Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1914-05-08

militiamen or mine guards according
to the verdict rendered by the coron-
er's jury here Saturday. No RESPONSE
bility for the killing of Louis Tikas
was fixed by the jury. which content
ed itself by finding that he, with seven
other men, were shot in battle. 1t had
been charged by the strikers that I'll
kas received a blow an the head,
which fractured his skull
Another Version.
Denver-Absolute responsibility for
the fatal battle of Ludlow, Monday,
April 20, was placed upon the Greeks
of the strikers colony at Ludlow by
the military board of the Colorado
national guard. This commission was
appointed with instructions to report
on all the incidents of the battle, pre-
ceding and subsequent, and to make
such report without malice or favor"
The officers examined, under oath,
all officers and prisoners, as many as
possible of the soldiers, deputies,
mine guards and townspeople of Lud-
low and nearby coal camps.
Inquiry Not Public.
They made strenuous effort to OBJ
tain testimony of strikers, but without
success, reporting that "a personal
request made upon Mr.. Lawson and
Mr.. McKenna, strike leaders, in Den
yer, were answered, in their presence,
by Mr. Hawkins, their attorney, declin-
ing to give us any information, upon
the ground that our inquiry was not
politically conducted.
The board found that the remote"
cause of this, as well as all other bat
ties, lies with the coal operators, prin-
cipally Rockefeller, who established
in an American Industrial community
numerous class of ignorant, lawless
and savage South European peasants.
The underlying cause was the pre-
sence, near Ludlow, in daily contact.
of three discordant forces-strikers
soldiers and mine guards-all armed
and fostering an increased deadly
hatred, which sooner or later was
bound to find some such expression.
Rockefeller Such Benefactor.
1.-The immediate cause of the battle
was an attack upon the soldiers by
the Greek inhabitants of the tent col
ony, who misinterpreted a movement
of the troops on a neighboring hill"
Order All to Disarm.
Washington.-Under authority of the
president, Secretary of War Garrison
has issued a proclamation calling on
the mine guards and strikers in the
strike district of Colorado to surrend-
oil a. Al.
United States army officers now in
charge of the various troubled local
tiles
1t was pointed out that in directing
the surrender of arms to the army
commanders at the respective sta
tons, the government assumes all re-
sponsibility for the protection of the
property which individuals, corpora
tions, associations and firms hitherto
have been guarding on their own ac-
count.
War Secretarys' Statement.
In explanation of the proclamation,
Secretary Garrison made the follow
ing statement:
81 learn from the commander in
Colorado that the use of firearms has
been widespread. In the district from
Walsenburg, south, an area of about
400 square miles, there are at least 60
mines. They are located mainly in can
yons and are very difficult to reach.
The strikers and those sympathizing
with them have recently organized and
armed themselves and the operators
have had hundreds of mine guards who
also are armed.
Militiamen Thieves.
1.-THE state troops in certain local.
ties have served. to aggravate the
troubles. Certain stores in Walsen-
burg were broken into by some troops
connected with the state organization
and articles were taken.
Conditions in the Canon City dis
strict are similar to those in the Wal
senburg district.
There was a very serious conflict
at Ludlow, where women and children
as well as men we're killed and since
that time the feeling has been excess
sibely bitter"
Cannot Import Arms.
Major W. A Holbrook, in command
OF the federal troops in Colorado, has
placed an embargo upon the importa
ton of arms or ammunition into the
state. He announced that any arms
shipped in violation of the order would
be confiscated.
Three Peace Plans.
Denver. Col.-Three facts stood on
prominently Wednesday in connection
with Colorados industrial conflict
First, the Introduction of bills in the
legislature which, if passed, will pa,
the expenses of the military campaign
of the state militia and give the gov
ernor additional authority in times u
internal strife
Second, the appeal Of the republican