The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1922-06-23
M OBJ Resorts
To Barbariis1ll
And fortunes

WORKERS international chief comm on
strike breakers" they bore down at
dawn on the huddled group. Until
late last night no official step to in
vestigate the affair had been taken
no grand jury had been summoned
ana no arrests had been made.
Miners in Herrin streets openly
boosted that they participated in the
infiction ca deaths by gun fire, hang
is and dragging through the streets
IN Veritable Roman holiday, but
there was no action against them.
That the death list would be in
| 5reased today seemed to be agreed.
| t1fteen bodies We're Weighted about
| the necks and cast into pond a
miner told the correspondent for the
Associated Press, and the area over
which the killings occurred was esti-
mated at fifteen square miles hilly.
| tImbered land
| The statement of Frank E'arrington
President of the Illinois branch of
| the United Mine Workers of Aneri-
/ ca, issued at Cincinnati. that his in
| ormat1on indicated "A men had been
entire number of beseiged strike
| breakers had persisted.
| The Associated Press correspondent
rouid arcount for but 81 bodies. Mr..
FFTarrington was expected to reach
Herrin tonight.
The dead at first were reported ac-
counted for in a pitched battle be-
tween the strikers and syrnpathiz
pIIS Inc imported SCT1pperS Wh6n the
local men attacked the barricaded
workers at dawn.
Later, however, open statements
from scores of persons on the streeu
mere We're that the working men sur
rendered at the first onslaught and
after having been tied into groups of
three and six, were cruelty massacred
they were ordered to run a gauntlet
OF rifle fire, only to be shot to death
at distances of a few feet when
wounded, one or two of a group fell
and dragged others to the ground
They were stabbed and hacked to
death with knives, beaten with clubs,
ana at least three of them hanged
while six men were said to have been
dragged over a rough rocky road he
hind an automobile
The women, some of them carryins.
infants, urged the men on. and in al
Press correspondent observed almost
unbelievable cruelty from a woman.
he came across a group lying in the
road, one of the men badly mauIed
and his shoulder shot away. Begging
for water, and evidently near death.
the worker was only jeered at by the
men and women about. The cor
respondent dashed into a house and
obtained water but was restrained by
men who pointed pistols. A moment
later woman carrying a baby spured
the dying man with ner foot, and told
MIN she would "see him in HELP be-
In the wounded list there were 16
in the Herrin hospital. three reported
in the Carbonadale hospital and a |
number of other-union striking min
homes.
There was little question that the
exact number of dead never will be |
known. No one seemed inlfned to |
ported thrown and no searching !
parties have been organized to seek
bodies in the woods.
All reports, whether from miners or |
from strike breakers or mine opera
tors, agree that the killings really were
a maSsacre-that the victims were
shot down in cold blood after they |
had put up the white flag and sur
rendered themselves and their arms to
the attacking forces. Many persons
in the county uphold the slaughter a.
a r1ghtful act of judgment. Citizens
gathering on street corners last night |
and today laughed and joked over the |
affair and proudly boosted that some
Of these days people will realize that |
It doesn't pay to try to break a strike
in Williamson county"
In the morgue, women and children,
as they passed through commented on
he accuracy of the shooters who
brought down these victims
Men who openly boast that they
were in the attacking force related |
with apparent pride thes tories CT
brutality. The story of the attack on
G K. Mcdowell. strike breakers
superlnte eTe was related by
was beaten to death with stones be-
fore being riddled with bullets, ac-
cording to persons who say they were
eye witnesses.
He refused to march with the other
prisoners who were tied together and
told to run down the road between
ines of attackers who poured buck
shot, rife and pistol bullets into them
as they fed. saying that he'd Just as
soon die where where he was He
lied where he was said to have made
he statement.
The mine safe was looted and one
nan, with some $1,000 in bills stood
With a semi-circle of men around him
md dealt out the bills like cards, ac-
.ording to wounded men who were
here The correspondent saw men
almost to death, kicked
tround in, the. scorching sun in dusty
Dads. He saw men chased through
ields like rabbits by shouting persous
Who opened fire, one catching him ac-
'identally between two fires. Sur
,nife plunged into the throat of a
man who in his dying
'reath gasped a plea for mercy.
Through it all the fight area was
rord heard of sympathy for victim
he sentiment seemed to be that
tr1ke breakers deserved slaughter |
nd that these had received it.
Few of the dead could be posi-
lvely Identified. Most of them had
cen rifled of all effects. After lying
lied in the morgues yesterday, they
rere enbalmed last night Scores |
Tatched the process all through the
light, making unprintabIe remarks
bout the bodies.
That today% would bring official ac-
ion of some kind was und Quilted.
hat this action would bring little in
Re way CT results was the prediction
f most every one in touch with the
ituation.
The order of Governor Small last
light to hold one thousand men of
he militia In readiness in Chicago
-as greeted on the streets here with
arcast-c con1ent- A member of the
olice force told the correspondent
nat II troops Were sent here he'd
take the night police force and clean
nem out Inquiry developed that
c himself was the night police force
The request of the governor for an
fhcial report brought more sarcasm,