Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-12-21
MEN PROTECTED
BY WHITE FLAG
SHOT To DEATH,
WITNESSES SAY
Herrin Non-Union Miners
Killed After They Had
Surrendered Under White
Flag on June p, Last
2 OF 4 SURVIVORS
ON WITNESS STAND
Hardware Dealer Refuses to
Sell Guns and Charge
Them to Local Union, as
He Was Asked to Do

Marion Ills, Dec. 20 (by the AS
sociated Press) Peter Hitler and
Otis Clark, two Of the five de-
PENDANTS on trial charged with
murder in connection with tho
Herrin riots, were pointed out ia
court by two OF the four survivors
who took the witness stand today.
Those summoned, who occupied
the stand most of the day, were
William Carr ), 7. ]. O'Rourke,
Bernard Jones and Robert Officer,
the latter a University Of Pennsyl.
vania graduate and a bookkeeper
at the strip" mine where the riots
started, which resulted in tho
deaths OF 20 non-unioE men. The
first three were guards ut the mine.
Marched Out of Pit
Cairns testified that the 4S men
in the mine surrendered under q.
white flag between $3.50 and G
o'clock the morning OF June % and
were marched out OF the pit with
their hands above their heads after
being told that they would not be
harmed. lie said he had seen G.
h. Mcdowell, the crippled superln-
tendent Of the mine. led away by
Otis Clark. who had a gun, and
another man.
I'VE were marc he'd on until
we came to baTbcd wire
fence" he said. "and some one
shouted All men with guns
line up to the right aud then
some one else cried: 'Now You
fellows rum
Then the firing started.
When he was wounded and iv-
Ing beside the fence with two bull
lets in his body, Cairns said he
saw Peter Hitler come up to an
other wounded man who was lean-
ing against tree and fire into his
body after shouting: You great
big ------ ----- ----. Can't we Kill
you %
The witness said he saw another
man approach John Shoemaker.
assistant superintendent at tho
mine, who was lying wounded in
the field, and say: Here's that
- - - machine gunner"
Cairns declared the speaker then
drew a pistol and blew Shoe
makers head off.
The witness said he was picked
up and taken to n hospital by Sher-
iff Thaxton about an hour later.
Six We're Shot Down
O'Rourke told Of being shot
twice at the fenc1, OF fIeeins
through the woods until he was
re-captured and marched with five
other bleeding, pleading victims
Herrin to a cemetery out
side the city where all six wero
shot down in the road.
The witness said he rcmcm-
bered praying for any Chris
tian in the crowd 10 bring him
water, and in the name of his
mother for some one to notify
her of his fate. He said some
one kneIt over him and
slashed his throat with
pocket knife. O'Rourke was
picked up with seven bullet
wounds in his body.
Jones testified that he had
raised a white flag at the mine on
the order of Mcdowell and was
told by the leader of the attackers
that those in the mine would be
taken safely out OF the county. He
told of the march from the mine
while some one in the crowd
shouted: XIII them" but that 9TH
ers cried: I'VE are going to put
them on a train and get them out
Of here. They've had enough al
ready" lie quoted Otis Clark as
saying: We're going through with
this if have to shoot them all my
self"
Runs Through Fields
Jones said that when the firing
at the fence stared, he leaped
over, ran through the fields and
later took q train for Chicago after
being given refuge by a farmer.
A. r. Norman, a Herrin hard
ware dealer testified that on the
afternoon Of June 81, a crowd OF
men and boys came into his store
and got three guns ana asked him
to charge them to tho Herrin
miners local, Norman said he re-
fused and asked for names and
they gave him two and said they
wanted the guns in a hurry.
Roberl Heron, chief of police OF
Herrin. who, one OF the witnesses
testified, was spectator OF the
death march through the town, an
nounced his resignation today.
-. q Is%@ - -