The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-10
GENERAL COB|N
 ON THE STAND Meant Every Word of Hs
 "ShOOt to KII' Order HAS SPAT WITH MR. DARROW Witness Says 1t Is Not True That He Was More Friendly to the Opera
 tors Than to the
HAS SPAT WITH MR. DARROW

Philadelphia. January s.-After occupy ing eight days and presenting 150 wit nesses the non-union men who are party to the arbitration agreement closed their case today before the coal strike commission. The coal companies will open their case tomorrow, and according to the plans of the operators the com panies will present their case in the order of the geographical location of their mines, the Delaware and Hudson com- pany, whose collieres are furthest north, being the first.
 The principal witnesses before the commission today was Lieutenant General J. P. s. Gobin. senior brigadier general of the National Guard of Pennsylvania. General Gobln was in command of the three brigades 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 recital of the conditions as he found them in the territory he cov- cred. He was cn duty from July 30 un- til about November 1 or 2. From his ob- servation and from reports made to him by his officers 1t was his opinion, he said that an "excited state of lawlessness existed In the regions; that disturbances were numerous; that the presence of the troops was necessary to preserve law and order and that 1t was difficult to maintain the law. even after all the troops in the state had been placed In the disturbed territory.
 Several Tllts With Attorney.
 During direct and cross-examination General Gobin had several tilts with Clar- ence s. Darrow, 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 riot at Shenandoah, he was unable for time to get vehicles to carry his supplies, teamsters refusing to furnish them. In Shenandoah 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 as the witness could remember they never gave him any help, nor did he ask them for any.
 After his entire brigade had been called out, General Gobin said the situation be- came extremely serious fin several parts of the strike territory, and he feared he 
 grew worse. He so informed the gover- nor. The now famous "shoot to kill' or der, issued by him after his soldiers had been attacked by stones, was touched up- on by Mir. Darrow. The general said 1t meant every word it said, and that the issuance of the order had a most salu- tory effect upon the regions which his soldiers had covered. It had such a good effect that 1t was not necessary to fire one shot. The order, he further said, did not include the shooting of women and children. MT. Darrow called his attention to the fact that the order did not ex- cept them. and the witness replied that his men were not engaged in fighting women and children.
 Sentry Had Right to Shoot.
 There was considerable cross-ire be- tween Mr. Darrow and the general over the right of sentry to fire upon man skullling about the camp of soldiers after dark. The witness gave it as his judg- ment that sentry has right to shoot in guarding the men in camp.
 Just before the cross-examination was concluded MT. Darrow wanted to know if General Gobn ever met certain coal operators He was asked by Commission CT Watkins the object of his question and /r. Darrow replied:
  coal companies were much more friend ly to the operators than to the workers.'
 That Is not true" warmly replied the general, and the discussion was stopped there.
 Before General Gobin left the stand James H. Torrey, counsel for the Dela- ware and Hudson company, asked the general what a letter written to Gov ernor Stone by committee of miners contained. General Gobin said 1t was protest against the troops protecting men at work and objecting to the soldiers doing police duty
 Among the witnesses called were two who testified to statements made by William H. Dettrey who was yesterday at Hazelton elected president of District No. ' of the miners union in place of Thomas Duffy One of them said that Dettrey in his presence. after the strike. remarked that anybody who had worked during the strike should have his throat cut The other declared that Dettrey, In a meeting of local union, made speech in which he said that all men caught working should be given good humping"
 Chairman Gray and Commissioner Wright were absent from the sessions to-
 lad