Evening journal., 1898-02-04
EXAMINING MINERS.
Testimony Taken In the Trial
Of Sheriff Martin.
WITNESSES DESCRIBE THE SLAYINC
Lutheran Minister Testifes That Many OF
the Victims Rt Lattimer Were Shot In
the Observation-Disclosures Guscott
says strikers Were Orderly.

tho Victims Rt Lattimer Were Shot In
tho Observation-Disclosures Guscott
Says strikers Were Orderly.
WILKEsBARRE. Pa, Feb. 4.--Tak-
ing Of testimony In the trial Of Sheriff
Martin and his deputies began yester-
day in the Luzerne county court. When
court opened District Attorney Mar
tin made a motion that the jury be
taken to Lattlmer TO view the scene
Of the shooting. but as this would occu-
py the entire day the court denied the
motion, saying the jury should be able
20 get an idea Of the situation from the
map.
The first witness called was Andrew
Zeevart He was a striker and says
that while lying on the ground looking
over his arm he saw the deputies shoot
Michael CeslaS, the man for whose muir
der they are on trial. He could not
say. however, who actually shot Ceslak.
The defense attempted TO show that the
witness had been engaged in terroriz-
ing men who did want 20 strike TO such
an extent that they were forced to join
the strikers through fear Of injury but
the court would not allow t. saying II
was not cross examination. Later the
defense asked the witness If he had not
been engaged I'm or known Of sundry
cases OF violence, with the strikers as
the aggressors, on the day of the strike.
This the witness denied.
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.
lie told Of the meeting where IL was
80. I ts.
vitatiOn Of the miners there his coun-
sells for peace and the start the next
day, all the men being armed Wit
ness was the hagbearer mentioned. At
West Hazleton they were stopped by
the sheriff, who ordered them TO dis
perse. Mahala protested that they were
breaking no law. whereupon one Of the
deputies grabbed the American flag
from him and tore Il in halves
The sheriff pointed his revolver and
threatened TO shoot. The deputies push
ed us around with the muzzles Of their
guns and swore at us, and one struck
John Eustis twice with his gun. cut
ting his head and breaking his arm in
two places.
Then Burgess Jones Of West Hazle-
ton demonstrated with the sheriff, say
ing that he could keep the peace with
out using any weapons that he had
confidence in us. and would let us
march through the streets OF his bor-
ough as much as we liked The sheriff
and his deputies then boarded the cars,
and we marched on toward Lattmer."
Witness was In the rear of the crowd
when the shooting commenced. BY the
time he reached the front the shooting
had ended. He saw ten dead men and
a number Of wounded lying In the road.
Rev. Father Richard Aust. pastor Of
the St Stanislaus Polish Catholic
church, az Hazleton. chairman Of the
prosecuting committee. was called to
prove that many of the strikers were
shot in the back. He said he had ex-
amined a number OF the dead, but could
not tell In detail what their wounds
were. He had buried 13 OF the dead and
looked after number cf the wounded.
Rev. Carl Hauser pastor of the Luther
an church az FreRland, said he had ex-
amined several and found all Of them
were shot In the side or the back.
Il boarded a car" he said (which
brought fen Of the dead and a lot of the
wounded from the scene of the shoot
ing. There was a pile of rifles in a
corner. ! said to one Of the deputies
Frank Clark. I am afraid OF some OF
them falling and exploding You need
not be afraid he replied they are all
empty now"
Charles Guscott. principal Of the Lat
timer school, a frame building about
600 yards from the scene of the shoot
ing and in full view Of all that took
place on the eventful 10th Of Septem-
ber at Lattimer, said he was teaching
school, when he heard an unusual noise,
and, going to the window he found
that number OF men-some Severe
alighting from an electric car. They
were deputies. He told at some length
Of the advance OF the miners. who came.
he said, in an orderly manner. and then
described the shooting as he saw It,