The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-06-26
JURY'S VERDICT
REVEALS NOTHING


ciated Press).-C. X. Mcdowell, the
one legged superintendent of the
Southern Illinois Coal comapny's strip
mine half way between Herrin and
| Marion, ILL.,, was the only man charg-
| ed with murder by the coroner's iury
which concluded its Investigations to-
| night.
The non-union men, the coroner's
jury decided, came to their death "by
| gunshot wonds at the hands of par
tics TO this jury unknown" as the
result Of activities on the part of Off
cials of the wrecked Lester mine.
The remaining verdicts, 20 in all
stated that each individual "came to
his death by gunshot wounds at the
| hands of persons unknown"
No additional information concern
| ing the identity of the 16 unknown
dead was unearthed during the course
| Of the inquiry, which took the iurv to
the local hospital and into the rooms
of wounded non-union men.
Allen Findley, wounded timekeeper
for the Southern Illinois Coal COM
pany, now in the Herrin hospital, gave
the jury the information on which it
based the verdict of murder returned
against Mcdowell, the dead supcrin-
tendent.
"McDowell and were standing on
the edge of the pit when he asked. as
he pointed to dark object in the
nearby woods, is that man p" quot
ed Findley.
mo | replied" he cotinued, "but
he fired and the man threw his hands
in the air and fell. Mcdowell was a
good shot"
"We recommend that an investiga-
tion be conducted for the purpose of
fixing the blame personally on indi-
viduals responsible"
This was the verdict of the cor
oner's jury held here today. "Georgie"
Henderson, one of the union men
slain, was killed by c. X. Mcdowell,
superintendent Of the Southern nli
nois Coal company, according to the
murder verdict returned.
The verdict of the jury, according
to the coroner, "Bill' McGowen, and
Joe Barringer, the foreman of the cor
oner's jury, represents the united
sentiment Of Williamson county on
the massacre Of Thursday and the
events leading up to it,"
Members of the jury were: Robert
Clem, superintendent of the water
works; Louis Gibbons, union miner;
John Arms, merchant; Philip Nokes,
| union miner; Joe Barringer, union
miner; Tom Thornton, Herrin Ill.,,
electrician.
The first witness heard was William
A. Thorntcn, a Marion, ILL.,, policeman
"4ou don't know who did the shoot
ing, do you?" asked Coroner William
M. MCGOWAN.
"No, SIR replied the witness. 81
don't know anything about it,"
That was the substance of his tes-
timony and of those who followed
him.
Colonel Hunter was the next wit
ness. He told of being held up by
mine guards and taken to Mine Super
intendent Mcdowell of the strip mine
Of the Southern Illinois Coal company
last Sunday night. Colonel Hunter
testified that he urged Mcdowell to
confinc the arctivities of his guards
to the mine property and that he also
urged that these sentrics walk their
posts without arms.
Mcdowell agreed to carry out these
suggestions, Colonel Hunter said in
his testimony.
A member of the jury asked Col
onel Hunter: "Is it true, colonel, that
they had machine guns mounted?"
~ searched the mine property three
times and failed to find any," Colonel
Hunter replied.
j. H. Henderson said he was inside
the power plant of the coal belt rail-
way between the mine and Herrin
when he heard shots Thursday morn
ing and later heard that bodies had
ben found in the woods.
"Of course interjected the coroner,
''as to how they got killed, you don't
know anything about that, do you?"
"No, sir" said the witness.
Other witnesses made similar state
ments.
Eliza Cash and Albert Strom, under
takers, told of the bringing in of IS
bodies and the finding of six men in
the cemetery, two of whom later died.