The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-03-09
EVANS GIVES
 OFFICIAL REPORT Investigation of the Killing of
 Negro Miners FEELING AGAINST MARSHAL Report Says Evans Went to the Scene at AtkinsviiIe and Found Forty
 eight Men Had Been Ar
 rested for Conspiracy.
FEELING AGAINST MARSHAL

Indianapolis March S.-The official re- port of Chris Evans, who was sent to the West Virginia coal fields to investigate the killing of the colored miners at Att kinsville, has been received at the head quarters of the United Mine Workers.
 The report says that General St. Clare. who is the attorney for the coal com panies, created an agitation to have the men arrested and taken to Charleston, and that immediately afterward arrange ments were made with the United States marshal by the mine workers officials to give bond for all who were arrested, but that later, on account of the agitation created by Deputy Marshal Cunningham, the agreement entered into with the mar shal was broken and Cunningham was sent to arrest the men.
 According to the report there was great feeling against Cunningham, and the men | decided not to allow him to arrest them, | and he was driven away. MT. Evans says that he sent a telegram to the men to submit quietly but that the coal com panies, who own all of the telegraph and telephone lines connecting with the town, refused to deliver 1t, and before he could send a message to the men, Cunningham and his deputies, whom he says were the worst characters he could collect, went to the town a second time and killed the miners in the night time in their beds. MT. Evans says he went to the scene of the trouble the next morning, and that forty-eight men had been arrested for Fo lxfI there in house occupied by colored man called "Stonewall' Jackson, the dead bodies of William Dodson, William Clark and Richard Clayton, all colored.
 Shots Fired Into House.
 The report continues: "On inquiry we found the wife of Jackson with four children, together with eight colored men were in the house, and that about day. break all that were inside were awaken ed by shots being fired into the house from the outside. This shooting took place without anything being said to those on the inside and the three colored men l have mentioned were found dead on the floor Two were in their night clothes and the other one was partly dressed with one shoe on partly laced and the other foot bare. We visited an- other house where Joseph Hizer lay in bOus Atilly 'WOuuutO, having been SnOL through the window asryhe was stooping to put his trousers on after getting out of bed. Hizer lived with his sister and she made the statement at the inquest that she pleaded with those shooting not to kill her children and in reply Cunning ham safd Women and children must take care of themselves.' In no instance could we find where these people had been asked to surrender until after the deputies had commenced shooting all the occupants of the houses named
 We next went to the house of Lucian Lawson, who was considered mortally wounded. l am led to understand that after the shooting referred to, this man, with others, returned the fire of the posse and this is the only instance where any attempt was made to return the fire on the part of the miners. During the shoot Ing in many instances the men and women pleaded with the men outside to have mercy on them but their cries we're met with derision and curses. Our investi- gation proves conclusively that no effort had been made to shoot or resist except in the one case mentioned, but that all would have been too glad to have surren- dered if they had been allowed the oppor- | tunity to do so.''
 MT. Evans says that the coroner's jury has returned a verdict of feonous kill | ing against Cunningham for the killing | of William Dodson.