Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-12-20
One OF Defendants In Herrriin
Mine Case Pointed Out
Definitely As Man Who
Fired Fatal Shot; Three
Survivors OF Massacre
Testify Today.

Marion, ILL.,, Dec. 2o.-(By The AS
sociated Press s.)--With the scars Of
bullets and knife wounds on their
bodies, three survivors of the Herrin
riots testified today at the trial of five
men In connection with the killing of
20 non-union men last June. They
were Joseph O'Rourke, william
Cairns and Robert Officer.
Cairns Tells Story.
Cairns testified that after the do
tenders of the mine surrendered un-
der a white flag that the prisoners
We're marched out OF the pit with
their arms above their heads.
after the march started some men
took me back to the mine to point out
where we had kept our arms. They
let me look in my locker for some
keepsakes I priced highly and then
we re1oined the mob without finding
guns"
Points Out Clark.
The witness then pointed out Otis
Clark as one Of two men he had seen
with G. X. Mcdowell superintendent
of the mine. and that Clark had gun
In his hand.
Then we marched on until we
came to q barbwire fence and some
one shouted, all men with guns limo
up to the right and some one else
shouted, Now, you fellows, rum and
the firing started. I tried to climb
through the fence, but fell with load
Of buckshot in my body. While 1 was
lying there, I saw blood-covered
with a gun came up and said to the
wounded man: You great big -----sl.
can't we kill you?' and he fired into
his body"
/ Accuses Hitler. hs
The witness then pointed to Peter
Hitler, one of the defendants, as tho
man who fired the shot, So
Then I saw another man fire ..
shot into the, body iof j ohm hoemak-
er. assistant superintendehts Of tho
mine, as he lay wounded on tho
ground, the witness continued.
T.. Blew Head on.
Three men with guns came up to
Shoemaker and one said: Here's thai
-- Machine gunner and put
ting a gun to his head blew 1t off,
Cairns said that a crowd had then
found he was alive and subjected him
to all kinds of abuse for an hour
when Sheriff Thaxton Of Williamson
county came up with some other men
and removed him to a hospital. The
witness said he was one OF the guards
at the mine.
Officer Testfdes.
Marion. ILL.,, Dec. 20.--tBy The As
ISOLATED Press. )-Robert Officer. Uni
versity of Pennsylvania graduate and
survivor OF the Herrin riots in which
20 non-union miners were killed, to-
day faced another period on the wit
ness stand, subject to additional cross
examination by attorneys defending
five men on trial for murder in con-
nection with the slayings.
OFFICER employed as q bookkeeper
at the strip mine where the principal
riot occurred, was on the stand most
Of yesterday, describing the mob's at
tack on the mine. He told Of the sur
render Of the mine defenders and tho
subsequent death of ID Of the 48 men
when they were lined up before a
barbed wire fence and fred upon.
Croes-examined.
On cross examination Officer testi-
fed he was at present employed In
Kentucky as a. mine official by w. ].
Lester, who owned the strip mine at
the time of the riots. The witness said
there were about 20 armed guards at
the pit and arms and ammunition had
been dealt out and Are Of the mob re-
turned when the mine was attacked.
The trial will be recessed over the
holidays from December 23 to Janu-
ary 2. the court announced yesterday,