The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-02-26
ASSAULTS BY STRIKERS
On Men Who Would Not Join Them
r. in the March to Lattimer.
TEN ARMED WITH REVOLVERS.
A West Hazleton Constable Declares
He Saw the Armed Strikers Fire at
County on the stand.

the Crowd-The Sheriff of Carbon
County on the stand.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, Feb. 26.-There was
no session of the Lattimer case yester-
day morning, owing to the illness of A.
W. Washburn, juror No. IL. The juror
was much improved at noon, and when
court was called to order at O'Clock he
was able to take his place in the jury
box and the trial was resumed.
The first witness. George Denek, said
he was working on the dump at West
Ha2leton when the strikers came up
and ordered him to march with them.
Herefused. They cut his head open with
a stone and kicked him In the ribs,
bruising him severely. He was in the
hospital for four days.
John Shulenberger was forced with
two other MEN to join the strikers, and
marched with them to Harwood, where
he heard them agree to go to Latti-
mer
Enoch Howell saw the strikers enter
West Hazleton on Sept. 8. They were
armed with clubs, were noisy and
threatening, and chased several men
into the brush. Otto Reichling. q 10
yer-old boy at Crystal Ridge, was pull
ed along by several strikers, who said
if he did not march with them they
would knock his brains out. William
Graham, who was driving to yorktown,
gave man whom he did not know
ride, and the strikers struck the man
in the mouth with a club.
Rev c. II. Hurst, pastor of st. Paul's
Reformed church at West Hazleton,
saw the strikers in that town on Sept.
TO- They were armed with clubs ard
stones, and seemed very determined.
John ]. Fdler was sure he saw striker
with double barreled gun at West
Hazleton on Sept. 10, and so was NJ.
j. Oswald.
Edward Meier. a constable at West
Hazleton, said that on Sept. 10 the
strikers threatened to take him with
them to Lattimer. Ten of them were
armed with revolvers, and he saw them
fire three shots at the crowd. The
sheriff met them there and told them
to go home, saying the ten days which
the Pardee company had taken to con-
slider the ACCESSIBILITY Of granting the
strikers demands were not up yet, and
lley slOulu Wtlt WHY
much excited, and one of them picked
up a stone to throw at the sheriff.
The star witness Of the day was MIL
tom Srllizer the sheriff of Carbon coun-
ty. He said he was called out by the
coal companies to protect their prop
erty. and on Sept 6 had consultation
with Sheriff Martin, at Hazleton, where
they had proclamations printed and
posted in conspicuous places around the
coal companies various works through
out the region.
ION Sent. g." he said, II swore in
about 80 deputies at Mauch Chunk and
took them to Audenred. There was no
disturbance there. The next day, hear
ing strikers were going to make an at
tack on CuXe's breaker at Beaver
Meadow, I drove over there and told my
deputies to follow. When l reached
Beaver Meadow found Sheriff Martin
and his deputies there. The strikers
were approaching, and as the breaker
is mst inside the Carbon county line,
II was my duty to protect it. Accord
incly | called on Sheriff Martin and his
mon to act with me, and they did so.
There were 500 or 900 strikers, and they
t1hlSCtl upoll tHC WV NioNN
them back, using our guns to push
them along, but some managed to get
through our lines into the breaker. We
drove them out. AS the strikers dis
persed one man fired shot at us from
q revolver. My deputies came up later.
and We remained there until Saturday
night when the soldiers came
After an objection by the common
wealth he was allowed to tell what
Sheriff Martins instructions were. He
said: Martin told them to he very
careful, not to shoot anybody; that We
did not intend to do any harm unless it
was necessary to save our lives
Ohprrender, manager Of several of the
Coke estate properties, said that fear
ing the strikers would damage the
estates property at Drifton, he sent
on Sept for Sheriff Martin. The
sheriff reached there on Sept. 9, and
sv'Orc in IS deputies. Il was placed
at their head" said Oberrender. THAT
same day crowd of about 1000 strili-
crs surrounded the breaker. They were
armed with clubs, and many carried
REVIEWERS They Were very excited,
and shouted and waved their clubs.
open their coats and cried to us, No
fire; you no soldiers; we no 'fraid."
| The witness told how Sheriff Martin
! had Instructed the deputies to be very
| careful how they handled their weap-
! ons, and to shoot no one unless in dam
! ger of their lives.
| John Wagner, Oueside foreman at
| DriftCn, corrobOrated this testimony.
Charles Mulhearn said he had been
rubpoenaed by the commonwealth,
| and was at court ten days, but was
not called because he would not prom
| Use to swear that he had not seen any
arms on the strikers at West Halle
| ton.
Fred Zerby, superintendent of the
Evansville colliery. ordered his men
| home when he heard the strikers were
coming. and when they did arrive he
read the sheriff's proclamation and
dispersed them The next day he was
with the sheriff at Crystal Ridge and
arrested a boistcrOus fellow. One strik
! er tried to hit A. ?. Plat with a stone,
but Zerby covered him with his revol-
yer, and he dessted
Mrs Mary Faust said that the strik-
ers frightened all the people 50 on
! Sept. 0 that when they heard the
strikers were coming on the 10th many
families left heir homes and went to