The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-09-15
MASSACRE OF MINERS
TERRIBLE CRISIS IN TIE COAL
S-FIKE SITUATION


Bloc d thirsty i,tp-ti,s Shoot Into Mob c!
Miners, spp srons,y without Justification
KlDipc Fifteen or twenty aad Wound.
:rg Forty or Mo1e.
The strike situation reached s ierri
BILE crisis ~ TIE outskirts OF La.imer,
Pa, Fr.Gag afrsrnoon. when bacG
of depu;v she3ilf fred irto an iniuri
ated mob of Miners The men te?l
like SO ra&Oy sheep, and the excite
ment since bas beer so intense that nc
accurate figures Of the dead and
wounded eau De obtained. Reports
run from tif!ee.: 10 twenty odd killed
and forty or mere wounded. Many
Of these will die. Oae nan whc
reached The sceDe Friday night count
ed thirteen corpses. -Four otaar dead
lie in the mountains between L2timer
and Earleiah. Those who we're not
! injured carried their dead and woU2G,
ed irieldsi into the Wocds, SID estimate
! is befnad.
The strikers left Haselton a. 3:3C
o'clock Friday afternoon. announcing
their intention &c 20 to Latimer. As
soon as this became known, band OF
deputies was loaded on ? trolley car
and sent whirling across the mountain
to the scene OF TIE bloody conflict
which followed. Alter reaching Lati-
ner thev left the car ard formed into
three companies. ucder Thomas Hall,
E 4. Hessel and Samuel B. Price.
They drew 10 IN lire at the edge OF
the village, with !ence ard line OF
houses in their rear.
Sheriff Martin was in command and
stood in the front OF the line until the
strikers approached. They were seen
coming across the ridge, ard Martin
vent out 10 meet them.
The men drew up sullenly and lis,
tened in silence until he bad oncs
more read the riot act. This finished,
low mutterirg srose among lhe for
eigners, AID there was slight move
ment forward. Percei7irg this, the
sheriff stepped toward them, and, in 8
determined tone, forbade advarcs.
Some one struck the sheriff, and the
next moment there Wss command tc
the deputies to FIRE. The guns OF the
deputies instantly sent forth terrible
Volley.
The strikers were taken entirely BY
surprise, and SIS the men toppled and
fell ever each other, those who re-
NAMED unhurt stampeded. The men
went down before the storm Of bullets
like ten. pins, and the groans of the
idying and wounded filed the sir. The
excitement that followed was simply
lindescri5able. The deputies seemed &c
be terror struck at the deadly execu
ton of their guns, and seeing tie
living strikers fleeing and the others
dropping to the earth, they went to
the aid OF the unfortuuateS whom
they had brought down.
The people OF Latimer rushed pell
nell t1 the scene, bat the shrieks Of
the wounded drowned the cries OF the
sympath;zine and half crszed inhabi-
tants. TIE reporter who soon after.
wards reacbed TIE pi2:e foUrd the
road leading TO Latimer filed with
groups of frightened Hungarians.
Some surrounded dying co npanlons,
and Others, fearful Of pursuit, clupg
to the new ccnsr aad begged his pro
lection.
| At Farley's there were two men
lying on the porch. Both had been
shot in the head. Ons had three bul
lets in him. His groans and appeals
for dcc!or or death were heart-rerd
ing. All along the road the wounded
men who were able to leave the field
| of battle scattered and soug ht toe
shade of the trees for protection, but
there was no need Of that then.
Approaching the place where the
shooting occurred, people were met
wringing their hands and bemoaning
the catastrophe. They could not talk
intelligently, and it was with the
greatest difficulty that information
could BE- learned. Along the bank Of
the trolley road men lay in every posi-
ton, some dead, others dying. Tnree
bodies, face downward, lay along the
incline, and three others were bat s
short distance away. On the other
side of the road, as many more bodies
lay. The school house was trans
formed into temporary hospital, and
some of the wounded were taken
there. The colliery ambulance wa:
summoned to the place as soon as pos
sible, and Immediately upon its ar
rival, two men, both shot through the
legs, were loaded into the wagon. AL
along The hillside wounded men were
found. Many others who had been
carried 10 a distacc2 could not De
found.
As soon as the news OF the shooting
reached Haselton there was consterna
ltion. Within ten minutes the streets
were blocked with excited people.
The Lehigh Traction company inme
diately placed 3 number OF cars OF the
Latimer line and doctors and clergy
men responded promptly. Amid th5
excitem a1t the deputies turned their
attention to the wounded and carried
many Of them u places where they
could be more comfortably treated.
Marin R1ski.an intelligent HInga
rian from NJ. Pleasant, who was sho
lin the arm, was seen by reporter or
the car coming over, and gave thi:
version of the affair: I'VE were 60
ling along the road to LaGner, anc
the deputies were lined across ths
road, barring our progress. We trleI
to go through them, and did not at
TEN pt to nit Or mclest them until they
fred upon US We ran, Gu. they KEEP
on shooting on vs wniie we ran. l
is all their fault.
Furmsa!s New President.
The board Of trustees OF Furmar
University me: Wednesday night q
The Columbia Baptist clucco, and uu
auimously eIec.sd Professor \. ?
Montague, o. Washiagton, D. G..