The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-06
STORIES OF THE STRIKERS.
ALL TRYING TO PROVE THE SHOOT
ING TNJUsT7FIABLE.

First Witness Of the Day Describes
the Coalition of Some Of the
EEounded-One of The Men Now on
Trial Accused of Threatening to
XIII the witness for COndemning
the Shooting-A Point in Favor OF
the Sheriff.
W.ilzesbarre, Pa. Feb. 5.-The first week
OF the trial of Sheriff Martin and his dep
uties ended to-day with The case well I'M
Ger way and the jury having a lot of evil
dence TO think about over Sunday. There
was the usual crowd at this mornings
session.
The first Witness. Michael Nicholson, de
scribed the condition Of some of the
wounded on the road near Latimer. one
man died as he watched him; FIVE others
whom he saw were badly wounded. The
witness came upon a dying striker and
was Joined by a man named Costello.
While they were trying to aid the man
q deputy named Alfred Hess came up and
Costello. with great Indignation. said it
was a scandalous piece of work the depu-
ties had done. whereupon Hess replied:
You shut up or 1 viii treat you the
same way"
The defense objected to this reference
TO Hess and the evidence was stricken
out
The next witness, one of the most I'm
portant of those to be heard in behalf of
the commonwealth, was John Egler sec
rotary Of the Harwood Union of the Unit
ed Mneworkers He told how on the night
before the shooting the meeting had been
held at Harwood, and the men gathered
there and decided to march over to Lati-
mer the next day to Show themselves to
the men at the request of the men, Wit
ness got an American flag and tied it on
long pole he had cut They agreed to
march unarmed and to behave peacea5ly.
Speaking of the meeting with the sher-
if and the deputies at Hazleton, the wit
ness said: They rushed al US and point
ed their guns in our faces and told us to
stop. / explained to the sheriff that we
were just going to show ourselves to the
Latimer men. and were going to do no
harm to anybody. The sheriff said If
you so to Latimer, you must kill me-
Burgess Jones of West Hazleton said
we could march through the streets. and
so the sheriff and deputies went away, and
we marched on to Latimer."
The witness said. that at Latimer he
again told the sheriff they were not armed
and would behave themselves. The sher-
If pulled a couple of the men out of the
ranks and drew his revolver, and witness
saw him trying to shoot one of the strik-
ers. The revolver did not explode, how
ever. and then crowd formed around the
sheriff. AT this time there was a shot,
and then three or four shots, and at last
a volley. Witness fell down, but did not
think the men were shooting ball cart
ridges until he saw one of the men bleed
ing. Then he got up and ran with the
rest and bullets kept whizzing about his
ears. He saw lots of wounded men, but
did not go near the deputies, as he was
afraid
''On cross examination Egler admitted
that when the sheriff told him to dispense,
he said I'VE amt going to; we are going
to Latimer."
After the cross-examination of Egler the
court adjourned until Monday morning at
10 O'Clock.
District Attorney Martin addressing the
court, askedIthat the defendants be requir-
ed to furnish bail or be committed to Jail.
''Their BAIL" he said, has been for
feted since the last term of court in No
vember, when their appearance here alb
solved their bondsmen. BY a mistake
their bail was not then renewed and we
have discovered that they have not been
under bail since that time. They are
charged with the highest crime on the cal
endar. and the court should not discrim-
mate between them and the ordinary GRIM
inal. They should either furnish bail at
once. or be sent to Jail"
Judge Woodward said that the defend
ants should furnish bail on Monday
--s-e-