The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-04
THELATTIMERS SHOOTING
Damaging Evidence Against the Ac-
oused Murderous Deputies.
A SCHOLARSHIPS TESTIMONY.

He Saw the Conflict From BegInnin,
to End, and Declares That tn,
Slaughtered Strikers Were Peace
able and Unarmed.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Feb. 4.-The tax
ing of evidence in the trial of Sheriff
Martin and his deputies was begun II
the Luzerne county court yesterday
after Attorney McGahren had present.
cd the case for the commonwealth
John Swar, the first witness. was Sc
verely cross examined by Mr.. Lenahan
but he made an excellent witness, kept
cool, replied slowly and deliberately and
strengthened his story in chief by the
numerous details which the defenseeli
tied. He remarked at one period Of the
examination that he could not under
stand high toned English, meaning that
he did not know the meaning Of some
of the big words used by Attorney
Lenahan. This gave the defense an
opportunity to air its humorous views,
and the commonwealth objected very
decidedly, saying to the court that the
case was of such Importance that it
should be conducted with dignity, and
there was no occasion for buffoonery.
The court reprimand0d the defendants
attorneys.
The defense attempted to shuG that
the witness had been engaged in ter
rorizing men who did not want to
strike to such an extent that they were
forced to join the strikers through fear
Of injury bllt tho ooItrt Npul1 MT al
low it, saying 1t was not cross eXam-
nation. Later the defense asked the
witness IL he had not been engaged
in or known of sundry cases of vio-
lence with the strikers as the agrees
sors on the day of the strike. This the
witness denied.
The second witness was John Ma
hala, who was at the time of the strike
the president of the Harwood local
union of the United Mine Workers Of
America. He told how, after his men
had decided to march over to Lattimer
he had read the instructions Of the ma
tional union cautioning them to at
tempt no violence, avoid threats and
destruction of property. and to behave
peaceably. The next day, he declared,
ing through West Hazleton they were
intercepted by the sheriff and his dep
uties. The sheriff ordered them to go
home, and he insisted upon their right
to visit their friends In Lattimer. One
of the deputies tore in half the Amer
lean flag he (Mahala) carried, and
another struck John Euston with a
gun, breaking his arm. Burgess Jones,
of West Hazleton, demonstrated with
the sheriff, and the march proceeded
Mahala was in the rear of the crowd
when the shooting began and by the
time he had run to the front 1t had
ended, and ten dead men and a num-
Der wounded were lying in the ROAD.
Rev. Father Richard Aust, pastor of
the st. Stanislaus Polish Catholic
church at Hazleton, who is chairman
of the prosecuting committee, was call
ed to prove that many Of the strikers
were shot in the back. He said he had
examined a number of the dead, but
could not tell in detail what their
were.
Rev. Carl Hauser, pastor of the Luth-
eran church at Freeland, who num-
bered among his congregation several
Of the dead and wounded, said that he
had examined several and found that
all of them were shot In the side or
The back. He boarded q car after the
in which were ten OF the
lead and several wounded. On his ex-
pressing fear that some rifles piled |
n the corner might fall and explode |
Deputy Frank Clark said: You need |
lot be afraid; they're all empty now"
Harry Dryfoos, an amateur photog-
'apher, who had taken several pic
ures of the scene of the shooting, tes-
flied to SO doing, and the photos were
:iven to the jury for their examina-
ion.
Charles Guscott, principal of the Lat
inner school, frame building about 600
ards from the scene of the shooting,
nd in full view Of all that took place
n the eventful 10th of September at
was the next witness Gus
oft said he was teaching school when
e heard an unusual noise, and going
0 the window he found that a MINI
er of men, some so, were alighting
rom an electric car. They were the
equities.
Miss Coyle, his assistant, also watch
d them, and while their attention was
nus riveted the pupils rushed for the
cor to get outside. He saw the dep
ties line up across the road and then
love over to the side of the road and
,rm there, with rifles ready. The
rikers were by this time coming over
lie brow of the hill some two or three
undred yards away, marching five
nd six abreast, and were quiet and
'derly. Witness could not see that
ley carried any weapons. They ap-
coached slowly and as they drew near
lie sheriff advanced to meet them. AS
3 reached the first man dozen or
formed sort Of half circle around
m. He did not hear the sheriff say
lything, nor did he see lin read any
tper.
minute after the line first stopped
ose behind pushed ahead to see what
as going on, and got ahead of the
eriff. At that moment one of the
puties, stepped out Of the line and
lvanced some ten or twelve PAGES.
If he was going to leave the other
puties, whereupon one shouted: IF
u do not come back we will shoot
u, too" The fellow jumped back
to the line. and almost Immediately
ter the witness heard a shot 1t
me from the left of the line of dep
les A moment later two more shots
IRE fired, and then came the yoley.
The witness said that as soon as the
lleyrwas fired the strikers ran in all
'ectfons, and between the road and
e schoolhouse 16 men fell. struck ,
wn by shots fired after the volley.
, saw one man shot and killed while
ming at full speed at a distance Of
hundred yards from the road. The
ooting continued for some two or
zee minutes Some Of the wounded n
carried into the schoolhouse, and Q
ended there. He knew a number Of +
, deputies, and was on the point of 8
ming them and pointing them out 4
en court adjourned. Guscott IL on .
. stand again today. =