The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-08
KILLING OF STRIKERS
MORE EVIDENCE AGAINST SHERIFF.
MARTIN AND DEPUTIES.
Story of the Lattimer Tragedy Re-
ecutiOn-GeneraI Labor News.

WILKESBARRE, Pa, Feb. Hundreds
of persons, anxious to hear what action
Judge Woodward would take in reference
to the sensational outbreak on Saturday be-
tween Attorneys Garman and Lenahan, OPP
posing counsel in the Lattimer shooting
case, thronged the courtroom to-day. Judge
Woodward spoke of the incident of Satur-
day, saying that after he had left the bench
and before court adjourned, an alteration
had arisen between two of the lawyers en-
gagged in the trial, which the court did not
fully hear nor realize the words used until
they were seen in the newspapers. Had we
heard said the judge, what was said. we
should have dealt with the lawyers in a
summary manner as the affair so deserved,
and if there is a repetition of it we shall
punish the guilty parties for contempt 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,
not mention any names at present, "but if
the astounding falsehoods and misrepresen-
tations continue the representatives 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 at West Hazelton and
followed the deputies to Lattimer. He saw
Sheriff Martin advance toward 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 alter
cation commenced or how it terminated. He
heard couple of shots and then Volley,
ana saw several men fall Two of the men.
who fell near him, were dead. He was asked
what the spectators said after the shooting.
The defense objected. After listening, to all
the arguments the court sustained the OBJ
lection, thus shutting out the evidence. This
is regarded as an important point gained
LOT the ueIense COUNSEL for the detehse
asked the witness il he was not frightened
when he saw the sheriff surrounded by the
strikers. Witness said he was and that,
owing to this fact he could not tell clearly
just what happened at the moment
John Yeager, a Slayonian, who required
an Interpreter, said he had seen the depu-
ties on their way to Lattimer 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 adjourn
ment the court accepted bail for all the ac
cused deputies and the sheriff in the amount
or $6,OOO in each case making 100000 in all.
pan was furnished by the Philadelphia
Surety Company.
When court met again in the afternoon,
George Yeager resumed his testimony. He
TO Lattimer. He described the meeting
with the sheriff. and said the sheriff drew
his revolver and pointed it at the strikers.
He grabbed one of them and pulled him
from out among the others, all the time
holding the pistol at his breast. Then some
one shouted to shoot and the deputies fired.
After the first few shots said the wit
ness there was volley and then num-
Der of single shots, and eleven were killed
in tive minutes and lots wounded. The
witness saw two men run forward several
PAGES from the line of deputies, but could
not remember them
Mr.. Lenahan conducted the cross-exami-
nation, but did not change the witnesses
story materially. He said during the
course of the examination that he could
point out any deputy who was present at
the shooting, ana the defense Immediately
scored a strong point by calling up III front
of the witness stand John Hampton, chief
of the coal and iron police. Yeager was
deputies.
Yes" he exclaimed .'he was in the line
and was holding his rife this way" and he
illustrated the position.
The defense Will prove that Hampton was
not on the scene at all, but was in Halle
ton at the time.
Thomas Hall. clerk Of the Valley Hotel
In HazletQn, testified to a conversation he
had heard on the Sunday following the
shooting from the lips of Deputy John Tur-
ner. Turner was in the hotel and he said,
speaking of the shooting: We all marched
out to Lattimer and as the strikers came up
heard a shot. II Seemed to come from the
up. | shot nine Of them, and killed five"
On discrimination. Hall said he did not
know whether Turner was blowing or
making a statement of facts
The next witness was Christopher Brehen,
miner of Cranberry. Brehen said he was
at West Hazleion when the strikers arrived
and that he talked with Bornheiser. of
the deputies, who wanted him 10 join the
deputies. BoFnheiser said, Every one of
these id strikers ought to be shot. A
few days before the shooting the witness
had a talk with a deputy named DOdsOn.
who said: We ought to get SO much head
for shooting down the strikers. ] would do
it for a cent a head to make money at it."
On cross examination the witness admitted
that he had been in Jail once for a week
on the charge of burglary, but that he had
been bailed out and acquitted. His original
story was not altered
The last witness was John Costello, who
said he was helping a wounded man. when
Deputy A. f.. Hess approached him. He
was about to detail the conversation which
ensued and by which the commonwealth
hoped to prove malice on the mart Of tho
deputy when the defense objected. A long
argument ensued, during which the jury
was dismissed and at it's conclusion the
court adjourned and the decision will be
rendered in the morning.