Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-02-04
ANXIOUS TO MURDER.
Burden Of Prosecutions Testi-
mo8y IN Martins Trial.
OPENING SPEECH ALSO so ~ ATEs.
SeveoaI of the Strikers Tell of the shoot
ing Near Lattimer, Pa. A school,
teacher, Who Saw the Array, Gives
Important Testimony.

teacher, Who Saw the ARRAY, Gives
Important Testimony.
WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Feb. 4. - The
hearing of evidence for the common
wealth has been begun in the Martin
case.
After the court had overruled a motion
by the district attorney that the jury be
taken to view the scene of the shooting
at Lattimer Attorney McGahren made
the opening address to the jury. He
told them they would have to decide
upon the rights of men to march peacea-
bly, upon the public highway as well as
upon the duties OF the sheriff. He ex-
planned the different degrees of homi-
eide, and said if it was proven that any
Of the deputies had threatened to kill
the strikers such should be convicted of
murder in the first degree. The lawyer
reviewed the movements of the strikers
on and before the night of the affray,
and sad it would be proven that when
the deputies set out to intercept the
marchers one of them remarked:
"I'll bet III drop six of the strikers. .
Another said: 81 hope we get a
chance to take a pop at some of them:"
and a third, Edward Turnbach, said:
"What does the sheriff mean by march
ing us around III this way all day with
ont giving us chance to shoot %
After dwelling on the fact that tie
marching miners We're unarmed, the at
torney came down to the meeting be-
tween the two bodies of men. He said
the sheriff stopped the strikers, and,
without any words of explanation,
drew his revolver and placed it at the
breast Of the f1agbearer, who threw up
his hands and jumped back.
The sheriff snapped his revolver, 1t
finally exploded, and the man dropped.
Then the shooting began and continued
Tor some four or five minutes, some of
the deputies emptying their guns. [
will not say that all did. Some of the
men were killed at a distance of 500
feet from the road and nearly all were
shot in the back.
1--WE will prove to you that 10 men
were killed and 80 wounded. joseph
Costello, who went to aid the wounded.
met deputy named Hess, and when
Costello, coming upon the dying man,
said: 1t Is a shame; it is an outrage,
Hess exclaimed: IF you say another
word IL treat you IN the same manner
"When we have proved..these facts to
you we shall say, and we shall expect
his honor to say, that these men had
right to organize, right to march and
right to use the public highway. We
Will then expect you to do your duty
to vindicate these men and find the
defendants guilty"
Andrew Siyar told what he knew of
the shooting, as did John Mahala, presi-
dent of the HARDWOOD union, who said
the men were not armed. They started
to march to Lattimer at the request of
the Lattlmer miners. At West Halle
ton they were ordered to stop by the
sheriff. One of the deputies struck a
striker, breaking his arm in two places.
Burgess Jones demonstrated with the
sheriff and said the men had right to
march.
The sheriff and party then boarded a
car and they resumed their march.
Later, the sheriff blocked their way and
the shooting followed.
Rev. Carl Hauser testified that he ex-
amined several of the victims and found
them shot in the back.
Charles Guscott, who was teaching
school near by, saw the deputies alight
1lOAl Oh S4C0blIO Cal anu lOT1Q q grOuD
with their rifles drawn.
The strikers marched up five and siA
abreast and orderly. He could not see
that they had any weapons The sher-
if advanced and the strikers crowded
around him. He did not see the sheriff
read any paper. The strikers got past
the sheriff. A deputy ordered MIN
back, and got away from the rest.
whereupon he was ordered back under
penalty of being shot too. He got back
and .zhot was heard
A moment later two more shots were
fired, and then came the volley, sound.
ing like pack of big firecrackers ex-
ploding. The witness said that as soon
as the yolley was fired the strikers ran
i'll all directions and great many of
them ran toward the schoolhouse, and
that between the road and the school
house Is fell men fell, struck down by
shots fired after the volley Witness
saw number Of killed and wounded
men lying on the road, but could not say
how many. He saw one man shot and
killed while running at full speed at a
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.
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