The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-11
Some Twenty Marching Miners Killed and Forty
Wounded by the Deputies at .Latimer,
Near Hazleton.
THE SHERIFF GAVE THE ORDER TO FIRE.
Riot Act Read and Crowd of Hungarians Ordered to
Dsperse-VoIley That Toppled Men Over Like
Nine-Pins Followed Their Refusal to Obey-Third
Brigade Ordered Out by Gov. Hastings

HAZLETON, Pa. Sept. 1O-The
on the outskirts of Latimer this after
noon, when a band of deputy sheriffs
fired into an Infatuated 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 fifteen to twenty
killed, and forty or more wounded.
One man who reached the scene to-
night counted thirteen eorpses. Four
other bodies lie in the mountains be-
tween Latimer and Harleigh. Those
who were not injured carried their
dead and wounded friends into the
woods and estimate is bafHed. Some
of those known to be dead are:
MIKE CHESLoLL, Harwood.
FRANK CHEKA, Harwood
JOHN STAN1SKA, Crystal Ridge.
GEORGE KUTICK, HARDWOOD.
STEVE HORRICK Harwood.
Among the injured are: George Krese,
Harwood bullets through leg, hip and knee.
John Kerlovish, shot in neck. Audrey Shah
click. shot in breast. John Kullich, shot in
stomach John Damensko, shot in both
legs. George Venchick, shot in both legs.
John Forti, shot in head; will die. John
Kleshok, shot in hip. Kasimir Dulis, shot
In breast. Jacob Kulshot, shot through body;
will die. Steve Eruskuki, shot in body. John
Koti, shot in arm and left side. Joseph
Robick, shot through back, John Treble a
deputy, shot in arm.
Three bodies were found tonight on the
road near Latimer.
The strikers left Hazleton at $3.50
o'clock this afternoon, announcing
their intention to go to Latimer. AS
soon as this became known, band of
deputies was loaded on a 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
companies, under Thomas Hall. E. A
Hess and Samuel B. Price. They drew
up in line at the edge of the village
with a fence and 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 and Mar
tiE 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, a low
muttering arose among the foreigners
and there was a slight movement for
ward Perceiying this the sheriff
stepped toward the men and in a de-
termined tone forbade advance. Some
one struck the sheriff, and the next
moment there was a command to fire.
The guns of the deputies instantly
beiched forth terrible volley. The re-
port 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 SIAM
peGed. The men went down before the
storm of bullets like ten pins and the
groans of the dying and wounded filed
the air.
The excitement that followed was
simply understandable. 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 unfortu-
nate whom they had brought down..
The people of Latimer rushed pell-
nell to the scene, but the shrieks of
the wounded drowned the cries of the
sympathizing and half crazed inhabi-
tants. A reporter who soon after
wards reached the scene found the
road leading to Latimer filled with
groups of frightened Hungarians.
Some surrounded dying companions,
and others, fearful of pursuit, chung to
the new conner and begged his protec-
ton. At Farley's hotel there were two
men lying on the porch. Both had
been shot in the head.
BODIES SCATTERED ABOUT.
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 away.
On the other side of the road as many
more bodies lay The school house
was transformed into temporary
hospital and some of the wounded were
taken there. The colliery ambulance
was summoned to the place as soon
as possible, 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 road side and in the fields. Many
others who had been carried to dis
tance could not be found.
AS soon as the news of the shooting
reached HeZleton there was cOnster-
nation. Within ten minutes the streets
were blocked, with excited people. The
Lehigh Traction company Immediately
Latiner line, and doctors and clergy
men responded promptly. The rush of
people to Latimer was so great that
the progress of vehicles along the road
was impaired.
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. Martin Roski, an intelligent
Hungarian from Mount Pleasant, who
was shot in the arm, was seen by a
reporter and gave this version of the
affair: I'VE were going along the
road to Latimer and the deputies were
lined across the road, barring our
progress. We tried to go through
them, when they fired upon US. We
ran, but they kept on shooting at US
while we ran. 1t is all their fault"
Citizens meetings were held at va
rious parts of the city tonight Opinion
was divided about the responsibility
for the shooting. At one meeting, held
in VanWickle's casino, attended by
bankers, coal operators and prominent
business men, resolutions were adopt
ed calling on Gov. Hastings to send
the militia here immediately. AT other
mass meetings, attended by thousands
of people, the sentiment was against
bringing the troops here, and it is as
serted by these that there was no nee
essity for having even the deputies.
SHERIFF. MARTINS STORY.