South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-04
MOTHER WHO LOST
THREE IN MINE
WAR ON STAND
Wife of Colorado Miner Re-
IateS Experiences of Night
of Horrors When Strikers
Camp Was Destroyed.

NEW YORK. Feb 3.-Mrs. Mary
Petrucci coal miners wife. Wednes-
day told the federal Industrial com
mission how her three small children
met death al her side I'm the Ludlow
strike massacre OF 1914
Women wept and teuse-faced men
bent Forward eagerly, as the bare
headed, black-clad woman I'm low pas
sive tones rejecting the deep melan-
choly OF Der face recited the dramatic
events OF the night OF April 20 when
fire and machine guns swept the strik
els camp I'm the southern Colorado
coal fields. collecting a toll OF II chill
drcn, two women and five men. It
was remarkable recital and mem
orable scene
Mrs. Petrucci Is "a years old She
was born of Italian parents i'm a Col
oradO mining camp. Married at the
age Of I 6 she had four children when
the strike of the Colorado Fuel and
iron Co. employees was declared i'm
1873 She lost one child i'm March Of
the following year as a result of pri-
vatiOns occasioned by the strike.
With the grief Of that loss still upon
her she went 10 live in the tent colony
AZ Ludlow after the strikers had been
driven from the company settlement.
There the final tragedy of her life was
enacted.
Manner il ListlcsS.
She took the witness stand Wednes-
day with listIess manner and haunted
eyes. Throughout her testimony she
alternately bit at her finger nails and
twisted I'm her frail hands a cotton
handkerchief Her sweet voice at no
time rose above "a conversational tone
and the matter OF fact manner In
which she told the story Of her grief
served only To bring ont with more
striking force its tragic import.
Yes" she said in answer 10 Chair
man Walsh's questions. I'VE had good
times in the tent colony. / liked L
there better than in the company
camp. over there the militia came up
every day and insulted us. The Sun
day before the fire was the Greek
Easter. The men i'm the camp cele-
brated il. We had a baseball game
and that night there was singing and
the BOYS came with banjos and we had
"A good time"
Into this background of merriment
she htted the picture of the woe that
followed:
Runs out of Tent.
April 20 7 didn't leave our tent at
all" she said. "Our tent was 40. /
and right behind il was the maternity
tent. cellar had been dug in that
tent and there several babies We're
born while we lived in the colony. We
about 6 o'clock that night when I was
down in the cellar and smelled a fire.
The children We're playing around.
went Gp and discovered the tent was
an ON fire. I seized my children and
taking one in my arms ] got another
10y the hand and the other one took
hold of my skirt and we ran out Of
the tent.
when I ran out 1 saw a lot of the
militiamen around. They hOlleTed to
me To look out and were shooting at
me as I ram As quick as / could
ran into the maternity tent and down
the steps into the cellar"
You are sure YOU saw the militia
men2" asked Mr.. Walsh.
"Oh, yes sir" replied the witness.
"They were about 25 yards away"
And could they see you?"
Il saw them. And they hollered
at me, yes sir"
She looked at Walsh with fright
ened eyes as if recalling in her mind
the scene of the night and continued: