Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-27

looted for relief OF the famlnes St1lch-
en- by the Christmas Eve catastrophe
in which 72 persons were killed, today
confronted the committee which gath
cred the funds. Every bereaved house
hold that was approached told the
men and women in charge of the dis
tribution that they had been promised
ADEQUATE aid by the Western Fedora
tion of Miners and nowhere was any
assistance wanted.
Members of the relief committee
blamed this condition upon the rumor
that the man who started the panic
among the striking copper miners
children wore the emblem of the Citi-
zen-s Alliance, an organization oppos-
ed to continuance of the strike. TO
combat this sentiment they obtained
from, Anthony Lucas, prosecuting at
ternev of Houghton county, state
mont that he was satisfied from his
investigation that the men who raised
the cry wore no insignia OF any hiiiu'
In most instances, the offers q ie-
lief were refused without show OF any
feeling other than confidence that lhe
union would be able to take care OF al
wants. In one case two women were
elected from home where two chli-
dren Law dead Mrs John Nerlln anu
Mrs Marcus Sterk met this rebuff ana
after heing shown the door, gave UP
their mission and returned to report
,o boadouarters. Despite the evident
determination If the stricken famllles
oa+ IN accent non-union aid, the COM
,,ittaa was not without hope of over
ao,,,i,g the prefudices and held an
other meeting tonight to consider va
rio,s plans for getting ria Oh the
money.
Efforts to run down the identity OF
tho man who began the panic met wleh
sonoe success today. Several persons
cove affldavits to Prosecutor Lucas
investigators and from a description
furnished by one 14-year-old BOY II
pas boned that an arrest may be mace
soon. - 80 .be
,ao.i community was the explosion OF
a.. ranort that the miscreant wore
citizens, Alliance button. Mrs. Threse
sizer denied that she had made state
rnent that she had seen sueh an lhsisi'la
when she grasped the man and trlea u
force him into seat
Some significant evidence came from
saloonunan whose place is on the hrst
floor of the building in which the catas-
trophe occurred. He told the lhVesh-
gators that only children possessing
union cards issued to their fathers We're
admitted to the hall and that several
times he was called upon to identity III
tie ones who had been turned back De-
cause they did not present credentials
With the door thus guarded, ii was point
ed out. 1t would have been virtually I'M
possibIe for anyone wearing the insignia
of an hostile organization TO get within
the hall. Several children said man,
apparently intoxicated, had pushed ms
way through the crowd and 1t was largely
upon these accounts that Prosecutor Lu-
cas- based his belief that the alarm ola
not come from an intruder.
While four separate Investigations or
Caluuet's Christmas tree disaster IN
which 70 persons, most of them children'
were killed, were being made today ana
dispute was being waged as to who
should bury the dead, peacemakers were
at work on a supreme effort to bring
about an end to the copper mine strike
In this region.
United in their grief over the destruc-
ton Of so many young lives. the war
ring factions-mne operators, guards
and strikebreakers and the stricken
union miners and their families-gave no
thought TO the big labor battle that in
directly is blamed for the most grue-
some horror in the history of Calumet
There was still a dispute over whether
the offer of the Citizens Alliance, an or
ganization that has been considered hos
tile to the strikers. to defray al the bur
iaI expenses would be permitted. Officials
of the Western Federation OF Miners de-
clared that the offer would be spurned
1--WE will care for our own dead was
the responce to to the Alliance.
The feeling of hostility was not so
marked today when it was seen that
the citizens of Calumet and other cities
in the mining district were in earnest
in their efforts to raise funds for the
stricken families Almost unlimited
amounts of money were pledged by
mine owners and merchants who have
been opposing the strikers. The COM
mittees representing the operators
went from house to house today, COM
lOItuIS the surviving HieInUeTS Oh ldIH-
lies, whose dear ones were taken from
them in the unnecessary panic.
Following these committees went
others and suggestions that peace be
declared between the forces represent
ing capital and labor were diplomat
ically expressed.
After the funeral of all the victims,
which were to be arranged for later
today, 1t was expected by many that
the spirit Of fight will have been in
TERED with the bodies of the innocent
children and wives of the strikers and
that peace will prevail.
The Citizens committee now has
$4,000 in its hands and donations are
coming in from all parts of the dis
trict.
Quincy A. Shaw, r. L. Agassiz, G. r.
Agassiz and Macmillan Agassiz all
heavy holders of Calumet and Hecla
Mining Company stock and the first
two Of whom are directors of the com.
pany. have donated $4,000.
1t was stated today that the morgues
of Calumet contained rs bodies al
though only 72 are known to have beer
killed Wednesday night.
Coroner Fisher will convene a 4,r,,