The evening times., 1899-11-20

POTTSVILLE, Fa., Nov. 20.-The trial
of eleven miners, natives of Austria-Hun- :
gary on the charge of numbering Joseph
Rutkowkas, a fellow w-countryman, at VIII
lam Penn. one Sunday evening, in last
September, will be the star attraction in
the criminal court of Schuylkill county
during the present week.
William Penn is a prosperous mining
village near Shenandoah. and. like all
other mining hamlets, has large foreign
population. Most of this population was
present in court today, when District At
torney Bechtel called this case. many as
witnesses, and others as spectators.
Not since the days Of the notorious
"Mollie Mcguire trials, in the seventies,
has there been such large number OF men
under indictment for one crime. and seldom
is such brutal and cowardly murder re-
corded as the one which these men are al
legged to have committed. 1t is expected
that there will be revelations OF art
ling nature during the examination of wit
nesses. An attempt will be made to show
that there exists in the coal region today
numerous secret societies, the objects OF
and the proper administration OF justice.
few weeks ago the defendants were
granted habeas corpus hearing, and dur
ing these proceedings several witnesses
testified that two of these societies flour
ished in William Penn. and that the Gefen-
dants belonged to one of them. 1t has
been no secret that such organizations do
exist, but this is the first time that there
has been mention Of them made in open
court.
On Sunday morning September 81, while
Joe Rutkowkas was standing at the garden
gate in front OF his home, with his wife
and baby by his side, a party Of men came
down the street and stopped in front of
him. They were discussing some exciting
subject among themselves. Some OF the
men crowded around Dutkowkas and de-
manded that he should subscribe to their
society. What answer he gave is not
known. but the members Of the party rush
ID upon him. One man had an AK, and
with this he struck Rutkowkas on the side
Of the head infiicting mortal wound.
1t was stated at the coroner s inquest,
and later at the habeas corpus hearing,
that the crowd had cried cut for the blood
of Zukos." meaning that they would kill
one of their countrymen. who was from an
other town or district. 1t was also testified
that the societies take their names from
IUG ulSlTlEtS III l01 Clu country from @EeEe z
the members came.
The men on trial charged with the crime
are Anthony Matchulis. Peter Stankiewicz.
Mike Brazusky, Anthony Stankiewicz. John
Stankiew:cz, Joe ShOhinsky. Charles
Schultz. Andrew koras. Adam RomaHitus,
Martin Bubnis and Roland Bubnis.
Ii is no easy matter to get any CT the re-
spectacle element CT the foreign-born citi-
Zens to talk about the secret societies. be-
cause they live in constant fear OF being
the victims Of their vengeance. II is the
province of these organizations to protect
the interests Of members, whether criminal
o. honest: TO provide counsel 10 defend
members in case they are indicted for Of
fences against the law: to ayenga their
OWE wrongs against fellow-countrymen or
others. and TO maintain fund in order TO
carry out all these objects Ii is a matter
of common talk that it is almost impossi-
BILE TO bring one of the members nj any
of these organizations TO justice as their
fellows viii net hesitate TO perjure them
selves on the witness stand.
1t Is the cpiniCn CT those who have
watched the growth of these societies that
the time is coming when men with the
courage and skill of Detective James Me
Farlan and the energy and shrewdness of
the late Franklin B. GCwen, through whose
combined efforts the 'Mollia Magures''
were bIOuSAl 10 justice, VIII De required
to deal with them. Not even McParlan
could do the work unless he had as lieu
tenants men who could mingle with the
foreign born residents and upon whom he
could rely.
Such a task will be the more dimcult be-
cause these societies are not banded TO-
gether. Each one is distinct and they are
scattered all over the coal field. They eX-
ist in Minersville in New Philadelphia; in
fact in every town and village Of the an
thracite district. In New Philadelphia the
members of one of the societies raided a
saloon kept by one of their own country
men, and after beating the proprietor
wrecked his property. Arrests were made
and the offenders were taken before the
local justice of the peace. 1t was thought
by the peaceful people of the town that
at last this lawless gang would De pun
ished, and the reign of terror. under which
they had been living, would be at an end.
But the hotelman was afraid to push the
case fearing that he would be killed if he
did.
The membership of these societies OF
death does not include more than small
proportion of the foreign population Of the
coal region. As a rule these people are
peace-loying and only ask that they be al
lowed to work and live happily and sup
port themselves without the aid of out
siders.