Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-06-24
GENERAL EXODUS
OF union WORKERS
LAUNCHED TODAY
Carbondale Ill.,, June 24.-(By the A. P)-
More than | 50 miners from the Herrin district
passed through here last night and early today

fields. They were be-
lieved to be union men.
Those that could be approached
would give no reason for this exodus
and the mems names were likewise
! not available
| There were no noticeable number
of transients from the coal mines in
| the tNo nights previous and it was
only after the announcement that the
governors commission would meet
| in Herrin today that the number in
creased to such an extent as to cause
comment.
investigation Is Opened.
Herrin, ILL.,, June PA state mill
tary investigation of the LesCern mine
massacre which took between % and
40 lives was begun today by a board
headed by Major General Milton Il.
Foreman Of the state militia, acting
under orders from Governor Len
Small. The orders were issued when
the chief executive became angry ov-
er failure Of local Officials to take
any steps against the miners who
captured and killed the majority of
strikobreakors working in the strip
mine.
Foreman and his commission reach
ed here about ) o'clock this morning,
motoring from Carbondale after
reaching there by train at 4 a. m.
They were met by Col. Hunter of the
adjutant generals Office, who has
been here since before the massacre.
His orders to return to Springfield
today were cancelled and he imme-
diately became a guide for the mill
tary board. Foreman and the Off
GERS accompanying him proceeded
Immediately to Marion, the county
seat, where conferences with states
attorney Delos Duty and Sheriff NJ.
ThaXton were planned
A tour Of the area of the fight was
made and it was explained thar nu-
mcrous persons supposed to know
something of the disorders will be
called before the board Foreman
had bee ninstructed particularly to
learn why the states attorney had
not taken steps toward converting a
special grand jury, why the coroner's
inquest had not been held, and why
these ocials repeatedly refused to
,nthoriqn ttrntor to caII for troone
even after an Indignation meeting of
miners was held the day before the
fighting started an dcven after the
miners had marched on the mine.
He also had been instructed, it was
understood TO learn why the Shpr-
III repeatedly toid hunter that ne
could handle the situation and yet
ignored Hunters request that some
special preparations for an emergen-
Cy be made
Failure of local officials to send out
an adequate force Of deputies TIL
night the fighting began and during
the following day. when almost un-
heard of deeds of cruelty and brutally
were 'om"itted, also was a point
to be looked into was why while re-
o be loo"cd into was why while re-
quests from the governor for infOrma.
ton after the trouble started we're ig,
nored by county authorities and why.
when he was receiving scores of tclc,
grams from private citizens telling of
the Outragcs. he was continually in
formed BY the authorities that the
situation was well in hand ana
troops We're not needed
Concerning the property loss no
definite estimate could be made. The
buildings at th" mine which were burn.
ed did not amount to much, but dam.
age to one steam shovel blown up,
the pumping plant dynamited, and two
ID, 4 L
probably ran close to 100000. Two
trcteht cars of food supplies were
taken The mine could be operated
again. brt no one could say what it
would cost to put it in shape, Tor no