The Sentinel=record., 1913-12-27
Miners Refuse Relief.

Calumet Mich, Dec 2G.-Inability to give away one cent of the $25,000 collected for relief of the families stricken by the Christmas eve catas- trophe in Italian hall, in which sey. enty-two persons were killed. today confronted the committee which aath- cred the funds
 Members Of every bereaved house. hold that were approached told the men and women in charge Of the dis tribution that they had been promis ed adequate aid by the Western Fed eration of Miners and nowhere was any assistance wanted.
 Members of the relief committee selected at yesterdays mass meeting attributed this unprecedented condi- tion to the rumor that the man who started the panic among the striking copper miners children wore the em- blem of the Citizens Alliance, an CT ganization opposed to the continuance of the strike To combat this senti- ment. they obtained from Anthony Lucas. prosecuting attorney of Tough ton county, statement that he was satisfied from the progress of his in. vestigation. that the man who raised the cry wore no insignia of any kind.
 In most instances the offers of re- lief were refused without show of any feeling other than confidence that the union would be able to take care of all wants. In one case two women of the relief committee were eject ed from a home where two children lay dead. After being shown the door they gave up their mission and returned to report to relief headquar- ters.
 Despite the evident determination of the stricken families not to accept non-union aid the committee was not without hope of overcoming the pref udices and held another meeting to- night to consider various plans for getting rid of the money in its hands. Fifty-four families were on the list as needing possible aid, and each was visited by subcommittees. The fed eration's members were not less ac- tive and in several cases the unofti- cial visitors met union workers in the houses which death had visited. The proffers of union help was accepted in nearly all cases.
 Efforts to establish the identity of the man who started the panic met with some success today Several per ] sons gave long affidavits to Prosecu- [ tors Lucas investigators and from a description furnished by 14year-old boy it was hoped that an arrest may I be made soon. More important in ! the mind of the local community was the refutation of the report that the miscreant wore a Citizens Alliance button
 Mrs. Therese Sizer denied she had ! ever made a statement that she had | seen such an insignia when she grasp ed the man by the shoulders and tried to force him into a seat, Mrs. Louisa Lesh, who was marshalling children across the stage in Italian hall while they were receiving their presents, said she heard the cry of fire re- peated thrice in English from the cen ter of the hall, followed by the same voice exclaiming the alarm in Croa' tian. Hermann Bibber thought he saw smoke issuing from the windows and Mrs. Charles Meyers repeated her story of seeing boy with fire in his wool cap as he was carried from the building.
 These accounts were embodied ir statements and affidavits collected bS
 the prosecutors office and the per
 sons will be subpoenaed to appear a'
 witnesses at the coroner's inques
 Monday.
 Some significant evidence cam'
 from a saloon man. whose place Q
 business is in the first floor of th' building in which the catastrophe oe cured. He told the investisators tha CONTINUED ON PAGE EIGHT.