The Globe-republican., 1897-09-16
MINERS SHOT DOWN.
TWENTY-ONE KILLED AND
FORTY WOUNDED
Marching Anthracite Coal Miners Come
Into Deadly Collision With Penn
sylvania Sheriff and DePuttes-AH OF
Thorn ForeIgners- Law.

HAzLEToN, Pa. Sept 13.-Twenty-one
marching striking miners were killed
and forty wounded in conflict
with county deputy sheriffs. led by
Sheriff Martin, on the highway at
Latimer Friday afternoon.
All of the victims of the officers
Winchesters were foreigners-Poles
and Hungarians-imported some time
ago to work in the anthracite coal
mines of this region.
The shots were fred because the
strikers had refused to heed the sher-
ifs proclamation to disperse and had
assaulted the sheriff and threatened
his deputies.
As a result of the riot and further
threats of trouble. the Third brigade
of the Pennsylvania national guard,
commanded by General Goblin, the
new national commander-in-chief OF
the G. A. R., was at once ordered to
this section and the Ninth regiment
under Colonel Dougherty of Wilkes
barre, arrived this morning and other
regiments followed during the day,
until the whole brigade was here in
camp.
The strikers left Hazelton about
$3.50 o'clock, and it was their inten-
ton to 60 to Latiner As soor as this
became known, band of deputies
was loaded on trolley car and went
whirling across the mountain 70 the
scene where the bloody conflict fol-
lowed. After reaching Latimer, they
left the car and formed into three
companies. under Thomas Hall, f. A.
Hess and Samuel 3. 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 up suddenly,
and listened in silence until he had
once more read the riot act This fin
ished. a low muttering arose among
the foreigners, and there was slight
movement forward. Perceiving this,
the sheriff stepped toward them and,
in a determined tone, forbade advance.
Someone struck the sheriff. and the
next moment there was a 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
taken entirely by surprise. and as the
men toppled and fell over each other,
those who remained unhurt stan&
peded.
The men went down before tho
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 a short distance
away. On the other side of the road
as many more bodies lay. The school
house was transformed into tempo
rary boSp;fal and some Of tho 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.
lance could not be found.
Martin Roski, an intelligent Hun
gariau from Mount Pleasant. who was
shot in the arm, was seen by a 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
Wilkesbarre. was badly scared.
Though he claims to have been brut-
ally assaulted. when seen he did not
have a mark on his person to show
that he had been roughly handled
All classes of citizens in this city and
county unite in condemning Sheriff
Martins hasty action.