The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-06-23

40 were killed began here today in re-
| sponse to insistent demands of Gov
ernor Small for action by the loca
authorities. The coroner's inquest
| will be held Immediately.
Herrin, ILL.,, June % (By the Asso-
ciated Press s).-Herrin is quiet today
after wild disorders yesterday in
which at least 27 men were killed and
| an unknown number wounded when
5000 union miners and sympathizers
attacked approximately half hun
dred men working in the Lester strip
pit of the Southern Illinois Coal Co.
Herring, ILL.,, June % (By the AS
sociated Press).-The death toll in
the disaster last night and today
when 5000 striking union miners at
tackled the Lester strip mine being
operated under guard of imported
workers, may run past the 40 mark,
it was said tonight by those in touch
with the situation, although thus far
only 27 positively are known to be
dead.
In the Herring hospital are eight
wounded men, only one a miner, and
six of them are believed to be fatal
ly injured. There were nine, but one
died.
A miner told the Associated Press
10 Int,t l1% h. L.
bodies thrown into pond with rocks
arounds their necks today.
About 20 imported workers are
missing.
Checking the death list has proved
almost impossible. The victims, all
but three of them imported workers,
SO far as known, were found scat.
tered over an area within several
miles of the mine. Some were
lynched, some were burned when the
mine was fired, others were beaten
to death and the majority fell before
the scores of bullets pourned into
them.
"Bloody Williamson" county, so
called because of several riots, to-
night was outwardly calm, but there
was a noticeable undercurrent which
kept everybody on edge and wonder
ing if further trouble might be ex-
pected.
The correspondent talked with a
score of miners today and about half
of them were certain that there would
be no further disorder if there was
no attempt to reopen the mines,
while the other half said they were
afraid some of the men might not
be held back. Officially, the situation
was reported tonight by county Off
cials to be quiet.
The scenes of death today were
very gruesome, as in a real war.
Bodies, many with limbs shot away,
lay along the roadside or were strung
from trees, men wounded and dying
were stretched out on roads and in
fields with none of the hundreds of
passersby able to lend a helping hand
Attempts to assist the wounded in
the early part of the day brought
rebuffs from the spectators, backed
in some cases by drawn guns.
Later the feeling quieted down and
some of the wounded were taken to
hospitals.
1t is understood that there will be
no attempt to reopen any of the
mines until the strike is settled.
When the strikers went over the
top into the besieged mine this morn
ing there were some so or 60 workers
and guards there. What has become
of those not in the known dead and
wounded list can not be said. Some
of them were seen today in fields
running with miner sympathizers
pursuing them with guns. How many
escaped could not be told. C. K
Mcdowell, superintendent Of the i'm
ported workers at the mine, was
among the dead 1t was said that
he was the first selected to be shot
after the mine was captured and that
he was given no opportunity to es-
cape. Hundreds of men, women and
little children, some as young as four
years surged through the morgue to-
day to view the bodies, which lay
side by side on the floor with no at
tempt to starighten them out. Most
Of them bore no identification marks.
All were mangled. Officials of Will
hanson county today expressed deep
regret over the affaffir as did many
miners, but several of the latter told
the writer that white it was regret
able, mo other course could have
tol