The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-02-06
|HERlFF MARTINS TRIAL.
(hc Jury Has Considerable Evidence
Which 1t Can Consider.
IL IMPORTANT WITNESS TEsTIFlEs
he Tells OF the Pcnccnblc Intentions
OF the Men aud How rhcy Were
shot Down Like Animals.

Wilkcsbarrc. Pa. February 1.-THE nrst
eek OF the trial OF Sheriff Martin and his
bcputlcs ended with tho case well under
Nav and tho Jury having a lot of evidence
think about over Sunday There was the
usual crowd at tho morning session.
Tho first Witness. Michael Nicholson, de-
cribcd the condition OF some OK the wound
a on the road near Lattnncr. Ono man
aled as he watched him: Ave o.hcrs whom
he saw we're badly wounded. The witness
,,ipc upon a dying striker and was Joined
nv !, man named Costello. While they were
irving to aid the man n deputy named
iiesse came up and Costello. with great in
|d,gnaton,, said II was scandalous piece
|oi work the deputies had done. whereupon
Acsse replied: Ss y
way.
The defense objected TO this reference
~ Hesse aud tho evidence was stricken
out.
The next witness. one OF the most inn
pofiant OF those to be heard on behalf of
tho commonwealth. was John Egler. secre-
tary OF the HARDWOOD union of the United
Mine Workers. He told how on the night
before tho shooting n meeting had been
held at HARDWOOD and the men gathered
mere and decided to march over to l.attimer
tho next day to show themselves 10 the
men. at the request OF the men. Witness
get an American flag anJ nailed IL on n
/ long pole he had cut. they agreed TO
march unnrmed and to behaye peaceably.
| Speaking OF tho meeting with the sheriff
aud deputies at West Ha1lsson. Witness
said:
They rushed at us and noin.ed their
guns In our faces and told us 10 Stop.
explained to the sherif that we were Just
going TO show ourselves 10 The Lattlmer
men and were going to do no harm TO any
body. The sheriff said:
III YOU go to Lattin,er you must Kill me-
burgess John Of West Ilazletcn said we
could march through the street and so the
sheriff and deputies went away and we
marched on to Iiattimer." The witness said
that ut Lpttimcr he again told the sherif
they were not armed nnd would behave
themselves The sheriff pulled n couple of
men out OF the ranks aud drew his re-
yolver and witness saw him trying to
shoot ono of the strikers. The revolver did
not explode, however. and then crowd
formed around the sheriff. At this time
there was shot and then three or four
shots aud ut last a yoley. Witness fell
down between two men. but did not think
the men We're shooting bali cartridges
pntil he suw one Of the men bleeding.
Then he got UP ANA ran with tho rest and
the bullets Kept whizzing about his ears.
He saw lots Of wounded men. hut did not
30 ntitT' INC UcpulttS, IT'S re WAS dlTNiu.
On cross-eXamination Egler admitted that
whom the sheriff told him to dispense he
said,
'.wc amt Sclng to; VIC ere going to Lat
timer"
After cross.cxamination of Esler the
court adjourned until Monday morning at
10 o'clock.
District Attorney Martin addressing the
court asked that tho defeniants he required
to furnish bail or be committed TO Jail.
"Thelr BAIL - no suld. has been forfeited
since the last term of court in November
when thor appearance here absolvcd their
honasmen. by a mistake their hail was
not then reucwcu and wo have uiscuyried
that they have not poem under bail since
that time. They arc charged with tho
highest crime on the calendar aud tho court
should not discriminate between them and
ordinary criminals. They should either
fnrnish bail at once or he seat 90 .iHlI."
Judge Woodward said the defendants
should f,Tnish bnl on Monday.