Evening journal., 1903-01-10
MEN
CLOSE THEIR CASE
I so Of Their Witnesses Heard
by the Coal Strike Com
mission
GENERAL GOBLIN GOES ON STAND

Miners Attorney Asked Him to Ex
plain His Famous "shoot to XIII"
order-coal Companies open Their
Case.
Philadelphia, Jan. 10.--After occupy
ing eight days. during which time they
presented about $50 witnesses. the
non-union men who are a party to the
arbitration agreement closed their case
yesterday before the coal strike COM
mission. The coal companies opened
their case to-day. and according to the
plans Of the operators the companies
will present their case in the order of
the geographical location of their
mines. The Delaware and Hudson
company, whose collieries are farthest
north, will first present its witnesses
and the others win follow. concluding
with the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal and Iron company, which IS IN
the southern part OF the coal fields
The principal witness before the
commission yesterday was Lieutenant
Governor ]. p. s. Goblin, senior brig
adier-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 fields. From his obser-
vations and from reports made to him
by his officers. IL was his opinion, he
said, that an excited state of lawless-
ness" existed in the regions; that dis
turhances were numerous; that the
presence Of troops was absolutely nee
essary to preserve law and order, and
It was difficult to maintain the law
even after ell the troops In the state
had been placed in the disturbed terri
tory.
During direct and cross-examination
| General Goblin had several tilts with
Clarence S. Darrow, counsel for the
miners. but they never reached a seri-
GUS point.
After his entire brigade had been
called out. the general said. the situa-
tion became extremely serious In sew
eral parts of the strike territory, and
he feared he could not cope with the
J situation II IL grew worse He so in
formed the governor. The now ia
nous "shoot to kill" order issued by
him after his soldiers had been at
tackled by stones, was touched upon
by Mr.. Darrow. The general said IL
meant every word it said. and that the
issuance Of the order had a most salu-
a ~ offaol ,,r,r, fIo fo- .l, ~,
his soldiers covered. Il had such n
good effect that It was not necessary
TO fire one shot. The order. he further
said, did not include the shooting OF
! women and children. Mr.. Darrow
4 called his attention to the fact that the
order did not except them, and the Wit
ness replied that his men were not en-
/ gagged in fighting women and children.
There was considerable cross-hre
between Mr.. Darrow and the general
over the right of a sentry TO FIRE upon
man skulking about the camp OF
soldiers after dark. The witness
finally gave It as his Judgment that a
sentry has a right 20 shoot in guarding
the men in camp. This discussion was
brought about by Mr.. Darrow reading
q communication from the late Colo
mel Theodore T.. Hoffman of the Eighth
regiment, to the brigadier-general, in
which he reported that a sentry fred
on a man who was skulking around
the camp at night and in which the
colonel added that he regretted there
was no result of the sentry's shooting.
In the sparring that followed this Gen
eral Goblin, who is a lawyer, would not
approve or condemn the sentiment .ex-
pressed by Colonel Hoffman. The lat
ter died from pneumonia while on duty
in the coal fields
Just before the crOss-examinatiOn
was concluded. Mr.. Darrow wanted to
know If he cFer met certain coal oper-
ators. He was asked by Commissioned
Watkins the object of his questions,
and Mr.. Darrow replied TO show that
erslegatfihbyior ppxtd tcto-tlitiesloca
his relations With the coal companies
were much more friendly to the oper-
ators than to the miners.
"That is not true" warmly replied
the general, and the discussion was
stopped there.
The testimony Of a number Of other
witnesses called yesterday was along
the same line as that presented dur
ing the last eight days of the commits
sion's sessions.
The evidence Of the $50 witnesses
G called by the lawyers for the non.
' union men since they opened theii
coeo related almost wholly to theil
personal experiences and TO the condi'
r tions prevailing in the strike-effected
s territory as regards lawlessness. The
r lawyers for the non-union men, in tho
early proceedings Of the commission
e at Scranton, filed a statement with The
s arbitrators on behalf Of 1000 non
e union mine workers, asking, amoni
S other things, for a 20 per cent In
+ crease in wages. insisting upon thu