The Portland daily press., 1898-02-09
REVOLVER SHOT THE SIGNAL.
Which Started the voliey of Deputies
Against Latimer Strikers.

Wilkesbarre, Pa, February S.-Before
the trial of Sheriff Martin and his depu-
ties was resumed today, Judge Woodward
said that he had received an anonymous
letter stating that if he did not do GER
tain things, something would happen
The judge said:
sfThe man who wrote this will probably
hear what [ have to say, and / want TO
tell him that he is a scoundrel and COW
ard, and that no such dishonorable means
will in any way affect my Judgment,
Evan Jones, the chief of polioeLof West
Hazleton, said that the strikers reached
West Hazleton on the afternoon OF the
shooting and there met the sheriff ana
deputies. They carried a flag and talked
rather loud, but they had no arms and
made no disturbance of any kind.
John Lynch, the next witness, testified
that he was at West Hazleton when the
strikers arrived and that they were I'M
armed and orderly.
Herman Pottinger pointed out Barton,
Hall, Beisel, Manley and NOBLE as depu
ties whom he saw at. West Hazleton. lie
heard Hall say: t'I'd like to get pop
at them"
John Fortsohek testified that he was at
West Hazelton with the strikers and saw
the sheriff threaten to shoot several men.
| The strikers had no weapons of any KIND
| One of the deputies pulled the American
| flag and tore it, At Lattiner the witness
saw no disturbance, and almost as soon
as the strikers halted shot was 1lred ana
tinued about five minutes .
Chief of the coal and iron police,
Hamilton was the man who tore the nag
at West Hazelton.
Simon Kowalski testified that when the
sheriff stopped the strikers at Lattimer ne
asked where they were going. They said :
s'To Lattimer, TO see our Fellow WORE &
grabbed man by the collar. pulled nm
out of the line and pushed his revolver
against his throat. 1.-THE next moment
there was a shot and l ran as fast as l
could. When / halted, Mr.. Dodson, a
deputy came over as l was helping a
wounded man and said: You - :,
10y YOU run away or III shoo6 you Zoo.
| Walter Pekerski told how the depugles
had struck one OF the strikers at west
HazeIton with gun, cutting his head
| badly. The man. he said, was doing
nothing. He could not point out the
/ den,lty. None of the strikers had any
weapons. and all were quite peaceable.
g 1t Lattimer the sheriff stopped US and
said nobody could go to Lattimer, said
the witness. ssThen some of the m en-
pushed forward and the sheriff pulled a
man to the side of the road and pointed a
revolver. The man pushed the revolver
eway and ran. The sheriff snapped his
revolver twice. The third time 1T ex-
ploded. AS soon as he shot the deputies
commenced shooting and everybody ran.
I was among the last, and the deputies
fred at us while we were running. The
firing lasted about five minutes.
The witness could not point out any OF
the deputies who fired after the men ran.
saving he was too busy running TO look
back. Witness denied emphatically that
any of. the strikers resisted the deputies,
or that the sheriff was thrown to the
ground. The only deputy the witness
could remember seeing at Lattlmer was
Cook, whom he pointed out.
Andrew f. Adams, travelling man
from Glens Fails, N. Y, said he saw the
strikers twice on the day of the shooting,
once as he was going from Milnesyille to
Lattimer, when they were marching in
an orderly manner, and again when he
was returning from Lattimer.
At this point it was just when they
were meeting the sheriff. He did not see
TIE meeting, the car being about 800 feet
away. but ne heard the firing and saw the
smoke and the strikers running. There
were few scattered shots. then volley,
followed by a number of scattering shots.
This ended the testimony for the day and
court adjourned.