Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-04
THE HAzLEToy SHOOTING.
Testimony I'm the Trial OF sheriff ana
Deputies Begun.

wILKEsBARRE PA, February g.
The taking of testimony in the trial OF
Sheriff Martin and his deputies began
this morning in the Luzerne County
Court.
When court opened District-Attorney
Martin made motion that the jury be
taken to Lattimer to view the scene OF
Che shooting. but as this would occupy
the entire day the court denied the mo-
ton, saying the jury should be able to
get an islea of the situation from maps.
Attorney McGahren then presented the
case for the Commonwealth, after which
Andrew Siver was called. He Is Hun
garian. but speaks excellent English. He
proved the death of Mike Cezlak. saying
that he saw him lying dead on the road
at Lattimer, with bullet in his head.
Witness said he saw the Sheriff draw
his revolver and heard IL snap, ana then
the shooting commenced, and the witness
dropped to the ground. 10 avoid being
shot Witness said there was first one
shot. then two, and hen a volley.
The second witness was John Mahala,
who was at the time Of the strike the
the United Nine Workers Of America. He
told OF the meeting where 1t was agreed
to march to Iattimer, at the invitation
of the miners there; his counsels of
peace. and the start the next day, all
the men being unarmed. Witness was
the fiag-bearer. At West Hazelton they
were stopped by the Sheriff, who ordered
them to disperse. MahaIa protested that
they were breaking no law, whereupon
one of the deputies grabbed the Ameri-
can flag from him and tore 1t in halves.
Continuing, the witness said: The
Sheriff pointed his revolver, and threat
ened to shoot. The deputies pushed us
around with the muzzles of their guns
and swore at us. and one struck John
Eustis twice with hia gun. cutting MS
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 conn-
dence in us, and would let us marcn
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. BY the
time he reached the front the shooting
had ended. He saw dead men and
number of wounded ones 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 We're shot i'm the back. lie
l,as t-y~sod- s,,irts,.n OF the dead and look
ed after a number Of the wounded.
Rev. Carl Haus. pastor Of the Lutheran
church. AT Freeland. said he had exam
ined several. and found that all of them
were shot in the side or back. Il board
ed n car" he said, (Which brought ten
Of the dead and a lot Of the WOUNDED
from the scene of the shooting. Inere
was a pile Of rifles in a corner. L said 10
one of the deputies. Frank Clark: 4 am
afraid of some of them falling ana ex-
ploding.' you need not be afraid he
said: they are all empty now
Charles Guscott, principal OF the Lat
timer school, a frame building about QUO
Yards from the scene of the shooting and
in full view OF all that took place on the
eventful 10th OF September at Lattimer,
said he was teaching school when he
heard an unusual noise. and going to the
window he found that a number OF men,
about eighty, We're alighting from an
electric car They were deputies. Miss
Coyle his assistant, also watched them,
and while their attention was thus riyeted
the pupils rushed for the door and got
outside
He saw the deputies line up across the
road. and then, not satisfied with that
position, they moved over to the side OF
the road and formed there, with rifles
ready.
The strikers were by this time coming
over the brow of a hill two or three hun
dred yards away. They were marching
five or six abreast, and were quiet and
orderly. Witness could not see that they
carried any weapons. They approached
slowly, and as they drew near the Sheriff
advanced to meet them. As he reached
the first man a dozen or so formed a
sort of half-circle around him. He did
not hear the. Sheriff say anything nor did
he see him read any paper
One of the deputies stepped out OF the
line and advanced ten or twelve PAGES.
as If he was going to leave the other
deputies, upon which one shouted: III
you do not come back we will shoot you,
too" The fellow jumped back into the
line, and almost Immediately afterward
the witness heard a shot. 1t came from
the left Of the line Of deputies A mo-
ment later TWO more SnOtS were nreu,
and then came the volley As soon as
the volley was fired the strikers ran in
all directions. Between the road and the
school-house fifteen men fell, struck down
by shots fred after the volley. He saw
one man shot and killed while running at
a distance of 100 yards from the road.
The shooting continued for two or three
minutes.
The witness did not see any Of the
deputies leave the line and run after the
strikers to shoot them. His attention was
wholly taken up with the wounded men.
some Of whom he carried into the school,
house and attended there.
Guscott Will continue tomorrow.