The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-11
SHERIFF MARTINS STORY
0Fths shoo,Ing-CIAim' His Life was I'm
Danger when lie Ordered the DsPRtles
To Fire.

0Fths Shsoting-CIAlni' HIS Life was In
Danger when lie Ordered the DsPHtles
TO Fire.
WILKEsBARRE. Pa, Sept TO-
Sheriff Martin arrived home on the
o'clock train from Hazleton. He was
cool and collected. He was met at the
depot by his legal adviser, The two got
into a cab and drove to the court house,
where they were closeted together for
some time. At first the sheriff refused
to say anything, but finally consented
The sheriff was at first reluctant to say
whether he had given the command to
fire, but afterwards admitted that he
had. The sherff's detailed statement
is as follows:
II heard early this morning that the
strikers were going to march TO tho
breaker ut Lattimer and compel the
men there to quit work. / resolved TO
intercept them and II possible prevent
them from reaching the breaker. one
of my deputies told me that he strikers
would probably be heavily armed.
got my deputies, seventy In number to
meet at q certain place. They were oil
armed. l told them to keep cool under
all circumstances. The trouble began
at 3 o'clock. l met the marching coll
umn. / halted them and read the pro-
clamatlon. They refused to pay any at
tentlon, and started to resume their
march. Then j called 10 the leader to
stop. He ignored my order. then at
tempted to arrest him. The strikers
closed in on me. They acted very VIC
iously, riling and kicking me, knock
ing me down and tramplinS upon me.
called upon my deputies TO aid me and
they did so, but they were unable to ac-
compllsh much. l realized that some
thing had to be done at once or would
be killed. / called to the deputies to dis
charge their fire arms in the air over
the heads Of the strikers and II might
probably frighten them. 1t was done at
once, but 1t had no effect whatever on
the nfuriated foreigners, who used me
so much rougher and became fiercer and
fercer, more like wild beasts than hu-
man beings. The strikers then made n
still boider move and endeavored TO sur
round my entire force Of deputies.
Desperate Foreigners.
1 fully realized that the foreigners
were a desperate lot and valued my life
at very small figure, ! also saw that
parleying with such gang of infuriat-
ed men was entirely out OF the question,
as they were too excited 10 listen to
reason and that myself and deputies
would be killed II we were not rescued
aud did not defend ourselves. j then
called upon the deputies to defend them
selves and shoot II they must TO pro-
tect their lives or TO protect the proper
ty that we had been sent to guard from
being demolished The next second
there was few scattering shots fired
into the lnfuriated foreigners and mo-
ment later the entire force Of deputies
discharged a solid volley into the crowd.
/ hated to give the command to shoot
and was awful sorry that was COM
PEELED to do so, but was there to do my
duty and did II as best l knew how
and as my conscience dictated, as the
strikers were violating the laws OF the
commonwealth and fatty refused to
obey the proclamation that i read 10
them. They instead insisted on doing
violence and dlsobeying the laws.
"The scene after the shooting was sim
ply terrible and l would have willingly
not had 1t occur, but as public official
! was there to see that the law was
obeyed and lived up to and merely did
my duty.
Some Of the foreigners fell over dead
and others badly wounded; some were
rushing about hither and thither, seek
Ing place where they would be shield
ed from any more shots; others were
aiding their wounded companions to a
place of safety. while here and there
could be seen men taking away some ono
that was either badly hurt or else waa
dead. The entire crowd of foreignerl
as soon as the volley was fired by the
deputies, turned and started to retreat.
They rushed Off In all directions as fast
as they could run,taklng as many Of
their dead and wounded as they were
able to carry during their hurried rec
treat.
"The excitement Mt the time was sim
ply terrible and would not care to 90
through another ordeal of the game kind
for u fortune"