who were able to leave
the field Of battle scattered and sought
the shade of the trees for protection but
there was no need of that, then. APP
preaching the place where the shooting
occurred, people were met wringing
| their hands. They could not talk in
diligently 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 down,
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 school house was
transformed into a temporary hospital
and some of the wounded were taken
there. The colliery ambulance was
summoned to the place as soon as pos
sible and Immediately pom it's arrival
two men, both shot through the legs,
were loaded into the wagon.
AS soon as the news of the shooting
reached HazletOn there vas 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.
Amid the excitement the deputies
turned their attention to the wounded
and carried many of them to places
where they could be more comfortably
treated.
Martin Roski, an intelligent Hun
from Mt. Pleasant, who was shot in
the arm, was seen by a reporter on the
car coming over and gave this version
of the affair.": 1--WE were going along
the road to Latimer and the deputies
were ined across the road, barring our
progress. We tried to go through them