The chronicle=news., 1914-08-29
GRAND JURY REPORTS

county for almost year, and the
punishment of those responsible
therefor. the jury has remained In
almost continuous session from June
! 18th to August 29th. and has en-
deavored in every possible manner to
learn the whole truth relating there
to.
In view Of the notoriety attained
by this county through the succession
of bloody collisions between bodies
of strikers on the one side and peace
officers on the other. and in view Of
the conflicting accounts thereof
which have been widely disseminat-
ed. we have realized that an unusual
us to determine the exact truth with
respect to the responsibility OF these
occurrences. In an effort to dis
charge our fun duty in this behalf.
at the earliest practicable date we
called upon all persons known or
supposed to have Information upon
the subject to present evidence bear
ing upon any OF tha crimes supposed
to have grown out OF this strike.
We particularly requested the or
ganization of the striking miners.
known as the United Mine Workers
of America. through its attorneys. to
present to US any evidence within
its possessio n ofthat OF its members
tending in any degree to support any
charges made by or on behalf Of that
Organization or such members. No
reply having been made to our In
vitation we caused to be summoned a
number of the members Of the Or
ganization and endeavored without
its assistance to procure evidence Of
any wrongs committed against them
by their former employers or their
agents, or by peace officers. or by
members of the National Guard. Fail
ing in this effort, committee Of the
grand jury. In company with the
foreman, visited the Trinidad offices
of the United Mine Workers Of
America and requested the officers
there found in charge to furnish
such evidence as they might have.
or be able to procure. touching such
charges No definite answer was
made to this request, but no such
evidence was produced and no ex-
PLANTATION of the failure to produce it
has been forthcoming.
Later, we were informed by offic-
ers of the organization in question,
that it was not the intention of the
strikers, or their counsel, to present
any evidence before this grand jury.
While it may be that we were thus
deprived of evidence upon which we
should have been warranted in re-
turning indictments against others
than those named in the indictments
returned herewith, there has been no
| lack of witnesses able and willing to
| testify as to the principal crimes of
violence committed in this county
since September 23rd, 1918.
The evidence produced before us
clearly shows that the crimes under
consideration were committed by
armed mobs acting in pursuance of
well-defined. carefully natured
plans, having for their object the de-
struction of property and human life.
These mobs were composed OF mem
bers of the United Mine Workers of
America and their known sympa-
thizers. An even more significant
fact is that the organization in ques-
tion. through its chief officers in this
State, bought and paid for and furn-
ished to its members, the arms and
ammunition used, organized and led
the mobs and directed the execution
of the various crimes. 1t also appears
that the members of these mobs
when injured in the course of theft
criminal enterprises, were cared fol
and secreted by the officers of the
organization. and at its expense. II
is significant also, that all of tn.
various affrays referred to with tn,
: exception of the one occurring a
. Ludlow on April goth. 1914, occurred
| at such distances from the abodes o
the striking miners as to preclud
any claim that the latter were de
. Tending themselves or their home
from attack,