New-York tribune., 1922-06-26
Herrin Coroncr's Verdict
Charges Battle Was Due
TO Acts of Officials of
Southern Illinois Co.
Suggests Inquiry
To Establish Guilt
Slain SUPPLEMENTARY
One Named in Murder
Charge: Victims Buried

HERRiN. H.. June 25 (By Tic As
/ sociatcd Prcsg.-C. X. Mcdowell. the
murdered onc-legpcd superintendent Of
1 the Southern Illinois Coal Company
strip mine, which was tho center Of
last weeks mine war and massacre
was the only person charged with mur-
der BY the coroner's jury. which to-
night concluded rs Investigations of
the battle.
Tho non union men. the coroncr's
! jury decided. came 20 their death "by
surshct wounds at the hands Of parties
10 this jury unknown" as the result
OF activities on the part Of officials Of
thc wrecked Lester mine.
I'VE. the jury. fnd from che cvi-
dcncc that the dcaths ~ dccedcnts
we're due 10 act. direct and indirect
OF officials % tho Southern Illinois
Coal Company" tho verdict said We
recommend that an Investigation be
conducted for the purpose OF fixing
,hc blame personally on individual
responsible"
The remaining vcrd!cis. twenty in
an. aid that each individual came 20
his death by gunshoi wounds Of The
hands OF persons unknown
40 additional information concern
inc the sixteen unidentified dead was
disclosed during the course OF the in
ouiry. which took the jury to the local
hospital and into the rooms OF wound
ed non-union men.
Allen Findicy. wounded t.mckcepcr
FOR the Southern Illinois Coal Com
pany. now in the Hcrrin hospital, gave
the jury the information on which II
based the verdict Of murder returned
against Mcdowell.
Says Mcdowell Killed Man
"McDowel and were standing on
,ne edge OF the pit waen he asked me,
as he pointcd 10 dark object IN the
nearby woods. Is that a man. p" quoted
. Findlcy.
NO. / replied" he continued but
ne fred and the man threw his hands
i'm the air and fell. Mcdowell was I,
good shot
+ The verdict Of the jury. according to
the coroner. Bill" McCowen. and the
foreman OF the coroner's jury, Joe Bar
ringer. represents the united senti-
ment OF Williamson County on the
rio, Of Thursday and the events leading
up TO it,
4 Colonel Hunter. in 4 statement 10
4 two representativcs OF The Associated
/ Pros tonight reiterated his declara-
/ ,ion that on Monday last. IN a tele-
1 nhone conversation with the AdJutant
General Of Illinois, he said dehnitely
+ ,ba, no did not believe that the local
/ authorities we're either able or IN
clined 10 handle the situation here and
/ that he recommended that troops De
sent 10 Herrin.
Sixteen Raid Victims Buried
The union miners and their "sympa-
,b;1ors" permitted few humanitarians
today 10 bury the bodies oil sixteen
I of their victims.
The bodics were placed in plain pine
boxes. each bearing an ALUMINIUM Tag
/ "At rest" They were buried IN fot'er
Geld and cheap pine slabs were pusn1ed
down al the head Of each, with this
inscription hastily painted on; Dleo
Iune 22. 1922" That was all Inc
union would not tolerate any names OF
reference 10 the manner IN which the
sixteen met death. n.1
-Four ministers ofiiciated and offered
nravers for the dead. Only hahdiul
Of persons attended the services. Inc
mon of Bloody Williamson County re-
NAMED in town. On the outskirts Of
the little group at the graves were
few women and girls.
In striking contrast 10 THESE Ali"pio
services. hello with the menace OF ad,
ditional rcprisals over the heads oil all
Who participated. was the display that
marked the burial Of the two union
miners who had been killed by NINE
guards. The procession was led oy a
large band. and there was large 'lao-
crate display Of flowers and great
showing Of union strength IN numbers
who ioined in the march 20 the chnteh
and thence 20 the cemetery.
The population Of Herrin y over
vhelmingly foreign, chiefly Italians
Lithuanian and Polish. with hoersl
I sprinklng Of refugee neYoe' from the
/ Kentucky hleds and men OF various ns-
,c1,,i,u,d an uaae nsfJ