The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-09-19
JUSTICE is BADLY
HANDICAPPED IN ILLINOIS
(Toronto Mail and Empire)

IldI OuSuC " DS
ed with those of Cawnpore, Kishineff |
Or Lille was the crime committed at |
Herrin, Williamson County, ILL.,, a !
few months ago in which a score Of
men were murdered in cold blood by
striking miners. Almost as shocking |
as the original crime is the develope |
ment in the case which brings it be-
fore the public once more, and that is
the statement of the Attorney Gener-
al of Illinois that he has no money to
investigate the matter and bring the
murderers to justice. He says that he
has barely enough to provide for the
routine business of his office, and is
apparently of opinion that it is better
to use what he has for routine pur-
poses than to devote any part of it to
clearing the state from such dis
grace as has hardly stained the name
of any other community on this CONT
! nent. 1t is surely without precedent
! should be obliged to go before the
| public and pass round the hat in order
that money may be raised to avenge
the crime of Herrin, yet that is what
the Illinois body has done, and in do
ing so refreshes the public memory
concerning the massacre. It's state
ment is as follows
con June %, 1921, in Williamson
County, ILL.,, a score Of men, unarmed
and with their hands high above their
heads, were slain in cold blood, their
only offence being that they dared
make an honest living by working in
the strop coal mines, situated between
the towns of Marion and Herrin Ac-
cording to the best evidence obtain
able, they were set upon by a well
armed mob of more than one thou
sand persons. to whom they uncon-
ditionally surrendered, and were tied
together, insulted and subjected to
physical torture before being shot.
Notwithstanding the Nervousness
of the offence in itself and the disre-
; pute into which it has brought the
! State of Illinois, there is the addition
! al circumstance that, although hun
: dreds of persons were witnesses to the
slaughter, not one single arrest has
, been made and, so far as the rest of
the world has been able to find, no eff
fort of any character has been made
, by the authorities of Williamson
: County to bring any recognized for
| mula of justice to bear on the situat-
ion."
When news of the Herrin massacre
{ reached the outside world it was sup
{ posed that the crime had been COM
. mitted by mob of foreign workers
perhaps inspired by Bolshevists; but
| the probability is that the murderers
4 were all of American stock, for the
5 last of the foreign mine workers in
2 the district, the Italians, had beer
driven out some years earlier. The
$ tragedy disclosed the fact that in Ger.
2 tain circumstances Americans can be.
? have with a great savagery as the
{ most barbarous inhabitants of South.
$ ern or Central Europe, and perhaps il
is this fact that has SO Mortified the
D American public. Newspaper cor.
respondents who visited the town were
: astounded to hear no expressions of re-
4 gret, such as usually follow a crime
committed when popular passions are
greatly aroused. Indeed, the coron
er's verdict censured the mine owner:
Y for supplying armed guards for the
non-union workers. The local gov
eminent of Herrin is wholly in tn,
hands of the miners or of people de
pendent on them for a living, and no
IN the community was there single
citizen who dared to denounce the out
rage. 1t was expected, however, tina
the state authorities would act stern
ly, in view of the fact that the nat
lens wrath was aroused. Now come.
the announcement that there is M
] public fund available for the purpos
Of doing justice to the murderers. 1
they are to be prosecuted, the worl
Unjust be done with fund collected b.
. private persons. Illinois takes it
= place with Soviet Russia and Sim
:, Fem Ireland