The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1897-09-17
SLAIN LIKE SHEEP.
STRIKING MINERS SHOT
DOWN BY DEPUTIES.
A Score or More Killed and at Least Eifty
Wounded-Some One Struck the Sher-
In and He Ordered the Deputies to
Fire on the Strikers.

HAzELroN, Pa, Sept 10, The strike
dtuation reached terrible crisis on
the outskirts of Latimer yesterday at
ternoon, when band of deputy sher-
ifs freq into mob of Hungarian
miners. The men fell like sheep, and
the excitement has since been so in
tense that no accurate figures OF dead
and wounded can be obtained he"
ports run from fifteen to twenty odd
killed, and forty or more wounded.
One man who reached the scene last
NIGHT counted thirteen corpses, Four
other bodies lie in the mountains be-
tween Latmer and Harleigh Those
who were not injured carried their
dead and wounded friends into the
woods, and estimate is baffied.
The strikers left Hazelton about
$3.50 o'clock, and it was their inten-
ton to go to Latiner AS soon as TINS
became known, a band of deputies
was loaded on trolley car and went
whirling across the mountain to the
scene where the bloody conflict fol-
lowed After reaching Latimer, they
left the car and formed into three
companies, under Thomas Hall, Il. A.
Hess and Samuel g. Price. They drew
up in line at the edge of the village,
with fence and 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 suddenly,
and listened in silence until he had
once more read the riot act. This fin
ished, low muttering arose among
the foreigners, and there was slight
movement forward. Perceiving this,
the sheriff stepped toward them and,
in determined tone, forbade advance.
Someone struck the sheriff, and the
next moment there was command to
the deputies to fire.
The guns Of the deputies instantly
belched forth terrible volley. The
report seemed to shake the very noun
tains, and a cry of dismay went up
from the people The strikers were
talk entirely by surprise, and as the
men toppled and fell over each other,
those who remained unhurt stam-
peded.
The men went down before 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 unfortunates whom
they had brought down.
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 short distance
away. On the other side of the road
as many more bodies lay. The school
house was transformed into a tempo
rary hospital and some of the wounded
were taken there. All along the
hillside wounded men were found on
the roadside and in the fields. Many
miners who had been carried to dis
tance could not be found
AS soon as the news of the shooting
reached Hazelton there was conster-
nation. Within ten minutes the streets
were blocked with excited people.
The Lehigh Traction company imme-
diatelv placed number of extra cars
on the Latimer line and doctors and
clergymen responded promptly. The
rush of people to Latimer was so great
that the progress of vehicles along
the road was impaired.
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
garian from Mount Pleasant, who was
shot in the arm, was seen by reporter
and gave this version of the affair:
1--WE were going along the road to
Latimer and the deputies were lined
across the road barring our progress.
We tried to go through tdem, and did
not attempt to hit or modest them,
when they fired upon us. We ran, but
they kept on shooting at US while we
ran 1t is all their fault"
Sheriff Martin. when he reached
Wiltesbarre, was badly scared.
Though he claims to have been brut-
ally assaulted, when seen he did not
have mark on his person to show
that he had been roughly handled.
All classes of citizens in this city and
county unite in condcmning Sheriff
Martins hasty action.