Albuquerque morning journal., 1913-12-27
Now Practically Certain That
Man Who Shouted Fire
Did Not Wear Badge of Cal
umet Cilizeas Alliance
BITTERNESS SHOWN
IN PRESENCE OF DEAD
Women Offering Assistance
Are Elected in Some In
stances, From Homes OF
Bereaved Foreigners,

Calumet. Mich. Dec &C., lictusala
to accept one cent 81 the $4,000 coll
lectcd for relief OF the families strick-
ON by the catastrophe in which seNen-
ty-two persons lost their lives as re-
suit of panic at rhristmas eve
celebration iva Italian hall, confronted
today the committee which had SAITH
cred the funds
Every hcrcaved household that was
approached. told the men ana women
In charge of the distribution chat they
had been promised adequate AID 10y
the Western Federation Of Miners and
that NO assistance was wanted.
Members OK the relief committee.
selected nc yesterdays mass meeting,
blamed this unprecedented condition
upon the rumor That nae man who
started the panic among the children
Of the striking copper miners. wore
the emblem OF the Citizens Alliance,
an organization REGARDED as opposed
to continuance ~ The strike 10 com
bat this sentiment they obtained from
Anthony Lucas prosecuting atturuef
of uoughton county a statement that
be- was satisfied that the progress of
his Investigation would show that the
man who cHcd "arc wore NO in-
slgnia of any Kind M most instances
the offers of rcsef were refused with
out show of feeling other than con-
ndence that the union would be able
to take caro- oi ai. wants There We're
occasional expressions of bitterness
however. and in ono case. Mrs. John
Nerm and Mrs. Marquis sterk. NOM
bers Of the committee, were elected
from a home where two children Toy
dead. I'm spite of The evidont detormi-
nation of the stricken families not tu
accept aid except from the union, the
committee was not without hone ot
overcoming their preiudiccs a meet
ing was held tonight 20 consider plans
for distributing the money collected.
Fifty-four families were listed as
possibly needing aid uud am were
visited by three sub-committees each
representing one of the nationalities
TO which the victims of the panic be-
longed.
The federation members were not
less active, and in several cases mem-
bers of the committee met union
workers in The houses which death
had visited. Always the proflers of
union help were accepted and the
funds Of the committee We're refused.
Efforts to discover the identity of
the man who started the panic with
"a cry of fire" me- with some success
today.
Several persons gave lengthy afli-
davits TO investigators OF the prosecut-
ing attorneys office ana from "a de-
scription furnished by one if-year-
old boy. it was hoped that the man
may be traced More important, how
ever. in the minds of people, was the
explosion of the report that the mis-
creant wore a Citizens Alliance but
ton. Mrs. Theresc sizer denied that
she had ever made a statement show
ing she had seen such insignia when
she grasped the man by the should
ers and attempted 70 force him into
seat
Mrs. Louisa Lesh, who was mar
shaling children across the stage ia
italian hall while they were receiving
their Christmas gifts, said she heard
the cry Of Gre, repeated thrice ~
English, from the center Of the hall
( Immediately afterwards, she said, the
same voice shoutcd the alarm m Croa-
ian Hermann Bibber stated hC
thought he saw smoke issuing from
the windows and Mrs. Charles Meyers
repeated her story Of seeing q boy
with fire in his wool cap as he was
carried from the building These ace
counts were embodied in atiidavit'
and the persons quoted will be sub
poenaed TO appear Monday as wit
nesses at the coroners inquest The
proprietor of d saloon which occupies
the first floor Of the building in which
the catastrophe occurred told the
! investigators that only children pos
sesslng union cards issued 60 theu
fathers, were admitted to the hall and
that several times he was called upon
to identify little ones who had been
turned back because they did not pre-
sent such credentials
with the door thus guarded, 1t was
pointed cut L would have been virtual
lly impossible for anyone wearing the
/ insignia of a hostile organization e
get within the hall several children
said man. apparently intoxicated
had pushed his way through the crowd
and il was largely upon these ac.
counts that Mir Lucas based his be-
lief that the alarm had not come from
ON intruder Another fact Of which the
I prosecutor pronounced himself certain
was that there were no candles on
I the Christmas tree.
The relief committee at its nighl
meeting decided To refuse offers OF
Ian outside aid Telegrams profferinl
iassistancc, came from Bishop Iohl