The Portland daily press., 1898-02-15
FLAG BEARER FELL.
Leader of the Strikers One of the First to
Fall by sheriffs' Bullets,

Wilkesbarre, Pa, February 14.-The
fourteenth day of the trial of Sheriff Mar
tin and his deputies charged with the
killing of the strikers at Lattimer, opened
today with the jury somewhat refreshed
by an outing of yesterday.
John Pusti, was the erst witness called
He testified rs follows: . was with the
strikers on the tenth of September last,
when the shooting occurred at Lattimer.
When we approached the sheriff he
walked to the middle of the road and told
rs to STOP Some few of the men went
forward and I then heard two volleys
from the deputies. None of the strikers
was armed. was shot in the right arm,
and as started to run l was shot in the
right leg, the ball entering from the back
and coming out in front. 1 saw six or
seven of the deputies leave the line and
shoot as they walked away.
Andrew Stult testified: 81 was at the
meeting at HARDWOOD where we{were o d
MOTTO carry any arms.I carried the flag n
| the march of the strikers. We were stopped
at West Hazelton by the sheriff who had
| q revolver In his hand. A similar scene
occurred at Lattimer. where the sheriff
seized one of our men and we pulled the
man away from him.
| Michael Melody testified that he was
with the marchers. Sheriff Martin, he
said, stopped the men and held in his
| hand a revolver He seized one of the men
and pulled the trigger of his revolver, but
| it did not explode. The strikers pushed
ahead of the sheriff and the fighting then
began. A number Of men were struck by
| thesbullets and fell.
George Rescter, in a long story Of the
sh ooting, brought out fact not given
before, that at the firing of the first shot
the flag bearer at the head of the column of
strikers fell dead in the ditch bordering
the road The witness did not know the
mans rame. He saw two other men
wounded while running away.
Peter Rudey told the same old story of
the affair.
Andrew Siyar, number 1, told how
after the volIey fired by the deputies at
Lattimer, large number of them ran
after the strikers and kept firing as they
ran. Under a severe cross-examination
he finally. stated that he was at an
artesian well at HARDWOOD when the firing
took place. This well is quite out OF
sight of any part Of the scene.
Peter Zucelk showed scar on the tor
of his head where Winchester ball had
ploughed up the scalp to the bone, fol-
about an inch and a half. He was run
ming away at the time.
Mile Tuchar, who was slightly
|, wounded in the wrist, showed the scar,
but gave no new testimony. Joseph
fOnldbOWBhl CD III tlIexo oAO IL So cAAoo Se'11
from some deputies standing near tbs
sheriff. He saw several men fall as ht
was running away. He denied on cross
examination that any OF the men ori Zee
500 on, 90 on" and ne could not de
scribe che crowd surrounding the sheriff
saying he was too badly frightened to see
and remember what happened.
Thomas Raczscick, speaking about tins
meeting ut HARDWOOD the night before the
shooting, said delegate, Joseph Caltlck
tn march over there the next day and in
vite the men employed there to join the
strike. The giving Of this deiegate'f
name is new evidence.
Raczscick told about seeing several men
fall He knew one, Steve Urach, who
was killed and was near him when he
was shot. This closed the evidence FOR
the day.