The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-02-04
Charged With the Shooting and Killing Of
Marching Strikers.
The Case Of the Commonwealth
Presented by Prosecuting At
torney McGahan-Several Wit
nesses Testify as to the Circum-
stances Leading UP to the Time
When the Firing Began.

tfa.p, req. dh-
ing of testimony in the trial of Sheriff
Martin and his deputies began to-day in
the LuZerne County Court.
Attorney McCahren presented the
| case for the commonwealth. Mr. Nc
Cahren told how the strikers had start
! ed TO march from Hazleton to I.atimer,
and about the deputies boarding the cars
and attempting to intercept the men.
I'VE will prove" he said, that at this
point some of the deputies made threats;
that one of them said IN bet I'll drop
six of the strikers Another said: L
hope we get a chance to take a pop at
some q: Them"
Mr.. McCahren then described the
shooting.
Andrew Silver was the first witness
called. He is a Hungarian, but speaks
excellent English. He proved the death
OF Mike Cezlak, saying that he saw him
lying dead on the road at Latimer with
bullet in his head. Witness saw the
Sheriff draw his revolver and heard it
strap and then the shooting commenced.
The second witness was John Mahala.
who was at 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 Latimer, at the in
vitation of the miners there: his coun-
sells of peace, and the start the next day,
all the men being unarmed. At West
Hazleton they were stopped by the Sher-
if, VINO ordered them to dispense Ma
hala protested they We're breaking no
law Whereupon one of the deputies
grabbed the American flag he bore and
tore it in halves
The Sheriff pointed his revolver and
threatened to shoot The deputies
pushed US around with the muzzles of
their guns, and swore at us, and one
struck John Eustic twice with his gun.
cutting his head and breaking his arm
in two places. Then Burgess Jones of
W est HazletOn demonstrated with the
Sheriff. saying that he could keep the
peace without using any weapons; that
he had confidence in US and would let
US march through the streets of his Dor
ough as much as We liked The Sheriff
and his deputies then boarded the cars
and We marched on toward Latimer."
Witness was in the road when the
shooting commenced. He saw. ten men
and number OF wounded lying in the
road.
Rev Father Richard Aust pastor of
the st. Stanislaus Polish Catholic
Church at Hazleton, Chairman of the
Prosecuting Committee. was called to
prove that many of the strikers We're
shot in the back. He said he had ex-
amined number of the dead. but could
not tell in detail what their wounds
were. He had buried fifteen of the dead
Rev. Carl Hauser, pastor of the
Lutheran Church at Freeland, said ne
had examined several and found all Of
them were shot in the side or back Il
boarded car" he said, which brought
ten Of the dead and a lot of the wound
ed from the scene of the shooting There
was a pile of rifles in corner. [ said
to one of the deputies, Frank Clark. /
am afraid of some of them falling and
exploding
" You need not be afraid. he re-
Piled they are all empty now"
Charles Guscott, Principal of the
Latimer school, building about six
hundred yards from the scene of the
shooting, said he was teaching school
when he heard an unusual noise. and
going to the window he found thar a
number of the men. some eighty, We're
allghtlnS from an electric car. They
were deputies. He saw the deputies
line Mp TO the side of the road ana
form with rifles ready The strikers
We're by this time some two or three
hundred yards away. They were
marching five and six abreast and wers
quiet and orderly. Witness could not
see that they carried any weapons rs
they drew near the Sheriff advanced TO
meet them. He reached the first man.
and 4 dozen or so formed a sort Of
half circle around him. He did not
hear tie Sheriff say anything. nor did
he see him read any paper. A minute
after the line first formed those behind
pushed ahead to see what was going
on, and got ahead of the Sheriff. AT
that moment one of the deputies step
ped out of the line and advanced, and
one shouted: If you do not come back.
we will shoot you. too
The fellow jumped back into line. and
almost Immediately after the witness
heard a shot. 1t came from the LETT
line of deputies, and a moment late.
two shots were fired, and then came
the voiiey. AS soon as the voley was
fired the strikers ran in all directions.
Between the road and the schoolhouse
fifteen men fell. struck down by shots
fired after the first volley. He saw
man shot and killed while running at
full speed at distance of 100 yards
from the road. The shooting continued
for some two or three minutes.
The witness did not see any of the
deputies leave the line and run after
the strikers to shoot them He knew
a number of the deputies, and saw them
plainly just before the shooting occur
red.
Guscott will continue tomorrow.