The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-05
MANNED AEN N COURT
To Bear Witness Against the
Striker-KiIIerS.
MISS COYLE'S TESTIMONY
Puts the Staggering Deputies
in a Bad Light.

Wilkesbarre, Pa, Feb. 4.-The trial of
Sheriff Martin and his deputies, jointly
charged with the murder of the striking
miners at Latimer on September II, was
continued this morning. The court room
was crowded, Notwithstanding Judge
Windward's orders that no one should be
allowed to enter after the seats had been
flied. The deputies seemed to realize the
position in which they were placed and
paid the closest attention to the testimo-
ny of the commemorative witnesses.
These witnesses were brought into court
only as they were required to testify.
Many of them bore reminders of the Lat
timer shooting in the shape of CHASTITY
wounds, missing legs. arms, etc. One man
with eight buckshot wounds in the back,
who is just recovering sufficient strength
to enable him to move, was present
GUSCOTT RECALLED.
Charles Guscott, the Lattirer school
teacher who told such thrilling story
yesterday afternoon, was recalled this
morning. He was chiefly occupied in
pointing out those OF the deputies he re-
membered having seen at Lattimer just
previous to the shooting. After this Gus
colt pointed out by maps and photographs
Of the scene of the shooting just where
the deputies stood, where the strikers
halted, where the sheriff met the strikers
and where the dead and wounded had
fallen.
1t was shown by this witness on cross
examination that the strikers were in
Lattimer on the Tuesday previous to the
shooting and that there was some riot
ing.
THE PHYSICIAN TESTIFTES.
Dr. H. NJ. Kellar, who viewed the re-
mains of the strikers and attended many
of the wounded, testified that a number
of the strikers were shot in the back,
bearing out the allegation that the depu-
ties fired when the men were running
away.
DIR. KelIar mentioned in order each of
the thirty-nine patients taken to the Ha
zelton hospital and described their wounds
infinitely. 1t was evident that they had
been shot in all positions, some while
fronting the strikers, some while running
away, and some while lying on the ground
Forty-six wounds on thirty-nine men
were inflicted by A-calibre Winchester
bullets, and only small majority of them
were caused by buckshot.
OF the thirty-nine patients seven had
died in the hospital, two are still there
and recovering slowly, and thirty have
been discharged, all of them cured except
one, who is now in a Philadelphia hospi-
tai.
Rev. S. E. Staff1et, pastor of the Eman-
uel Reformed church of Hazelton, testi-
fed that the strikers were orderly and
apparently unarmed.
MISS COYLE'S STORY.
Miss Grace Coyle, Principal Guscott's
assistant at the Lattimer school, proved
to be the most important witness of the
day. She said she was standing on the
porch of the school house and saw the
deputies line up along the roadside. Then
the strikers approached quietly and or
derby. The sheriff stopped them and
some of them gathered around him, but
she did not see any of them attack him.
Some of them cried:
Go ahead" and a few strikers pushed
past the sheriff. At that moment a shot
was fired, then came another, and in an
instant a volley.
II saw men fall said Miss Coyle
Some of them ran toward the school
house, and when they got half way they
fell. l do not know whether they were
shot just before they fell. or they were
wounded by the volley and ran so far be-
fore their strength failed them. The
shooting continued for about two minutes
and after the first volley it was scattered.
II helped many of the wounded strikers
who felt near the school house and did
not see any weapons on any of them.
While l was helping them, a deputy
named Ross laughed at me as he walked
about smoking a cigar. I said: You
ought TO go to Cuba Another deputy,
Clark. laughed. and I said to him: do
you think you have done a glorious deed
today@ I called two more of them
buns
DEFENSE SCORES A POINT.
Miss Coyle made good witness for the
commonwealth. but in the cross examina-
ton she also made good witness for the
defense. The defense will try to prove
that the people of Lattimer were very
much afraid OF the strikers and became
much alarmed when they heard they were
coming. Guscott, the principal OF the
school. had denied that his scholars were
frightened. but he could not explain very
clearly why they had bolted out of the
school without being dismissed.
Miss Coyle said on this point just what
the defense desired to get at. She said:
Shortly before o'clock Miss Cora
Heinhach came 10 the school and said.
The strikers are coming and 1 want my
little sister TO so home with me- I ex-
cused the little girl. and then thought it
best 10 dismiss the class, so they could
get home before the strikers came"