The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-13


nounced tonight, the whole programme
will be upset and It Is feared that the
men will resent any interference with the
disposition OF their dead
New Light on tic Sho0ling.
Afidavits from number Of the mlnera
who were In Friday afternoons affair
throw some new light on the shooting
They declare, In substance, that on the
morning OF that day messenger arrived
at Harwood, and asked the foreigners TO
come 10 Lattimer, as the employees OF
colllery No at that place, were about
to strike Later, a second message "a the
same effect arrived and then the men
started over to Lattimer AT Halle coll
llery, so the aiiidavlts continue, Sheriff
Martin met them and warned them not
to go through Hazleton, but to go around
the other way. They did so, but arriving
at the fatal bend In the road near Lattl-
mer they again found themselves con-
fronted by the sheriq, this time backed
up by the army of deputies. AS sool. -
they reached the spot, II Is declarea,
Sheriff Martin stepped out and roughly
grabbed the foremost man by his coat
collar. With his other hand he thrust a
revolver into his face and used abusive
language. The miner knocked the sher-
iff's revolver arm from in front of him
and tried TO wrench himself from the
officials grasp, Almost Immediately,
the affidavit says, the order to fire was
given. The deputies were lined UP in n
hollow square, the fourth side Of which
was formed by the body of the strikers,
This would possibly account for the fact
that so many were shot In the back and
side.
The funerals to-day made spectacle
of tragedy that, humble as were the
accessories, had In It something that
was almost sublime.
Futa and Urlch lived in Harwood and
Yureck In Humboldt. but when the pro-
cessIon was started the latter party
Joined the others and the cortege wound
Its way through the mountain passes,
over the dusty lanes into Hazleton and
then into 81. Joseph's church on the
outskirts, where Father Aust and Rev.
DR.. Hauser held brief services.
At the head OF the line there were
was q brass band playing the dead
marches with mufIled drums. A heavy
mist had crept over thehills; chill
drizzle of rain was falling, and the
scene, backed by the line OF hills and
looming coal breakers, was weird and
gloomy. There were but q few car
rlages, but nearly 1000 men were in
line at one time or another and most
OF them continued until the end.
Stories or Violence.
Stories of violence on the part of the
strikers long before the outbreak of
Friday are coming to light. 1t is said
that in their marches from mine to
mine they used brute force to make In
dlvidual workers Join their ranks. Rev.
DR.. David II. Shields, an unassigned
appolntee OF President Mckinley to a
chaplalnshlp in the army, said that as
early as Tuesday OF last week this had
gone SO far that the people became
frightened. BY Thursday terror was In
the air and many persons were buying
firearms and hiding ammunition in
their houses. DR.. Shields, himself one
OF the most conspicuous advocates Of
peaceful measures In the emergency,
said he advised asking for state troops
in the early part Of the week. He spoke
in big tent at Halle park, where some
OF the militia are stationed, this after
noon. He took no issue, but declared
that the tragedy has been approaching
for four years. Both sides were to
blame. in his opinion. The operators in
steadily reducing wages and refusing
to meet miners committees. thus leav-
ing nothing for the men but the march,
Ing, and the miners in going on strike
as they often had over trivial causes.
such as the discharge OF mule driver
for neglect of his work.
In the office OF the Lehlgh Traction
Company is a brown cutaway coat
which one of the men, now dead, wore
on Friday last. There are three bullet
holes in 1t, one through the front, one
through an arm and the third through
| the tails. In an inside pocket was
found cheap nickel 32-calibre bull dog
revolver. This had not been used in the
riot, because the chambers contained
neither empty nor loaded shells, and II
could not have been fired before the
man was shot. because he would have
had no time to unload It. II establish
cd that this Is the only weapon con-
talned in the whole mob OF miners and
the conditions indicate that the first
shot could not have come from their
side. There were three companies of
deputies, and one OF these made up OF
men who have served as mine police in
| the past, had much trouble with the
strikers on previous occasions and weru
said to be In n revengeful mood against
them