The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-04
WITNESSES ON STAND
ONE SHOT, TWO SHOTS AND
THEN A VOLLEY.
MANY STRIKERS SHOT IN THE BACK
School Teacher Guscott Gives a Connected Des.
criptior of the Quiet Approach Of the
Strikers and Of the Unprovoked
Action of the Sheriff.
Action of the Sheriff.


Wilkesbarre, Penn, Feb. 3.-Takina
of testimnoy in the trial of Sheriff Mar.
tim and his deputies began this morning
in the Luzerne county curt.
When court opened District Attorney
Martin made n motion that the jury be
taken to I4attimer, to view the scene OF
the shooting, but as this would occupy
the entire day, the court denied the mo-
tion, saying the jury should be able to
get an idea of the situation from maps.
Attorney McGahren, then presented
the case for the commonwealth, after
which Andrew Silver was called.
He les Hungarian, but speaks excel
lent English.
He proved the death of Mike Cezlak
saying that he saw him lying dead on
the road at Lattimer with a bullet in
his head. Witness said he saw the sher-
iff draw his revolver and heard it snap
and then the shooting commenced and
the witness dropped to the ground To
avoid being shot. Witness said there
was first one shot, then two and then a
yOAey.
The second witness was John Mahala.
who was ut the time of the strike the
President of the Harwood local Union
of the United Mine Workers of America.
He told of the meeting. where it was
agreed To march TO IAttimer, at the IN
yitation Of the miners there; his coun-
sells Of peace, and the start and the next
day, all the men being unarmed. Wit
ness was the flag bearer. At West
Al.
if. who ordered them to disperse. Ma
hulit protested that they were breaking
no law. wlHereupon one of the deputies
grabbed the American flag from him
and tore it in halves. Continuing. the
witness said:
THE sheriff pointed his revolver, and
threatened TO shoot. The deputies pushed
MS around with the muzzles of their
guns and swore ut us, and one struck
John ElIstis twice with his gun, cutting
his head and breaking his arm intwc
places.
Then Burjess Jones, Of West Halle
ton. demonstrated with the sheriff. say
ing that he could keep the peace without
using any weapons; that he had conf
dence in 1ls. and would let us marcf
through the streets of his borough az
i
deputies then Iboarded the cars and W.
marched ON toward Lattimer."
Witness was in the rear of the crowC
when the shooting commenced. BY th'
time he reached the front the shootin:
had ended. He saw ten dead men ant
a number of wounded ones lying in thu
road.
Rev. Father Richard Aust, pastor ot
the st. fStanislaus Polish Catholic
church N HaZleton, chairman of the
prosecuting committee, was called II
prove that many of the strikers were
shot in the back. He had buried thirteer
of the dead and looked after number
of the wounded.
Rev. Carl Haush, pastor of the Luth
eran church at Freeland. said he had ex
amined several and found all of then
were shot in the side or the back.
II boarded car,''- he said, (which
brought ten of the dead and a lot Of thS
wounded from the scenes of the shoot
ing There was Il pile of rifles in a cor
nef. / said to one of the deputies
Frank Clark, i am afraid of some o.
them falling and exploding You neet
not be afraid. he replied, they are nj
empty now
Charles Guscott, principal of the Lat
timer school, a frame building abou
six hundred yards from the scene Of tn,
shooting and in full view of all that too
place on the eventful tenth of Septembe
at Lattimer. said he was teaching
school when he heard an unusual nols
and going TO the window, he found tina
number of the men, about elgnt.
were alighting from an electric car.
They We're deputies.
Miss Coyle, his assistant. also watche,
them, and while their attention wa
thus riyeted, the pupils also rushed fo
the door and got outside. He saw th'
deputies lineup across the road an,
then not satisfied with the position the,
moved over to the side of the road ant
formed there with rifles ready. Th.
strikers We're by this time coming owe
the brow of a hill two or three hundret
yards away. They were marching fv.
or six abreast and Were quiet and o.
derly. Witness could not see that tho,
carried weapons. They approache,
slowly and as they drew near the sher
iff advanced to meet them. AS h.
reached the first man, Il dozen or &,
formed a sort of half circle around him
He did not hear the sheriff say anythin,
nor did see him read any paper. A min
lltc after the line first stopped those be
hind pushed ahead to see what wa
going ON ard got ahead of the sheriff
At fhat moment one of the deputies ou
of the line advanced ten or twelve pace
as if he was going to leave the othe
deputies, whereupon one shouted: