The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1897-09-14
BLOODY RIOT.
Deputy Sheriffs Attack a Body of
Marching Miners at Latimer.
From Fifteen to Twenty Killed and
Fifty or More Wounded.
After the First volley the Infatuated Miners
Scattered I'm All Directions-Gov. Hast
tngs Has Ordered Several Companies
of State Troops to the Scene.

HAZLETON, Pa, Sept. 1.-The strike
situation reached terrible crisis on
the outskirts of Latimer Friday after
noon, when a band of deputy sheriffs
fired into an infuriated mob of miners.
The men fell like so many sheep, and
the excitement since has been SO in
tense that no accurate figures of the
dead and wounded can be obtained.
Reports run from Is to 20 odd killed
and 40 or more wounded. One man
who reached the scene Friday night
counted Is corpSes. Four other bodies
lie in the mountains between Latimer
and Harleigh. Those who were not
injured carried their dead and wound
ed friends into the woods and estimate
is baffled.
The strikers left Hazleton at $3.50
o'clock Friday afternoon, announcing
their intention to go to Latimer. AS
soon as this became known band of
deputies was loaded on trolley car
and went whirling across the mountain
to the scene where the bloody conflict
followed. After reaching Latimer, they
left the car and formed into three COM
panies, under Thomas Hall, E. A. Hess
and Samuel b. 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
Sheriff Martin went out to meet them.
The men drew up sullenly and lis
tened in silence until he had once more
read the riot act. This finished, low
murmuring arose among the foreign
ers and there was slight movement
forward. Perceiving this, the sheriff
stepped toward them and in a deter
mined tone forbade advance. Some
one struck the sheriff and
the next moment there was
command to the deputies to fire. The
guns of the deputies instantly belched
forth terrible volley. The report
seemed to shake the very mountains
and a cry of dismay went up from the
people. The strikers were taken en-
tirely by surprise, and as the men top
pied and fell over each other, those
who remained unhurt stampeded. The
men went down before the storm of
bullets like tenpins and the groans of
the dying and wounded filed the air.
The excitement that followed was
simply indescribable. The deputies
seemed to be terror-stricken at the
deadly execution of their guns, and see
ing 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.
At Farley's hotel there were two men
lying on the porch Both had been
shot in the head.
One had three bullets in him. His
groans and appeals for a doctor or
death were heartrending. All along
the re I'D the wounded men who were
able to leave the field of battle scat
tered themselves and sought the shade
of the trees for protection but there
was no need of that then. Approach
ing the place where the shooting oc-
CURED, 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 cleaned.
Along the bank of the trolley road
men lay in every position, some dead,
others dying. Three bodies, face down
ward, lay along the incline and three
others were but short distance awav.
On the other side of the road as MANY
more bodies lay. The school house was
transformed into temporary hospitaI
and some of the wounded were taken
there. The colliery ambulance was
summoned to the place as soon as pos
sible, and upon it's arrival two men,
both shot through the legs, were
loaded into the wagon. All along the
hillside wounded men were found, on
the green on the roadside and in the
fields. Many others, who had been
carried to a distance, could not be
found.
Amid the excitement the deputies
turned their attention to the wounded
and carried many of them to places
where they could be more comfortably
treated.
HARRISBURG, Pa, Sept. 11.-Gov.
Hastings Friday night ordered out the
Third brigade, of which Gen. Goblin is
commander, and instructed Gen. Schau
To hold the First brigade in readiness.
The troops will mobilize at Hazelton
and are expected to be on the
scene before daybreak. Capt. A. r.
! Paxton, U. S. A., attached to the
national guard, started for Hazleton
Friday night by direction of the gov
ernor. superintendent Creighton. of
the middle division of the PENNSYLVANIA
railroad, was called into conference at
the executive mansion, and has ar
ranged for the speedy transportation
of the soldiers.
HAzELToN, Pa, Sept. 13.-The situa-
ton here Sunday night was graver
than it has been at any time since the
bloody affray of Friday afternoon.
There is strong reason to fear a con-
fiict between the strikers and the mill
tary Monday and there is an indica-
ton that from five to seven thousand
more miners will join the malcontents.
Feeling continues high against Sher-
if Martin and his deputies. and the in
tensity of the situation is such that a