The age-herald., 1897-09-11

der all circumstances. The trouble be- l gan at o'clock. I met the marching I halted them and read the They refused to stop or listen. Then I called on the leader to order them to stop. He grored my re- quest. I then attempted to arrest him. The strikers closed in on me. They acted very vigorously, kicking me, knocking me down and trampling upon me. called upon my deputies to aid me, and they 6ad so, but were unable to accom- plish much.
 realized that something had to be done at once or I would be killed. l called to the deputies to discharge their fire arms into tine air over the heads of the strikers, so it might probably frighten them. It was done at once, but 1t had no effect whatever on the infuriated foreign CTS, who used me so much the rougher, and became infuriated more like wild beasts than human beings. The strikers still bent over me and erl5eavored to sur round my entire force of deputies. fully realized that the foreigners were desperate lot and valued Mfe at very small figure. I also saw that the stop ping of a lot of infuriated men was en- tirely out of reason, as they We're too excited to listen to reason, and myself and deputies would be soon destroyed if we did not defend ourselves. called upon the deputies to defend themselves and to shoot, if necessary, to protect ithemseives or the property they had been sent to guard from being demolished. The next thing I heard was a few seat tered shots fired into the infuriated foreigners and a moment later the en- tire force of deputies discharged a full volley into the crowd.
 TT a1ated to give the command to shoot, but was there to do my duty, and did it as best I knew how, and as my con science dictated. The strikers were vio- lating the laws of the commonwealth, and f1atly refused to obey the proclama- tion that read to them. They, instead, insisted on doing violence and disobeying the iaWS.
 'aThe scene after the shooting was simply terrible and would have willing ly not had it occurred, but I was sworn to see that the law was ebeyed and lived up to and I merely did my duty. Some of the foreigners fell dead and others badly wounded, some were rushing about seeking a place where they would be shielded from any mere shots, others were aiding their wounded compa nlons to places of safety, while here and there could be seen men turning away with some one who was badly injured or dead The entire crowd of foreigners, as soon as the volley had been fired by my depu- ties, started to retreat. They rushed off in ell directions carrying off as many Of their dead and wounded as they were able to carry"
 In another interview the sheriff stat ed he first met the marching miners just outside of Hazefon. He asked them where they were going and they replied that they were going to I.atimer to get the men out there.
 Thin the sheriff and seventy deputies armed with winchesters started for Latimer and marching down the public rOdu neduSu Oll tilt ihihS iitiie'
 According to Martins story, when the strikers reachsd the line of deputies ne ordered them to halt and disperse. One of the Hungarians said in broken Eng fish: "Go to hell, you are -. Martin then attempted to arrest the man who made the r=mark and as he claims, was assisted in the assault by the mans friends. Then the firing oc- cured. Martin was asked in the in- terview:
 ssWhen you met the strikers were they on private property or on the public road?"
 He replied: "They were on the public road"
 Were they marching towards Lati- mer?"
 "Yes.."
 "Had they, up to that time, committed any overt act or acted otherwise than peaceably?"
 "No."
 "Why, then, did you order the depu- ties to fire?"
 "I did not order the deputies to fire; some one else did that. First came single shot and then a volley. I gave no order"
 "There were twelve dead when left ard about forty wounded"
 "Wers any of your deputies hurt"
 "One of my deputies was shot through the arm.'
 Sheriff Martin when he reached Wilkesbarre, was badly scared. Though he claims to have been brutally assault ed when s=en he did not have g. mark on his person to show that he had been roughly handled. All classes of cit izens in this city and county unite in condemning Sheriff Martins nasty ac- tion.
 Sheriff Martin sent a telegram to Gov. Hastings tonight stating that mob law prevailed in the lower and of the coun-