, 1922-12-13

organization. took down the proceed
irgs In full
Attorney General Edward j. Brrnd-
age sat at the table with the state.
MARION. Ill. Dec. 1s.[By the
Associated PressJ - Testimony to
show Ave men charged with murder
In connection with tho Herrin mine
killings a no pArt in the rioting,
hut were elsewhere at the time OF
the killings. was pronsised by A. W.
Kerr. chief or tho Illinois nine work
efr. in his opening staten mt to the
jury IN the first Of TIC mine riot
trials bore today. Tho i've men are
charged with tho death OF Howard
Hoffman. one OF the twenty non
union men killed in the outbreak.
Mr.. Kerr declared the killing OF the
non-Inion men was the result OF an
"snvaslon'' OF Williamson county by
armed guards and the many acts
Of brutality eliminating IN the ruth.
less murder Of three union Goa
miners"
He asserted Williamson county
'rose TO the defense Of Its homes
adding that by this act OF self.
defense II served notice on the Amer
lean gunmen and upon those who
would employ the American Eunmen
tina. was not n safe community in
which to send hired murderers."
The miners fought also 10 protect
their union. he sid.
Declaring Tho state had been
"wickedly careless' IN selecting the
iefendantr. afrs Kerr remphas.sed Tint
We Viii rhpT rgu sn this case that
Otis Clark. Bert Grace. Joseph Car
neghi. Leva Mann and Peter KILLER
1.-THE dofendantsl not only had nothing
whatever to do with the killing of
Howard Hoffman or any Of his assoc.
clates. but that they were IN, Positions
and places at n time when II would
have been physically impossible for
them TO nav had anything to do with
Il. We will produce here a great
number of men OF rcpute IN their
community. who were standing along
the line Of march which led 10 the
place Of the killing. They will tel
you that not a single one OF thes,
defendants ives IN the march"
Tho prosecuting authorities OF
Illinois. be asserted. were beng in
formed by a private organization
composed Of men OF great wealth, 'the
Illinois chamber OF commerce"
"Actuated by a desire FOR ven
seance." he continued. eager to do
anything that viii help to destroy
organized labor. the chamber Of com
smerce is the organization hat prose
| cntes In this case. Yon. and you
alone. stand between these defendants
and this cry for vengeance. Let the
law be YOUR guide. les the facts be
your support and let justice bs your
product. We want nothing more
Mr.. Kerr described. operations at
the Lester strip mine. owned By the
Southern Illinois Coal company and
stated the union had agreed 10 per
INIT thu compeny to strip coal but not
to mine It. He declared the company
broke the agreement and Imported
guards armed With machine guns
with high powered riiNesr with auto
matte police pistols, with all the mort
destructive firearms known 70 modern
science"
He then gave an outline OF 2s labor
disputes In which he declared "hired
gunmen' were used. beginning with
tho homestead strike IA 1892, and
continuing through Cripple Creek.
Colo. Ludlow. Nineo. the Michigan
copper strikes and up TO the present.
He declared more than 800 workers
had besn killed in these disputes by
gunnen who e ~unpunished for
their acts"
THE killing OF Howard Hoffman
was homicide and not murder" he
continued. some day and IN some
court room a just WIN say that the
timo has some to stop tho importation
into peaceful communities OF tbs type