The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-09
Both Were Italians and They Were
Mistaken for Nonunionists by
Anthracite Miners.
POLICEMAN's LIFE MENACED
ACCIDENTALLY SHOT A WOMAN
WHILE DEFENDING HIMSELF.
Was Then Terribly Beaten and Later
Threatened by Mob Which
Wanted to Kill Him.

W1LKESBARRE, Pa, Sept. S.-A fight
to-day between striking miners at Maltby
resulted in the death of Sistieno Vancas-
tell and the probable fatal injury Of Frank
Portray. Portray was stabbed several times,
and is in the Wilkesbarre Hospital. All
last night strikers gathered in the vicinity
of the Maltby mine of the Lehigh Valley
Coal Company at Maltby and the Harry
Z. colliery at Forty-fort. 1t was rumored
that both of these mines were to start
to-day with full force of men, and the
strikers had picxets on all roads leading
to the mines to intercept any men who
might be on their way to work. A heavy
fog prevailed, and it was difficult to see
people in the roadway. Shortly after Z
o'clock a number of strikers on guard at
the Maltby colliery saw two men approach
ing, carrying guns. The pickets came to
the conclusion that these were nonunion
men going to work. The strangers were
stopped, and strikers crowded around
them. One striker in the crowd, who spoke
the Italian language, said the men were
starting a hunting trip and that they
were union miners. The other strikers did
not understand what was said, and at
tempted to take the gun away from Van
castelli He resisted; fight ensued, and
soon the two Italians were lying in pool
of blood in the roadway. Vancastelli was
shot in the side and the left side of his
face was crushed in. His companion, Por-
tay, was stabbed in the side several times.
A number of coal and iron policemen were
on the scene a few minutes after the dis
charge of the gun heard. They found
Vancastelli dead and Portray unconscious.
In Of ba Of &c
was found a union miners card. The news
of the riot brought large number of dep
uty sheriffs to the scene. and on their
rival the mob dispersed. No arrests have
| been made.
A crowd Of striking miners, mostly for
| eigners. remained all night around the
| lookup at Edwardsville. where Hiram
| Fischer was confined. The prisoner was
| held up last night as he was returning
| from one of the mines where he is en-
| ployed as coal and iron policeman. Think
| ing his life was in danger he fired into the
| crowd and two of the bullets struck Mrs.
John kasmaugh, a Polish woman, who was
seated on the stoop of her house some dis
| lance away. After hearing the shots Fisch-
| er was set upon by the mob and beaten so
| badly that he was left for dead on the
| road Later he was taken TO the town lock-
up, where physician in attendance
| a greater part of the night. This morning
| Fischer was a little better. Notwithstand-
| ing his condition the mob gathered on the
outside of the lookup and wanted to bess<
| down the place and lynch him. The guard
| that burgess Danno had provided pre-
vented this. Finally, under a strong guard,
| the prisoner was removed in an ambulance
| TO the hospital in this city. Two thousand
| people collected, many of them strikers.
and for a while the situation was critical.
| AS the man was brought out of the lock-
| made rush for him. but they were driven
! back by the sheriffs deputies.