The age-herald., 1898-02-04
TESTIMONY |S
 BEING HEARD In the Trial of Martin and His
 Deputies. OUTLINE OF PROSECUTION Mill Prove That the Sheriff and His Men Made Threats. OFFICER FIRST DREW REVOLVER Several Heard It Snap, and Then the
 Firing Began. DEPUTY GRABBED MAHALA's FLAG
  And Tore It Up When He Protested That They Were Doing No Harm-Remon- strations By the Miners
 Met With Guns.
Several Heard It Snap, and Then the
 Firing Began.
DEPUTY GRABBED MAHALA's FLA,

wilkesbare, Pa. Feb. S-Taking of tes- timony in the trial of Sheriff Martin and his deputies began today in the Luzerne county court Attorney McGharen pre- scented the case for the commonwealth MT. McGharen told how the strikers had started to march from Hazleton to Latti- mer and about the depties boarding the cars and going to intercept the men.
 We will prove," he said, "that at
 this point some of the deputies made
 threats; that one of them said: IH
 bet I'll drop six of the strikers An
 other said: hope we get a chance to
 take a pop at some of them.'
 MT. McGharen described the shooting.
 Saw Martin Draw Revolver
 Andrew Sever was dhe first witness called. Witness saw the sheriff draw his revolver and heard it snap, and then the shooting commenced.
 Thle second witness was John Mahala, who was at the time of the strike the president of the Harwood Local Union of the United Mine Workers of America He told of the meeting where it was agreed to march to Lattimer at the invitation of the miners there, his counsels of peace and the start next day, all the men being unarmad. At West Hazleton they were stopped by the sheriff who ordered them to disperse Mahala protested that they were breaking no law, wllereupon one of the deputies grabbed the American flag he bore and tore it in halves.
 Threatened to Shoot
 ."rhe sheriff." he said, pointed his re- volver and threatened to shoot. The depu- 4t>a x,;tb he z1la of their guns and swore at us and one struck John Eustus twice with his gun, cutting his head and breaking his arm in two places.
 'Then Burgess Jones, of West Hazeton, remonstrated with the sheriff, saying he could keep the peace without using any weapons; that he had confidence in us and would let us march through the streets of his borough as much as we liked. The sheriff and his deputies then boarded the cars and we marched on toward Lattimer." Witness was in the rear of the crowd when the shooting commenced. He saw ten dead men and a number of wounded lying in the road.
 Saw the Line Formed
 Charles Guseott, principal of the Latti- 
 the scene of the shooting, said he was teaching school when he heard an unusual noise, and going to the window he found that a number of men, some eighty, were alighting from an electric car. They were deputies. He saw the deputies line up to the side of the road and form with rifles ready. The strikers were by this time some two or three hundred yards
 Rx,, cixr abreast and were quiet and orderly. Wit ness could not see that they carried any weapons. As they drew near the sheriff advanced to meet them. As he reached the first man a dozen or so formed sort of half circle around him. He did not hear the sheriff say anything nor did he see him read any paper. A minute after the line first stopped those behind pushed ahead to see what was going on.
 Deputies Made Threats
 At that moment one of the deputies stef- ped out of the line and advanced, where- upon one shouted, If you do not come back we win shoot you, too.' fellow Jumped back into the line and almost im- mediately after the witness heard a shot. It came from the left of the line of depu- ties. A moment later two more shots were fired and then came the volley. As soon as the yolley was fired the strikers ran in all directions. Between the road and the school house fifteen men fell, struck by shots fired after the volley. He saw one man shot and killed while running at full speed at distance of 100 yards from the road. The shooting continued for some two or three minutes Witness did not see any of the deputies leave the line and run after the strikers to shoot them. He knew a number of the deputies and saw them plainly just before the shooting occurred. Guscott will continue tomorrow.
 sS