The herald., 1898-02-04
MINERS ALIVE
Tell How Fellow Work.
men Were Killed
TESTIMONY TAKING BEGUN
IN THE TRIAL OF MARTIN AND
HIS DEPUTIES
All the Witnesses Agree That Most of
the Victims Were Shot in
the Back
IN THE TRIAL OF MARTIN AND
HIS DEPUTIES
Associated Press Special Wire

|
WILKESBARRE, Pa, Feb. S.-Tak-
ing of testimony in the trial of Sheriff
Martin and his deputies began today In
the Luzerne county court
! Attorney McCahren presented the case
for the commonwealth. Mr.. McCahrer
told how the strikers had started t.
march from Hazelton to Latimer and
about the deputies boarding the cars
and attempting to intercept the men.
I'VE will prove" he said, that at
this point some of the deputies made
| threats. that one of them said: I'll BET
I'll drop six of the strikers Another
said: L hope we get a chance to take
a pop at some of them -
Mr.. McCahren then described the
| shooting.
Andrew Silver was the first witness
called. He is Hungarian, but speaks
excellent English. He proved the death
of Mike Cezlak, saying that he saw him
lying dead on the road al Latimer with
bullet in his head. Witness saw the
sheriff draw his revolver and heard 1t
q.
The 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 Latimer, at the in
vitation of the miners there; his coun-
sells of peace. and the start the next day.
all the men being unarmed At West
HaZelton they We're stopped by the sher-
iff. who ordered them to disperse. Ma
hala protested that they were breaking
no law. whereupon one of the deputies
grabbed the American flag he bore and
tore it in halves.
The sheriff pointed his revolver and
threatened to shoot. 1.-The deputies
pushed us around with the muzzles of
their guns and swore at us. and one
struck John Eustis twice with his gun.
cutting his head and breaking his arm
in two places.
Then Burgess Jones of West Hazel
ton demonstrated with the sheriff, say
ing that he could keep the peace without
using any weapons; that he had conf
dence 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 Latimer
Witness was in the road when the
shooting commenced. He saw ten men
and number of wounded lying in the
road
Rev. Father Richard Aust, pastor of
the St Stanislaus Polish Catholic
church at Hazelton, chairman of the
prosecuting committee, was called to
prove that many of the strikers were
shot in the back. He said he had exam
ined number of the dead, but could not
tell in detail what their wounds were.
He had buried thirteen of the dead.
Rev. Carl Hauser, pastor Of the Luth-
eran church at Freeland. said he had
examined several and found all of them
were shot in the side or back
Il boarded a car" he said. (which
brought ten of the dead and a lot of the
wounded from the scene of the shoot
ing. There was pile of rifles In a cor
ner. I said to one of the deputies. Frank
Clark. I am afraid of some Of them fall
ing and exploding You need not be
afraid. he replied, they are all empty
now "
Charles Guscott, principal of the Lat
inner school, building about 600 yards
from the scene of the shooting, said he
was teaching school when he heard an
unusual noise and going to the window.
he found that number of the 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 strik-
ers were by this time some 200 or 300
yards away. They We're marching five
and six abreast, and were quiet and
orderly. Witness 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 formed those
behind pushed ahead to see what was
going on and got ahead of the sheriff.
At that moment one of the deputies
stepped out of the line and advanced
and one shouted: IF you do not come
back we will shoot you, too" The fell
low jumped back into line, ard almost
Immediately after the witness heard a
shot. 1t came from the left line of
deputies. A moment later two shots
were fired and then came the volley. AS
soon as the voiley was fired the strikers
ran in all directions. Between the road
and the school house fifteen men fell.
struck down by shots fired after the first
volley. He saw a man shot and killed
while running at full speed at distance
of 100 yards from the road. The shoot
ing continued for some two or three
minutes. The witness did not see any
of the deputies leave the line and run
after the strikers to shoot them He
knew number of the deputies and saw
them plainly just before the shooting
occurred.
Guscott will continue tomorrow.
A telegram from Pasni, India, SAYS
Gen. Mayne sighted the enemy, num-
bering 1900, Monday morning, holding
the entrance of the western pass leading