The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-08

The first witness called today was
Silas Jones, justice of the peace of West
Hazelton. He said that he had seen the
meeting of the deputies and strikers at
West Hazelton and had then followed
the deputies to Latimer. He saw as the
strikers appeared, Sheriff Martin ad-
vance toward them with paper in his
hands. Some of them surrounded him
and an alteration ensued but the wit
ness could not see exactly who the sher
iff were, how the alteration commenced
or how it terminated.
Counsel for the defence asked the wit
ness if he was not frightened when he
saw the sheriff surrounded by the
strikers and the witness answered that
he was and owing to this fact he could
not tell clearly just what happened at the
moment
| John Yeager, Slavonian. said he had
seen the deputies on their way to Lattl-
mer on the day of the shooting. All
were armed with rifles, but he conld not
see whether the sheriff had any weapons
OF not. He pointed out number of dep
uties in the court room ho he did not
know by name.
Just before the noon adjournment the
court accepted bail for the accused depu-
ties and the Esheriff in the amount of
$4,000 in each case making $402, 600 in
all. Bail was furnished by the Philadel-
phia Surety Company.
When court met again in the afternoon
Yeager resumed his testimony detailing
| his movements on the day of the shoot
ing, and corroborating the evidence of
the previous as to the scenes enacted at
West Hazleton. At that point he joined
the strikers and marched with them to
| Lattimer. He described the meeting
-xs%I. = rI> ~ 4Ia4
! drew his revolver and pointed it at the
strikers. He grabbed one and pulled
him out from the others, all the time
holding the pistol at his breast. Then
some one shouted to shoot and they shot.
The witness then pointed out the depu-
ties whom he saw shooting.
The men Yeager pointed out as doing
| the shooting were John Zeidt, Henry
| Zeidt, Schuyler Ridgeway and Thomas
Hall. The witness could not remember
any more. but he mentioned Edward
Turn back, John Cook, Richard ID. Jones.
George W. Fritsinger, Frank Clark and
r. P. Platt as being present with guns
in their hands, although he was not sure
| that they shot.
'sAfter the first few shots, said the
witness "there was a voiley and then
number of separate shots and eleven men
were killed in five minutes and lots
| won nded."
The witness saw two men run forward
several PAGES from the line Of the deputies
but could not remember them. Mr.. Lene-
han conducted the cross-examination, but
did not change the witness's story ma
terially. Be said during the course ofsthe
examination that he could point out any
deputy who was present at the shooting,
and the defense Immediately scored a
strong point by calling up in front of the
witness stand John Hampton chief of the
coal and iron police. Yeager was asked
if he had seen Hampton with the
deputeis.
line and was holding his rife this way,''
and he illustrated.
The defense when its time comes viii
prove that Hampton WAS not on the
scene at all, but was in Hazeltine at the
time. Thomas Hall, clerk Of the Valley
hotel in Hazelton, testified that in the
Sunday following the shooting Deputy
John Turner was in the hotel talking
to some friends and he said "We all
marched out to Lattimer and as the
strikers came up heard shot. 1t
seemed to come from the ranks Of the
strikers and then we opened up. l shot
niue OF them and killed five"
On cross-examination Hall said he old
not know whether Turner was blowing
or making statement OF fact.
The next witness was Christopher
Brehen, q miner of Cranberry Brehen
said he was at West Hazleton when the
strikers arrived and that he talked with
Bornheiser, one of the deputies who
| wanted him to join the deputies. Born
heiser said: Everyone of these -
strikers ought to be shot. /"
"They have as good right to strike as
anybody the witness replied, "and
would not stop them.''
"Your q - coward" Bornheiser said,
t'or else you would get gun and go out
+b tO chp than
tsIf you want to shoot them, all right"
the witness said and then Bornhe1ser
went away
a few days before the shooting the wit
ness had a talk with a a., deputy named
much q head for shooting down these
strikers. would do it for a cent head
ana make money at it. " ss@ssKsD
On cross-examination the witness ad-
mitted that he had been in Jail once for
week on the charge of burglary, but that
he had been bailed out and acquitted. His
original story was not altered.
8 The last witness was John Costello,
who said he was helping the wounded
him. He was about to detail the conver-
sation which ensued and by which the
commonwealth hoped to prove malice on
the part of the deputy, when the defense
objected. There was long argument
conducted by Attorneys Palmer and
Lenehen for the defense and Attorneys
Scarlett, McGahren, GarInan and Martin
for the commonwealth. During the argu-
ment the jury was dlmissed ana ct It's
conclusion the court adjourned anu tne
decision will be rendered in the morning.
POSTMASTER AT NORTH LUBEC.