Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-01-11
GOBLIN ON TIN SlA.,J
PENNSYLVANIA MILITIA CCNER-
AL. TEsr,FlEs BEFORE THE
STRIKE COMMISSION.
NONUNlON MEN CONCLUDE

After Presenting a Hundred and Fifty
Witnesses the ~Unorganized Miners
Finish Presenting Their Case-Gen-
eraI Goblin Describes the Situation
in the Hard Coal Field as He Found
II During yhe Strike.
Philadelphia, Jan. 10.-After occupy
ing eight days and presenting $50 wit
nessos. the nonunion men who are a
party to the arbitration agreement
closed their case during the day before
the coal strike commission. The coal
companies will open their case next,
and, according to the plans of the op
orators. the companies will present
their case in the order of the geograph.
ical location of their mines. The Del
aware and Hudson company, whose
cOllieries are farthest north, will first
present it's witnesses and the others
will follow, concluding with the Phila-
delphia and Reading Coal and Iron
which is in the southern part
of the coal fields.
The principal witness before the
commission during the day was Lieu
tenant Governor J. P. S. Goblin. senior
brigadier general of the national guard
of Pennsylvania. General Goblin was
in command of the Third brigade dur
ing the time the troops were on duty
in the hard coal fields.
He was on the stand three hours and
a half and during most of this time
was engaged in a recital of the condi-
lions as he found them in the terri
tory he covered. He vas on duty from
July 30 until about Nov. 1 or 2. From
his observation and from reports made
to him by his officers. it was his opin-
ion. he said. that an excited state of
lawlessness" existed in the regions.
that disturbances were numerous, that
the presence of the troops was neces-
sary to preserve law and order, and
that it was difficult to maintain the
law even after all the troops in the
state had been placed in the disturbed
territory.
During the direct and cross-exam-
ination, General Goblin had several tits
with Clarence S. barrow, counsel for
the miners, but they never reached a
serious point.
The witness said that when he first
went into the coal region with his men
as a result of the riot at Shenandoah.
he was unable for a time to get
vehicles to carry his supplies, team
sters refusing TO furnish them. In
Shenandoah and in the Panther Creek
valley, he said, there was no civil au-
thOrity at times. Committees of the
union called upon him and assured
him that the striking miners would
give him all the assistance they could,
but as far as the witness could remem-
Der they eve gave him any help, nor
did he ask them for any.
After his entire brigade had been
called out. General Goblin said, the sit
uatiOn became extremely serious in
several parts of the strike territory.
and he feared he could not cope with
the situation if it grew worse. He so
informed the governor. The now
famous
"shoot to Kill" Order
issued by him after his soldiers had
been attacked with stones, was touched
upon by Mr.. barrow. The general said
1t meant every word it said, and that
the issuance of the order had a most
sanitary effect upon the regions which
his soldiers covered. 1t had such a
good effect that it was not necessary
to fire one shot. The order, he further
said, did not include the shooting of
ome and children.
There was considerable cross-fre
between Mr.. barrow and the general
over the right of a sentry to fire upon
a mar skulking about the camp of the
soldiers after dark. The witness gave
1t AS his judgment that a sentry has
a right to shoot in guarding the men in
camp. This discussion was brought
about by Mr.. barrow reading a com
munication from the late Colonel
Theodore Hoffman of the Eighth regi-
ment, to the bfigadier general in which
he reported that a sentry fired on a
man who was skulking around the
camp at night and in which the colonel
added that he regretted there was no
reason for the sentry's shooting. IN
the sparring that followed tl,e. &C..
-" cp'h wy 10 q ilNy tt, NCuit H0l
approve or condemn the spntimer, ex.
pressed by Colonel Hoffman. Tho lat
ter died from pneumoaia wi he CT aus
in the coal iieids.
Just before the crosS-eAamiaation
was concluded, Mir Dallow a.t5d =,
know Il he ever net certain coal o.
orators lie was ASKED
Watkins the obe.. Oh MS s.
tons, and NJ. Darrow rer lei.
show that his relations witA m
companies were much more fiiaaIy.
to the operators than TO iha Vo r
That is not true Warmly re,Lsd
the general. and the discussi,a was
stopped there.
Before General Goblin left the stand.
James Il. Torrey, counsel for the Della.
ware and Hudson company, askoi the
general what a lette. written 10 Gov.
ernor Stone by a committee OF miaers
contained. General Goblin said il wa.
a protest against the troops protecting
men at work, and objectine TO tie
soldiers doing police duty. The letici
had been referred to earlier in the ex.
animation of the witness.
Chairman Gray and Commissioned
Wright were absent from the sessions
durine the day Jltdpo C,ov Woe