The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-10-12
HUMAN BATTUE.
Such Was the Shooting of the
Miners at Lattimer.
LAST OF OUR LIBERTIES.
Our Boastod "Right to Life, Liberty and
tho Pursuit of Happiness Is Re-
ducod to Worse Than
Mockery.

When an American citizen Is not
permitted to have his mail directed to
whatsoever postofice he pleases and
delivered to whosoever he likes; when
he is not allowed to request a fellow
craftsman to refrain from working for
starvation wages; when he Is forbid
den by the courts to walk on the pub
lie highway, and is shot in the back
on the plea that he is imperiling the
lives of his assassins, 1t would seem
that we have precious little left OF our
boasted right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness" The human
battue at Lattimer, Pa, was the most
horrible affair that has ever disgraced
American history. A party OF half
starved miners, finding their wages in
sufficient to provide themselves and
families with the simple necessarles
of life, had quit work, hoping that
their wealthy employers might be CO.
creed by their idleness into according
them living In exchange for their
labor. Never had a strike been con-
Quoted with so little violence-altho'
majority Of the workmen and their
families we're actually suffering for
food and clothing, life and property
were almost universally respected. A
party of these poor fellows were trudg-
ing peaceably and unarmed along the
public highway when they were halted
by a super-ofiicious sheriff accompa-
MED by 100 or more heavily armed
deputies. He undertook to read the
riot act to them-why only he and
heaven know, as they were perpetrat-
ing no violence, committing no crime.
Being for the most part Hungarians
and Italians, who spoke little English,
they could not comprehend, but crowd
ed about the sheriff, staring inquiring-
cradle creature miscalled a man, con-
ceived the fool idea that 'his life was
in danger" that he was about to be
trampled to death" under the very
muzzles Of his own guns, before the
eyes of his well-fed deputies. who
could have put them all to flight with
their fists. His coward lips did from
their color fiy'-his white liver turned
green with craven fear-his chicken
heart melted in his mouth-his cur
r!sh blood curdled In his carcass, and
in voice hoarse with fear, husky
with baby tears, he bawled out the
order to fire. The miners hear the
click of the gun-locks-they see the
long line of rifles raised to the shoul-
der and divine their danger-but alas!
too late. They turn to fee, terror
stricken, and a murderous volley Is
poured into-their baclSs!-then an
other! Two and twenty lie quite dead,
so more are writhing with grievous
wounds, pleading for mercy-"the
poor people who have to work" are
slaughtered like sheep in the sham
bles, and for no other crime than
walking unarmed on the public high
way-huddled together because mis-
cry loves company" The sheriff and
his deputies, having done their d1s-
tardly work, stink off like so many
unclean jaclials, and ragged little chill
dren come creeping timidly forth to
peer into the CHASTITY faces Of their
fathers. while gaunt women bewail
their widowhood in a foreign tongue.
or kneel in the dust with clasped
hands and faces OF blank despair be-
side their still bleeding dead. Gra-
cious Godl what an ending to many
happy dream. What breath from
hell. blasting SO many humble homes!
What are the thoughts OF that dark
eyed daughter of Italia. crouching like
lioness over the corpse OF her lover?
of that Hungarian woman striving
TO staunch with her ragged skirt the
life-tide Of her lord while her almost
naked children cling about her knees?
Does she remember the day when an
oily-tongued agent for the mine oper-
ators visited their humble shack and
told them OF the great country beyond
the setting sun, where the common