The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-12-20
HERR|N EMPLOY:
SURVIVOR 0F RIOT
TELLS HIS STORY
per,.,
Was Bookkessseu, ;ststss strip Mine
Where shoofIfss = zsD
WHITE FLAG DISHONORED
Non-Union Men Shot Down
After Being Given Assur-
ances of Safety

Marion, III. Dec. 20-Robcrt officer
one of the Survivors OF the hoting in
which non-union men were killed at
Herrln. testified today at the trial of
the FIVE men charged with their mur.
dey. Officer, graduate CT the univer.
sity OF Pennsylvania. was bookkeep-
er al the Strip mine. where the trouble
started. He described the attack on
the property the afternoon OF June 81.
when three union M ners were shot
and killed.
Col. Sam Hunter. OF the adjutant.
generals office at Springfield. anoth.
er witness, testified there were no
agreements between the non.un.on
workers at the mine and local Of
flcials of the United Mine Wokers
for a truce and a safe conduct for
the besieged workers out of the dis.
tr.ct Officer stmony corroborated
this.
Col Hunter said that lie had tried
TO arrange such n truce while acting
IN purely personal capacity, hay
ing come down from Springfield when
he heard of the trouble.
Officer said that Col. Hunter had
talked to him over the telephone and
had authorized the surrender of the
property.
Just before nightlall, the witness
testified, those in the mine raised a
white flag, but the sniping from sur.
round ne h/ls continued ali night aud
the flag was lowered at daybreak
when the non-union men took refuge
In some freight cars Then the fierce
ness of the attack increased and the
beseigod decided to surrender, rails
Ing white flag he said
After being assured of their safety
accoi ding to the witness. the As non.
union men were led from the IN me
e. X Mcdowell the superintendent.
limping along on hs artificial leg.
The crowd constantly increased and
Officer quoted one of its leaders
whom he could not identify, as shout
ing. They're nothing but strike
breakers and We ought TO kill them
ALL"
About mile from the nine, ths
witness said, Mcdowell was led away
by two men, Other witnesses have
testified that the crippled superin
tcndent was slain at this spot.
Then the crowd marched about two
miles further. where the remaining
Il prisoners We're lined before q
barbed wire fence near clump oI
woods. OFFICER said.
We're 30 ng to give you chance
| Tor your lives he quoted one OF the
leaders as shouting. and then the
firing began.
OFF Ger said he dropped at the first
discharge and rolled under the fence
fleeing while the crowd was huntinl
down those who had escaped the rail-
OF lead. He described the crowd as
''howllng like wolves"
Only those who have guns can en-
ter the woods" the witness said h,
heard one OF the leaders say
II WAS ~ the wire fence that othc
witnesses have testified II bodie
were found. -Four others. according 4
testimony. were found in clump o
woods a short distance away, hay
Ing been shot down as they lled. Si'
iugitiVes were captured. witnesses
have said driven through the street
Of 1errin and shot down at 4 Gene
terry just outside the town. The dis
tance from the mine through tn,
woods to he cemetery has been g.,
Ell as approximately six and one.hal
miles. The t,ne OF the start from tn
mine has been placed at $40 a. n
and the shooting ut the cemetery a
n. m. to 10 80 u. m.
Officer said that the only man h
recognized was Hugh willis. stat
board member of the United Min
Worker He said Willis drove up I
tn crowd bcfure the shooting at th
wo ads, asked for the leader aud the
disappeared FROM his view
Undor severe cr0ss-eXaminat ol
Officer said there were 45 workers
T. tho pit and about % guards, all
p whom had been bought fom Oh
.. cago at the time Of the riots lie sal
o he was at present employed In Kel
Y lacky mine in which W. j. Lester h;
an interest
Officer sa d that Mcdowell had dea
out arms and ammunition which Il
men used in the mine at the time
1, thp first attack and admitted that !
himself had gun.
!. He also told of an airplano flyll
). over the mine and said he heard q
n plosions beneath II as though 1t W
!. dropping bombs.
= Officer was ON the stand most of q
a day, his cross.examinat,on taking
all the afternoon session Of coul
which adjourned at i;i0 p. M. with Il
witness still on the stand.