The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-22
DEFENSE OF THE DEPUTIES.
CLAIM MADE THAT THEY FIRED
FOR SELF PROTECTION.

Miners Alleged to Have Been Armed
with Clubs. Hammers and stones.
sheriff Assaulted When the Head
OF the Column Reached Him-rw0
of the Mob FIOurIshed RevOIvers
and II Third Aimed "a Vicious BIoVW
at Him With n Knife
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Feb. H.-When the
fourth week of the trial of Sheriff Mar
tin and his deputies began to-day tha
prosecution had only two more witnesses
to hear.
James Hannen of LattImer testified that
he said to Deputy Price: This is bad
business, Sam"
Yes" replied Price, ''and I am glad
did not shoot"
The testimony of Mike Damschak, ths
last witness for the commonwealth, was
Unimportant.
Hon. George $. Ferris then made the in-
troductory speech for the defense.
Mr. Ferris presented in detail the facts
of the case as the defense hoped to provo
them. 1t would endeavor to show thae
there had been rioung throughout the re-
gion that the sheriff was justified in CALI
ing out the posse, and that he was also
justified In ordering the shooting at Latti-
mer IL he deemed il necessary. He tnem
detailed the movements of the strikers
from the time they left Harwood rntiA
they reached Lattimer.
There" he said "the sheriff advanced
alone to meet them. Instantly there was
a tumult Of yells. Five or six men Dounc-
ed upon the sheriff seized him. showed
him into a ditch on the left of the road,
and began beating him. Two of them
ilourshed revolvers at him and third
made savage stab at him with his knife.
The sheriff, In his struggles, freed his righE
arm and drew his revolver and snapped
1t at one of his assailants. IL would not
go off. Instantly the man struck him al
vicious blow in the face with his fist ard
knocked him to his knees. All at once %
revolver rang out from the rushing mob
then another--then three close together
then a rattling volley from the guns,
which lasted several seconds, and ceased
when the mob gave way. The order to fire
was given. by whom we do not know. but
1t was hone too soon, for the head OF the
charging column had reached within fif-
teen feet of the deputies line before the
attack was Eepulsed. That, gentlemen. is
the story of Lattimer, as you will hear it
from the deputies. We expect verdict
OF acquittal."
The first witness for the defense was
Mrs. Catherine weisenborn, she said:
THE strikers gathered at Harwood on the
day OF the.shoOting and one OF them, Gas
perielS, who testified for the state entered
Mike Kinaski's house and tried to get him
10 go out, crying: II you don't come wen
Kill YOU. Kinaski was in hiding and es-
capped, and as the strikers departed they
cried: Wen show the white people what
wen do when we come back. / saw the
strikers chase a number of people. They
were all armed with clubs and stones and
some had revovers." Z"
Mrs. Catherine Brennan, another witt
ness said the strikers We're armed with
clubs, hammers and stones. One man
fired a shot IN the air. Others fired into
the brush where many of the men were
hiding Mrs. Brennan says she saw Mar
tin ShronfiniclS march into Joe Schultzs
saloon, crying that II he did not come out
he would be killed. Schultz was In hid
ing and could not be found
This concluded the testimony for to-day.