The Saint Paul globe., 1903-03-09
MINERS WERE SHOT
DOWN WHILE
PLEADING
Deputy United States Mar
shals Laughed at Appeals
for Mercy While Shooting
Down COlored Mine Work
ers in West Virginia Coal
Fields.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. March s.
The official report of Chris Evans, who
was sent to the West Virginia coal
fields to investigate the killing of COL
ored coal miners at the mines has been
received at the headquarters of the
United Coal miners. The report says
that Gen. Slack, who was in command
at the mines, created an agitation to
nave the men arrested and taken to
Charleston and Immediately afterwards
arrangements were made with the
United States marshaIs by the United
Mine Workers officials to give bonds
Tor all who were arrested, but 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
Mr.. Evans says that he sent a tele-
gram to the men to submit quietly but
that the coal companies who own all
OF the telegraphic and telephonic lines
connecting with the town, refused to
deliver it and before he could get any
message to the men Cunningham and
his deputies, who, he said, 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.
Mr.. Evans says that he went to the
scene of the trouble the next morn
ing and that forty eight men had been
arrested for conspiracy to kill Cum
| ningham and found there in a house
occupied by a colored man, called
Stonewall Jackson, the dead bodies of
William DobsOn, William Clark and
| Richard Clayton, all colored The re-
port continues:
Shot Down in the Dark.
"On inquiry we found that the wife
| of Jackson with four children, togeth-
er with eight colored men, were in the
house and that about daybreak all that
were inside were awakened 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, above mentioned. were found
dead on the floor. Two We're in their
night clothes and the other one was
| partly dressed, with one shoe partly
| unlaced and the other foot bare.
''We visited another house where
Joseph Hiser lay in bed mortally
wounded, having been shot through
| the window as he was STOPPING to
put his trousers on, after getting out
| of bed. Hiser' lived with his sister
! and she made the statement at the in
quest that she pleaded with those
| shooting not to kill her children, and
in reply Cunningham said
Women, and children must take
care of themselves
I'm no instance could we find where
these people had been asked to sur
| render until after the deputies had
commenced shooting at the occupants
of the houses named.
1--WE next went to the house of Lu-
Glen Lawson, who was considered NOR
tally wounded. was 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 re-
turn the fire on the part of the miners.
During the shooting, in many in
stances. the men and women pleaded
with the men outside to have mercy
on them, but their appeals were met
with derision and curses. Evidence
points conclusively to the conclusion
that no effort had been made to shoot
or resist, except in the one above men,
toned, but that all would have been
too glad to surrender If they had been
allowed the opportunity to do So"
Mr.. Evans says that the coroners
jury has returned verdict of feloni-
Gus killing against Cunningham for the
killing of William Dodson.