Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-06-23
MEN HIRED TO
work In COAL.
MINES 'DUPED'
ONE DECLARES
Halt a Dozen Wounded,
Some of Them Lying on
Death Beds, Describe
Fighting at Herrin, III.
MINERS NOT BLAMED
MUCH FOR ATTACKING
Strike Breakers Are Given
Arms on Arrival at Camp
and a Machine Gun Is Set
Up at the Mine.
(By The Associated PressJ

d
Herflh, I'LL, June % (by the As
soclated Press, )-Half a dozen
wounded men, some of them lyinr
oi4 ueath beds, tonight gave an AS
soclated Press correspondent the
Iirsr actual eye witness accounts of
.he NINE fight last night and this
morning which brought dozens of
| casualties when 5000 armed strik-
/ ing miners attacked the Lester strin
nl1e near here, which was being
1 operated by imported workers ami
guards
! Inc substance of the statements
ny the wounded. who were among
the besieged, was that not a mine
worker was injured during the
| ilghtlng, but that the numerous
| Killed were shot down in cold blood
arter they had surrendered them
serves and their arms. There was
hothlhg from the union miners to
contradict these claims. Several OF
/ the men imported to work the mine
apsolVed the strikers from blame.
saying that the ones responsible
were those who sent us here under
| false promises that there would be
no trouble" and that "the miners
would not object"
| Some of the wounded interviewed
were in the hospital here. Others
We're located in their homes
through secret channels.
| Vivid Account of Fight.
| Joseph O'Rourke, of Chicago.
| commissary clerk at the mine, gave
/ the most vivid account of the fight
HIS story was related as he tossed
in pain from half dozen bullet
holes through his body.
II was sent down here nv
the Bertrand Commissary com
pany, in Chicago" he said. II
had no idea what was running
into. / don't blame the miners
much for attacking us. for we
were unknowingIy being used
[ as dupes to keep them from
( their jobs. We were given arms
when we arrived and q ma
chime gun was set up Mt one
! corner of the mine. Guards
! were with us all the time aud
/ most OF the guards were tough
fellows sent by % Chicago de-
tectiye agency. / understand
the miners sent us warnings
| to leave town or we would be
| ''X outs wv hNNCE SOt lbth,
perhaps the bosses did,
When we saw the miners ap-
iproaching yesterday afternoon, we
I did not know what to do. The
! guards prepared for fight, but most
of us workers wanted to surrender
Through the night the bullets
Trained in on us. We sought shelter
as we could, the miners climbed
upon the coal piles md earth en-
bankments. and we were unable to
lsee them. The guards kept firing.
| but most of us hid. Then the min
ers blew up our pumping station.
We had no water and our food sup.
plies We're in freight car in the
hands Of the miners. About sun
rise we put up the white flag. The
miners poured in and we surrender
| ed our arms.
Tied Together i'm Groups.
"Up to this time not one of us
had been injured that | know of,
ialthough l understand that several
of the miners had been shot. The
miners spread around quickly and
| tied us together in groups of three
land six. The tied men then we're
rushed off in different directions.
Continued on Page Two.)