Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-21
Link Herriv, Killings
With Union Plot

SOntlnuCu ITOW Fuke Vu0
was shot in the hip. the other through
/ cache ar mand in the forehead"
Crab Orchard Greek bridge is about
five miles from the power house. said
Drew. and eight' miles from Carbon :
dale. --.' --.,'
Drew was not allowed 10. state what
the wounded men told him.
Melvin Thaxton, former Sheriff OF
Williamson County. who. it IL said
left town during the rioting. was called
to the stand today to identify the
truck, attacked near George Drew's
farm, as having belonged to the South :
ern Illinois Coal Company. which
owned the Lester strip mine.
ThaxtOn said that he saw Morris De-
laney, captain of the guard at the
strip mine. and -four or five wounded
men at Carbondalc. the day Of the
alleged attack.
Didn't See Guns in Truck
When cross examined. Thaxton was
unable to say whether any guns were
in the truck. II did not see any, he
said. ', y
According to Charles W. Middle.
kauR, assisting the prosecution, the
State may rest its case tonight or early
tomorrow.
Judge Hartwell said there would be
no court sessions Saturday and that
adjournment would be taken tomorrow
afternoon until January ,. When
court re.cOnyenes after the holiday
recess, the defense is expected to start
the Introduction Of testimony designed
to prove alibis for all of the accused.
In its attempt to prove that union-
made conspiracy led to the deaths Of
Howard Hoffman and his assistants
last June, the State presented late yes
terday afternoon two other Marion
dealers in hardware, who testified their
stores had been rihed of guns and am
munition.
Defense objected to this testimony
on the ground that it concerned none
Of the FIVE defendants directly and was
hearsay evidence. Judge lIartwell
permitted the testimony to be taken,
with the understanding that he would
later give his ruling as to whether it
was admissible or not.
Men Demanded Weapons
Gus Mosely. hardware dealer. testi-
fled that eighteen or twenty men came
into his store on the afternoon Of June
15 and demanded guns.
"At first they said, We amt gonna
pay for them Then they said the Her.
rim locals would pay for them. They
told me to call up win Davis. Davis
is the secretary of the sub district
union. They took nine sho,guns, fifteen
boxes OF shot gun shells and ten boxes
Of revolver shells. Near midnight that
night some men in automobiles woke me
up and wanted more ammunition. They
got me out Of bed and / gave them
twenty boxes Of shells.'
Angus Kerr. attorney for the defense,
asked Mosely il he didn't hear those
men say that three union miners had
been killed.
NO" said Mosely. 81 heard them
say they were going to clean up on
that bunch of strikebreakcrs out there"
Mosely stated an insurance company
later paid him for what was taken.
A. Il. Norman, another hardware
dealer, was visited by about twenty
men on the afternoon Of June 10.
"They asked for ammunition and got
three revolvers and six boxes Of Shells"
he testified. "They didn't pay for them,
but told me to charge 1t to the Herrin
local. They said they were in hurry
and needed the guns for self!protec-
ton.
DR., John w. Balance, of Marion,
testified that he heard Bert Grace, one
of the defendants, at a soft drink place
four weeks after June 20 admit par.
ticipation In the rioting.
''Grace said, Il stood over fellow
with n rife and wouldn't let anybody
give him water, testified the doctor.
''Were you drunk or sober them"
asked Il. II. Stone, attorney for the de.
fense.
"I was pretty sober was the reply.