The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-08
LAWYERS FIGHT AT LATIMER.
SENSATIONAL NEWSPAPERS MAY
BE SHUT OUT OF COURT.

Judge Warns the Offending Attor-
neyS and the Reporters OF The yell
low JOurnnls-Justice of the Peace
of West HaEcItOn Thinks the
sheriff Was Attacked by strikers.
Court Accepts BAIL for the. Ac-
cused.
Wilkesbarre, Pa. Feb. 7.-Hundreds of
persons. anxious to hear what action
Judge Woodward would take in reference
to the sensational outbreak on Saturday
between Attorneys Garman and Leham.
opposing counsel in the Latimer shooting
case, thronged the courtroom to-day.
Judge Woodward spoke of the incident
of Saturday saying that after he had LETT
the bench and the court adjourned. an al
tercation had arisen between two of the
lawyers engaged in the trial whiah the
court did not fully hear nor realize the
words used until they were seen in the
newspaper.
Had we heard" said the Judge. what
was said, we should have dealt with the
lawyers in a summary manner as the af-
fair so deserved, and If there is a repetition
we shall punish the guilty parties for con-
tempt of court"
Then came a severe denunciation of the
sensationalism of certain newspapers IN
endeavoring, as the court said, to prevent
justice by an eXaggeration of the facts
and incidents of the trial He would. he
said, mention no names at the present;
but If the astounding falsehoods and mis-
representations continue the reporters of
the papers will find the door of the court
closed to them.
The first witness to-day was Silas Jones.
justice of the peace of west Hazeton. He
stated that he had seen the meeting of
the deputies and strikers az West Halle
ton and followed the deputies to Lati-
mer He saw Sheriff Martin advance to-
ward them with a paper in his hand.
Some of them surrounded him, and an
alteration occurred, but the witness could
not see exactly how the alteration com
menced, or 1t terminated He heard a
couple of shots and then volley and
saw several men fall. Two of the men
ieil near him and were dead. He was
asked what some spectators said after the
shooting. The defense objected.
After listening to all the arguments, the
court sustained the objection, thus shut
tiiiS Out Aie evidence. rms IS regarded
as an important point gained for tie de-
Tense.
Counsel for the defense asked witness
if he was not frightened when he saw
the sheriff surrounded by the strikers and
the witness answered he was, and that
owing TO this fact he could not tell clearly
just what happened at the moment.
John Yeager a Slavonian, who required
an interpreter, said he had seen the dep
uties on their way to Latimer on the day
of the shooting. All were armed with
rifles, but he could not see whether the
sheriff had any weapons.
Just before the noon adjournment the
court accepted bail for all the accused
deputies and the sheriff in the amount of
5000 in each case, making 100000 in all.
Bail was furnished by the Philadelphia
Surety Company.
When court met again i'm the afternoon,
George Yeager resumed his testimony. He
Joined the strikers end marched with
them TO Latfmer He describett the meet
ing with the sheriff and said the sheriff
drew his revolver and pointed il, at, the
strikers. He grab bed one of them and pull
ed him from out among the others, all the
time holding the pistol at his breast Then
some one shouted 10 shoot and the depu-
ties fired
AFTER the first few shots" said the wit
ness, there was a volley and then num-
per OF Single SHOlS, anu cleNeH men were
killed In five minutes and lots wounded.
The witness saw two men run forward
several PAGES from the line of deputies,
but could not remember them. The cross
examination did not change the witness
story materially
Thomas Hall, clerk of the Valley Hotel
in Hazleton, testified TO a conversation he
had heard on the Sunday following the
shooting from the lips Of Deputy John
Turner Turner was In the hotel and said
speaking of the shooting: 1--WE all march
ed out to Lattimer, and as the strikers
came up l heard a shot. 1T seemed to
come from the ranks of the strikers, and
then we opened up. ! shot nine of them
and killed five"
On cross examination Hall said he did
not know whether Turner was blowing
or making a statement of facts.
The next witness was Christopher
Brehen, a miner. of Cranberry. Brehen
said he was at West Hazleton when the
strikers arrived and that he talked with
Bornheiser, one of the deputies. who
wanted him to join the deputies. Born
heiser said: Everyone Of these damned
strikers ought to be shot"
few days before the shooting, the
witness had a talk with a deputy named
Dodson, who said: we. ought to get so
much a head for shooting down these
strikers. / would do ii for a cent head
and make money OF it," va 7s
His story was not altered on cross ex-
animation. The court then adjourned un-
. tn