Arizona republican., 1922-06-24
Pump Operators
Quit--Protection
.Promised-Return

men employed at Williamson count!
coal mines to guard and keep th'
mines in shape during the strikes
quit work tonight under threats from
certain union miners, but shortly
after midnight they returned to Worl
when Hugh Wills, mine union dis
trict board member, personally prom
ised them protection and placed un'
ion miners to guard them from an!
fresh outbreak. Absence of thes'
caretakers on the job through agrees
ment of operators and miner Off
cials would have meant ruin for mil
lions of dollars worth of mine!
through flooding.
Reports that the men were being
threatened by union miners came tc
the attention of state Officials this
afternoon and they. with county au-
thorities and union authorities
toured the county tonight. The re-
ports were found to be correct ano
Colonel Samuel Hunter of the adju-
tant generals department tele-
graphed General Black at Spring
field that if the men remained away
from work he feared trouble and
that the local authorities would not
be able to cope with the situation
ficials stated.
Union Guarantees Protection
Colonel Hunters report said that
aid would be necessary. 1t was yir-
tually nullified, however, when Hugh
Willis and other union leaders per-
suaded the men to return TO work
and promised them protection. Mr.
Willis declared that every mine
which kept faith with the workers
would be adequately protected and
that the United Mine Workers OF
America would use its power to pro-
tect the mine caretakers here. These
men, bumpers, clerks and such. as q
whole are not members or the miners
union.
Attempts to sift through the maze
of rumors, reports, contradictions
and facts OF the mine war TO obtain
uncolored account Of the events lead
ing UP to it tonight, after everything
was quiet, brought two authentic re-
views of the affair, one from a union
official and another from a state
military official.
Hugh Willis, district board mem
ber of the miners union, in the first
statement from union officials con-
corning the ma ssacre, told newspa-
per reporters the blame lay squarely
on the coal operators who imported
strikebreakers. He declared that
the first shots were fired by the
strike breakers and that these shots
We're without provocation and that
one of the chief causes Of the trouble
was the high handed manner in
which the imported workers "held
up private citizens and refused to
1ar fra "a hi icvI
ways by the mine" He made no at
tempt TO deny that the affair really
was massacre. but insisted it was
not stated by miners.
Hunter Reviews Report
Colonel Samuel Hunter Of the state
adjutant generals office reviewed his
official Investigation of the disaster,
the following being the salient points
OF his report
That Colonel Hunter on half a
dozen occasions asked Sheriff Thax-
ton and other local county officials
il they wanted troops sent here but
was told each time-even after the
fighting started--that the local au-
thorities could handle the matter.
That he urged the mine officials
TO clcs- it to avert a disaster, but
the request was refused
That an Indignation meeting of
500 miners was held just outside
Herrin the day before the fighting
began.
That he persuaded the besieged
workers to run up white flag and
obtain consent from miner officials
for a truce. but that this truce was
broken; by whom he did not know.
Both reports termed the armed
nrlf ~ l..
Willis version follows in part
THE Southern Illinois Coal COM
pany has been running this mine
about a year When work was sus-
pended, on April /. it was agreed by
the mine union board members and
the operators that stripping of dirt
should be allowed but that no coal
was to be loaded for Industrial pur-
poses.
After six weeks of stripping the
company informed me by letter that
they no longer would recognize the
agreement and that they wanted to
load and ship coal for industrial pur-
poses. | told them I could not give
permission for. this.
Ten days later, Mr.. Lester, own
er of the mine, asked me to set aside
the agreement. | told him | could
not repudiate it. He said that unless
/ repudiated he would open the mine,
even if he had to repudiate his agree
ment.
6Ismes Mine Owners
Lester said his company was in
bad financial straits and that he
could not overlook a chance like this
to make a financial cleanup. He
said he didn't. regard his contract
with us as meaning anything. when
he could make a lot of money by
breaking it. This statement was
made to me when he. knew the gov
ernment had officially said there
shouli be no profiteering in coal be-
cause OF the strike.
"On June 15. / was informed that
Lester had discharged all union
workers in the mine--dirt strippers,
that is-and had imported workers,
including armed guards from Chica-
go, to work the mine. ] visited the,
mine and was met by men with guns.
They said Lester was not there when
asked for him and told me that the
sooner | left the better satisfied they
would be. Naturally ! left
Later other officials of the miners
called at the mine in the hopes of
reaching an amicable adjustment. but
were told to leave. On June p. the
mine actually began production of
coal, with non-union strike breakers.
A group of miners went TO the mine
for a conference and to urge the
strike breakers to leave, but the min
ers were greeted with machine gun
fire. Two miners were killed. Dur
ing the night and the next morning,
. tt.. ,1n Il