The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-10
Says Conditions I'm the Anthracite Re-
giOn Necessitated Issuance of the
"ShOot to XIII" Order.
COAL SHORTAGE Is SERIOUS
EFFORT BY OPERATORS TO PRE-.
VENT SALES TO SPECTATORS.
Investigations of Alleged Combina-
tions of Retailers and Wholesalers
output of Anthracite.

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 9.-After occupy
ing eight days and presenting $50 witnesses,
the nonunion men who are a party to the
arbitration agreement closed their case to-
day before the coal strike commission. The
coal companies will open their case to-mor-
row, and according to the plans Of the
operators, the companies will present their
case in the order of the geographical loca-
ton of their mines. The Delaware & Hud-
son Company, whose collieries are farthest
north. will first present its witnesses, and
the others will follow, concluding with the
Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Com
pany, which is in the southern part of the
coal fields.
The principal witness before the commits
sion to-day was Lieut.. Gov j. P. s. Goblin,
senior brigadier general of the National
Guard of Pennsylvania. General Goblin was
in command of the Third Brigade during the
time the troops were on duty in the hard
coal field. He was on the stand three and
one-half hours. and during most of this
time was engaged in a recital of the condi-
tions as he found them in the territory he
covered. He was on duty from July 30 until
about Nov / or 2. From reports made to
him by his officers it was his opinion, he
said that an excited state Of lawlessness"
existed in the regions, that disturbances
were numerous, tnat the presence of the
troops was necessary to preserve law and
order, and that ii was difficult to maintain
the law even after all the troops i'm the
State had been placed in the disturbed ter
ritory.
During direct and cross-examination Gen.
eral Goblin had several tilts with Clarence
S. Darrow, counsel for the miners, but they
never reached serious point. The witness
said that when he first went into the coal
region with his men as result of a riot
at Shenandoah he was unable for time
to get vehicles to carry his supplies, team
sters refusing to furnish them. In Shenan-
doah and in the Panther Creek valley, he
said. there was no civil authority 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 the witness could re-
member they never gave him any help, nor
did he ask them for any. After his entire
brigade had been called out, General Goblin
said. the situation became extremely
serious in several parts of the strike terri
tory and he feared he could not cope with
the situation IL ii grew worse. He so in
formed the Governor.
The now famous ''shoot to kill" order is
sued by him after his soldiers had been at
tackled by stones was touched upon by Mr..
Darrow. The general said it meant every
word 1t said, and that the issuance of the
order had most salutary effect on the
regions which his soldiers covered. 1t had
such a good effect that Ii was not neces-
sary to fire one shot. The order, he further
said, did not include the shooting of women
and children. Mr.. Darrow called his at
tention 20 the fact that the order did not
except them and the witness replied that
his men were not engaged in fighting
women and children.
There was considerable cross-fire between
Mr.. Darrow and the general over the right
of a sentry to fire upon a man skulking
about the camp of soldiers after dark. The
witness gave it as his Judgment that a
sentry has a right to shoot in guarding
the men in camp. This discussion was
brought about by Mr.. Darrow's reading a
communication from the late Col. Theodore
Hoffman. of the Eighth Regiment to the
brisadier general. in which he reported that
a sentry fired on a man who was skuIkine
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 this General Goblin
who Is a lawyer. would not approve or
condemn the sentiment expressed by Col
Hoffman. The latter died from pneumonia
while on duty in the coal fields,
Just before the cross-examination WAS
concluded Mr.. Darrow wanted to know n
he ever met certain coal operators. He
was asked by Commissioner Watkins the
object OF his question and Mr.. Darrow re-
piled: ITO show that his relations with the
coal companies we're much more friendly
TO the operators than to the workers"
THAT Is not True" warmly replied the