The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-12-30
SADDENED MINERS
BURY THEIR DEAD
50 Bodies, Including Al Children,
Inferred in Lakeside Cemetery.
LARGE CROWDS ATTEND.
Hundreds of People From Other
Places Attend Funeral Service.
Meetings in Many Churches.


Calumet, Mich, Dec. 2S.-The
Western Federation of Miners buried
it's dead today. Fifty-nine bodies, in
cl lding those of A children, were
carried through the streets, down a
winding country highway and laid in
graves in a snow-enshrouded ceme-
terry within sight of Lake Superior.
Thousands of saddened miners form
ed the escort of the funeral parties
and passed between other thousands
who as spectators testified to the
grief that has oppressed the COM
munity since ~ men, women and
children were killed in the Christmas
Eve panic in Italian Hall.
For hours the Sabbath calm was
broken by the tolling of bells and
the sound of voices intoning burial
chants. In half a dozen churches
and the mouners went about the
streets, passing from their homes to
the churches, back to their homes,
after brief respites and again to the
churches to prepare for the last sad
trip to the grave sides.
Delegations of strikers began COM
ing into Calumet early in the day
The special train of nine coaches
brought hundreds of federationists
from the iron mines of Negaunee and
Ishpheming and every town and min
ing location in the copper country
sent members and friends of the
union to swell the ranks of marchers
in the afternoon.
BY noon the union most was as
sembled. Months of experience in
demonstrating their numbers by
parading had taught the men to form
ranks quickly and with little delay
they lined up four abreast.
The supply of hearses was mad
eQuate and there were only IA of
these vehicles in the van. Behind the
hearses was a section of the process
sion which brought tears and sobs
from onlookers. Thirty-nine white
collins, their size testifying to the
short life of the little forms within,
were carried by relays of strikers.
Four men bore each coffin and as
their arms grew weary or their feet
slipped on the roadway, companions
relieved them of their burden.
Persons drawn to Calumet solely
by the curiousRess of the spectator,
became mourners as this contingent
passed them. Men turned away TO
brush tears from their cheeks. Wo-
men, especially the mothers in the
crowd, sobbed openly, and dozens.
unable to endure the sigh, rushed
from the streets taking refuge in
/ homes nearby. Other mourners, too,
were in evidence among the toll
hardened men, who carried the cof-
fins. They bore the bodies of their
companions children and many a
rough sleeve was brushed hurriedly
across down-tuTned faces, the eyes
Of which were concealed by peaked
r1
singers chanted hymns in the wake
Of those carrying the childrens cof-
fins. Most of these men were Eng
lish miners, who had learned in
Cornwell to chant Christmas carols
in the streets and years ago brought
this old custom to the copper coun-
try. Today, however, they did not
sing songs of a new life born. Jesus
Lover of My Soul" "Rock of Ages, "
and Nearer My God to Thee" came
from throats thick with emotion, but
the harmonies were full and rich.
As the singers turned into Hlne
street, which led to the cemetery
road, the open ranks Of marchers
wheeled into line. Ishpheming and
Negaunee men came first followed
by brass band of the members of
the copper miners union.
The cemetery is i'm two sections.
one is consecrated to the dead of the
oman Catholic faith. the other to
those belonging to Protestant de-
nominations. In the former three
trenches had been eXcavated and in
these % bodies were laid.
On the Protestant side of the
burial place two large graves re
ceived 2S bodies The other six
were laid in family plots. Only brief
addresses were delivered i'm the ceme-
terry. Engene A. McNally, a local
attorney, eulogiZed the dead in Eng
lish and George Strezich of St Louis,
Frank Altonen of Negaunee, and
other federation leaders delivered ad-
dresses in Austrian, Finnish and
Croatan.
McNally made only passing refer
ence to the deportation of President
G.. II. Meyer of the federation, pre-
dieting that his absence, whether tenn
porary or permanent would result in
the development of leadership as eff
fective as his. All the speakers
termed the victims of the Christmas
Eve catastrophe martyrs to the cause
of uniOnism. They argued that had
the managers not refused to recognize
the union, the industrial warfare
would have been settled months ago
and there would have been no need
for the celebration in Italian Hall.
/ Nine of those who were killed have
not been buried. Fathers and hus-
bands who left the copper country to
seek work in Arizona and Montana
have not arrived in Calumet, but it
is expected that Tuesday will see the
last of the funerals. Four were held
yesterday. The coroner's inquest