Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-28

attempted to remove n of the wound
ed guards last Saturday under promise
of escorting him over the county line,
but they were denied entrance to the
hospital.
Herrin officials and business men
privately deplore the massacres and
are keenly aware of the disgrace their
city has suffered, but they do not dare
make any public protest, for business
reasons.
From Outside County
Not all of the mob was from VIII
liam son county, according to the story
of the Christopher Progress. a labor
paper Of Christopher. Franklin coun-
ty. a copy of which an Associated
Press correspondent obtained at Mar
ion.
The Progress account Of the bat
tie says men from Herrin, Marion,
Zeigler and Christopher were among
those present. The editor reports he
is positive that on Wednesday night
at least 1000 persons were near the
scene of battle. He estimated the
union men numbered at least 500, who
we're well armed with high powered
rifles, shot guns and pistols. Am
munition was brought to the miners
by the box full and distributed to
those whose supply had run out earlAr
in the day"
BIames Indignation Meeting
In the same article. Walter ".
Sims, editor Of the paper, says:
THE trouble followed after an in
d~ignation meeting which was held
Just outside Herrin ON the road to
the mine on Wednesday morning. fol-
lowing publication of a telegram from
John l.. Lewis. president of the Unit
ed Mine Workers. which stated that
the workmen at the Strip mine. who
are members of the shovelmen's I'M
ion. were common strike breakers.
The whole of Williamson and Franklin
counties was in a turmoil until late
Tuesday and on Wednesday afternoon
the miners in Ziegler and West Frank
fort were canvassing the business dis
tricts and homes for arms and m
munition. We have talked to several
who were near the scene of rioting
and many have reported to us that no
city in the community showed their
keys as much as the city Of Zelgler,
which is located in Franklin county.
At least 300 strong iourreyed in cars
from Zeigler on Wednesday evening
and almost every car was loaded with
men. guns and ammunition"
Sheriff Melvin Thaxron said he had
been unable to get any information
leading to the identity of any mem
bers Of the mob. At the hospital here,
where the IL n%on-union men and two
union miners who were wounded in
the attack on the mine are patients,
il was said that the sheriff bad not
questioned any of the wounded on
either side.
Lying on their hospital cots, their
wounds swathed in ~bandages, some of
the wounded sensed that they still
were in danger and expressed fear of
further violence If they leave the hos
pital unprotected Herrin's law-re-
specting c~itizenry believes a body of
state troops would solve the problem
imported guards and workers from
the wrath of striking miners.
10 Men Missing
Herrin was specializing Monday on
the fate of 10 missing men who com
pleted the gang of 66 in the bunk cars
Wednesday night. Allen H. Findlay
of Chicago, timekeeper who is in the
hospital with 40 buckshot in his side
aud a bullet in his foot. is authority
for the statement that there were &c
men in the cars when the attack wal
made. Whether the missing 10 escap-
"a or were killed in the cars and burn
ed when attackers fired the train war
still unknown Monday. Angered be-
cause their town has been blamed for
the atrocities, Herrin citizens say
Johnson City, Ziegler and other mining
towns should bear part Of the re-
s%ponsibility because many Of the riot
ers came from other towns to join
the riot mob which stormed the Lester