Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-09-16
Marching Miners BrutaIly
Slain by Deputies.
OVER A SCORE KILLED
Dead and Dying Coal Delivers
Fall Like Ten Pins.

Been without Provocation aud Re.
vcnseful Cries Arise-rroops Are
Called Out to Preserve Order.
Twenty-Five strikers We're killed, thir-
teen fatally injured and between sixty
and seventy more or less injured near Ha.
Neton, Pa, Friday, by deputy sheritfs un-
der command Of Sheriff Martin, and, the
dispatches say, without sufficient
provocation to warrant even a
clubbing. The entire region is
wildly excited over the affair, and
citizens Of all classes are talkingsof what
they consider a terrible outrage. An IN
dignation meeting was held at night, and
Governor Hastings has been asked to or
der an investigation. and in the meantime
to place the command Of the deputies in
other hands than those Of Sheriff Martin.
The citizens also ask that the deputy sher-
ifs concerned in the affair be discharge
from ali authority and disarmed. They
say the local police force is quite com.
pctent to take care Of the strikers il any
disturbance occurs. Governor Hastings
called out the Third Brigade of the State
militia in order to prevent further blood
shed.
Following their general custom, the
strikers assembled Friday morning and
marched to the Halle mines. The men
were at work there. but were forced to
quit. From there the march wls taken
up to Latimer The men walked without
any special organization, much as any
body Of men would Traverse a road. They
were elated by their success in driving
out the men at the Halle mines and their
feeling of jubila ton, combined with their
antipathy for the operators, had some
what aroused them. The road the men
traversed was the public highway.
As they reached the outskirts Of the
mining village of Latimer the marchers
were met by Il crowd of deputies, under
Sheriff Martin. They were the usual
kind of deputies, men and boys out OF
work. The strikers were ordered to halt
Being on public highway the strikers re-
fused. With little ceremony they kept
walking. mutterny imprecatons on the
men with rifles.
Firing Is Begun.
Suddenly one of the special officers
raised his rifle and fired point blank at the
miners. 1t was the signal for fusillade
The men and boys who were wearing the
steel badges of deputies fred volley after
voley into the marchers. Several fell
dead ut the first volley. The Mortified
cries of the miners could not drown the
steady 'cruck," crack" of the rifles. The
miners stood terrified for a moment, the
lcaden balls moving down their COM
radeS. A few shots were fired back.
Then, yelling and crying, they broke and
ran for the woods.
The scatter of the marchers did not stop
the firing. AS they fled in terror the dep
uties spread out, each one seemingly pick
in. his man, and shot the fleeing men.
The strikers staggered and fell in every
direction. Bodies of the killed lay here
and there on the road and in the bitches.
Piteous cries in foreign tongues came
from the injured. some of whom were
vainy trying to crawl to shelter. Plead
ings to the deputies to cease hrlng min
gled with the cursings Of the less injured.
The injured in the woods crawled away
to safety. When the deputies has ex-
hausted the magazines Of their rifles they
ceased firing and some turned their atten-
ton to the wounded and carried many of
then, TO places where they could be more
comfortably treated. The deputies seem
ed to be terror-stricken at the deadly eX-
ecution Of their guns.
The people OF Latimer rushed pell-mell
to the scene, but the shrleks Of The
wounded drowned the cries Of the SYM
pathizing and half-crazed inhabitants. AS
soon as the news of the shooting re1cned
HaZleton there was CONSERVATION. With
in ten minutes the streets were blocked
with excited people. Trolley ears on the
Latimer line were sent to the scene OF
the killing, and doctors and clcrgymen re.
sponded promptly.
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 schOOlhousc was transformed into a
temporary hospital, and some Of the
wounded were taken there. The colliary
ambulance was summoned to the place as
soon as possible, and upon its arriva
wounded men were loaded into the wagon
All along the hillside wounded were founG
on the roadside and in the fields. Many
others who had been carried to a distance
could not be found.
One Of the strikers. in his dying state
ment said that there were no weapons OF
any kind among the marchers, for before
leaving Harwood on the tramp across thu
mountain meeting was held and resolu
tons passed forbdding any person to car
~ weapons. This fact was verified By
not finding any weapons on those wht
were killed or wounded. The dead were
searched and no weapons were found OF
them. Sheriff Martin in detailed state
ment Of the affair admits that lie gave thu
command to fire.