The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1922-10-20

results with ethical lamentations OF
the fright to work." etc, is but
natural, as it provided a safe retreat
from the responsibility of homicide
1t is the purpose Of these articles
to tell the story of the New Lafferty
and Cliftonville affairs, starting with
New Lafferty, in order that those
interested can know the facts. These
cases promise soon to assume a ma
tional Importance and a knowledge of
| the facts now will help to under
stand the issues on which those cases
will be fought.
Near New Lafferty, Ohio. about
June goth, coal strip mine, regarded
as non-union by the striking miners
started operations. The grounds were
| leased from the coal company who
owned them by a Chicago contractor
who brought in armed guards. Strik-
| ing miners were living within a
stones throw of the stripping oper-
| ations and naturally came into fire.
quent conflict with the guards. This
proximity of the striking miners to
the armed guards is explained by the
fact that the company who owned
and leased out the strip mine also
has shaft mine on the same prop
erty and the coal miners who were
on strike in the shaft mine were
still living in the company houses.
which in mines of such character, are
always located near the tipple. In
houses came up to the line of the
ments of armed guards and striking
mi Il 1,
clashes that were certain to develop
if they continued.
The miners needed passes to get
through the armed guards to their
homes. This brought complaints to
the sub-district officials. Instances
of guns being pointed at some of
the miners and stories of the miners
children being roughly treated as
they romped promiscuously about
were reported. On the other hand,
officials of the stripping operations
claimed that shots were fired at the
guards from surrounding points. Gen
orally speaking it was an irritating
condition of affairs and indicated
serious events if allowed to de-
velop.
Robert Farmer, vice president of
Sub-district No. 5, who was trying
to adjust the ever increasing diff
culties arising out of the situation,
visited the scene with representatives
of the sheriff's office on several oc-
casions. He failed to accomplish
much, because obviously no amount
of cajoling with the minors or of
making verbal agreements with the
officials Of the coal company would
relieve the tense situation if the
striking miners and armed guards
were to still remain in such close
quarters.
Some of the men who worked in
the strip mine lived some distance
away and came to and from work in
Ford cars each day Their route led
through several miners commune
ties, one of which was New Lafferty.
On the morning of June 9th, these
men. about eight in number including
John |. Major who was later killed,
came over the usual route on their
way to work and were met along the
road by Robert Farmer, mentioned
before as trying to adjust the trou-
bles. Farmer tried to induce the
men not to work but to stay away
from the mines until the strike was
over. One machine that was in the
party did turn back, the other three
machines with their occupants who
refused to pay any heed to the ar
guments of Farmer went on. Two
and half miles further along the
road they came upon a gathering of
miners who had been called together
for a meeting. The miners. several
hundred in number, stopped the ma
chimes and ordered them to turn back
which they proceeded to do. There
was nothing violent in the attitude of
the miners. Suddenly from the large
number Of people who were gathered
around the cars, shots rang out and
John l. Majors who was in a Ford |
roadster with his nephew was killed. |
Several others in the party were
wounded
Investigations were started with
the result that thirteen were finally !
indicted: eight for first degree muir
der and five for manslaughter.
Among the thirteen indicted was
Dominick Vonturate, an italian of |
the intelligent type, who for three
years was the president of the larg-
est local in the vicinity and a leader
among the largest numbers of Ital-
ians who predominant among the
miners of that locality. Another one
indicted is Robert Farmer, a Scotch
man. vice president of the sub-dis-
trict. Farmers alleged determination
arises from the fact that it was he
that called the meeting which as
sembled the miners at New Lafferty
and which Major and his party met
on their way to work 1t is charged !
by the prosecution that the meeting
was called for the express purpose
Of conspiring to murder Major.
Therefore Farmer is the arch-con-
spirator according to the contentious
of the prosecution. But that Farmer
is unjustly charged is plainly evil
dent from his activities to avoid
trouble and smooth over the aggra-
waiting situation.
Venturato's implication is based on
the story of a 17-year-old Polish boy
named Stanley Kubiack. Kubiack
was loader in the mine nearby, is
of the same local of mine
workers of which Venturate is presi-
dent.
Kubiack's story is attacked by Ven
turato's friends on the grounds that
he was frightened into involving Ven
turato. In his cross-eXamination by
the defense lawyers Kubiack made |
a startling statement. He said:
where is another thing / want to
say that | was locked up over there
by myself and | was scared and ev-
erything and begin to cry so L.
thought | might as well tell the story