The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-19
PROSECUTION Is
NEAR THE END
Defense 10 the Lattlmer Trial 10 Begin
on Monday.
WILL PROBABLY LAST FOUR WEEKS
Testimony Continued - A Witness
IdentifiesAttorney Palmer as sheriff
Martin--Ziok Becomes Exasperated
Under Cross Exa IN in tion-- state-
ments Made Regarding Alleged
Thraats

Wilkes Barre, Feb. 1S.-From present
indications, the commonwealth will
close its case against the sheriff and
his deputies on trial for the Lattimer
shooting by tomorrow. The defense is
expected to begin on Monday and will
last about two weeks. The deputies
held a meeting last night and passed
resolutions of coincidence with one of
their number, Robert Kay, whose
brother, John A. Kay, was killed on
the battleship Maine
Todays proceedings in court began
with the testimony of Frank Kubiski,
who said Sheriff Martin stopped them
at West Hazleton. He saw two men
killed at Lattimer and as he was run
ming away two more were dropped
Several other miners testified to being
slightly wounded at Lattimer. and Jo-
seph Padladeck said when the sheriff
stopped the marching men at Lattimer
some of the miners crowded forward.
He said the sheriff caught hold of two,
pulled them from the line, and shouted
Fire" When asked to point out the
sheriff, Padladeck designated one of the
counsel for the defense. Mr.. Palmer.
District Attorney Martin announced
to the court at adjournment time to-
night that the commonwealth had but
| three more witnesses and would con-
| clude in the morning. Attorney Lena
| han afterward said: THE defense will
consume four weeks if all our wit
| nesses are heard"
The first witness this afternoon was
| Bernard Ruman, who was brought on
a stretcher from the Hazleton hospital.
| He is shot through both hips and may
not recover He said that the sheriff
! told the strikers at Lattimer to dis
| perse, and when the leaders began to
| argue he shot down a man standing
near to him, and when the man clung
to his arm the sheriff struck him down
with his revolver butt. He then jumped
back and shouted, Fire"
II ran at once" said the witness,
''and had gone a few steps when 1 was
shot in the right hip. l staggered to
the railroad and fell on my knees and
was then shot twice in the left hip and
thigh"
Witness could not tell the name Of
the man who was shot by the sheriff.
Andrew Slabonik showed to the jury
the scars of three wounds. He was
shot through each shoulder and in the
middle of the back, each ball passing
quite through his body. The widow of
and deputies are on trial. said that she
had been married about sixteen years
and had five children.
EXASPERATED BY CROSS-E EXAM
NATION.
Mike Zlek became exasperated when
in the cross examination Attorney Len
ahan, in asking where the strikers ex-
pected to see the men at Lattimer and
finally exclaimed: II don't know; I'm
| not the holy ghost"
Zlek was shot in the side and ex-
hibited the wound.
Thomas Lynch testified regarding
threats by the deputies. He said: AT
West Hazleton Thomas Manley told me
| to get out of the road, saying l might
get shot, and when l would not go he
swore at me and said he would knock
my brains out. Deputy Cook told him
to shut up, as l had as much right
there as anybody. Later, l heard
George and James Ferry say they
would blow out the strikers brains.
also saw Alonzo Dodson holding a
wounded striker against a fence with
the muzzle of his gun. The man was
bleeding from cut on his head"
John Welsh said he heard Edward
Turnbach say: This is the hardest
days work I've done for some time.
don't see why the sheriff is taking us
around without giving us a chance to
do some shooting"
AT Lattimer l saw William Raught
run to the railroad track and shoot at
some of the fleeing strikers"
On crosS-eXamination Welsh ad-
mitted that John Damschek, the driver
of a beer wagon, who was wounded,
said to him that the strikers had pulled
him from his wagon and. forced him
against his wishes to join them and
march to Lattimer Damschek died in
the hospital few days later.
He denied on cross-examination that
he had struck the sheriff and knocked
him down and also denied that the
sheriff was assaulted in any way.
John b. Hallman and John Marinko
gave merely corrobOrative evidence of
no particular Importance, and court
adjourned