The Washington herald., 1922-08-29
JUDGE, IN FEARLESS
ADDRESS, ORDERS
.HERRIN RIOT PROBE
Instructs Grand Jury to
Redeem Name of Illi-
nois Before World.
JOB FOR REAL MEN
Directs Killing BY Mine Guards
And Strikers Investi-
gated Alike.
JOB FOR REAL MEN

MARION. ILL.,, Aug. 2S.-william-
aon County's effort to re-establish
the supremacy of law and order be-
gan this afternoon when the first
witnesses were heard by the special
grand jury impaneled to investigat
the Herrin mine riots of June % ana
the killing Of union men that pre-
ceded this riot. Attorney General
Brundage personally opened the
case for the State. The utmost Sc
crecy was thrown around all tho
proceedings.
The grand jury consists Of twen-
ty-one farmers, one furniture and
lumber dealer and one man who Is
part farmer and part-time coas
miner. The foreman, John Stewart,
Of Corinth. is former school
teacher. They went about the busi-
ness grimly. as though taking up an
unwelcome duty.
The charge to the jury by the
young circuit Judge Of this district,
Dewitt Talmadge Hartwell, was one
OF the most unusual ever delivered
in courtroom. 1t was In part a
defense of this county and its Law
onicers. challenge to criticise ev-
erywhere. an exposition, OF the law
and an appeal to the Jurors to do
their duty in this case without fear
or hope of favor.
.Job for Real Men,"
1t was a job for real men, the
judge said. He knew them all and
could call them by their first names.
He said that the proceedings in the
Jury room would be Kept secret for
ever and no odium of blame would
attach To them and they need never
apologize to any one for doing their
'dhty. f$
The court made IL plain that
there are two sets of killings to be
Investigated. Tho first is the shout
ing of three union miners by the
strike guards at the Southern Him
OILS Coal Company plant on June 81.
The coroner's jury put the blame
for this on the coal company Of
ficials. 1t is quite possible for this
jury to return indictments against
company officials as well as against
union miners for the slaughter of
the nineteen strikebreakers that
occurred on June %. This is the
first intimation that this feature OF
the situation would be taken up.
1t has not been called for in any
of the pleas for justice sent out.
The union men were killed, it is
said. when they approached the
mine with a flag of truce.
Sheriff ThaXton, who has abdi-
Gated his Office in connection with
the trial. was in the room with
Coroner McGown. They expect to
be the first witnesses.
Four Men Excused.
The attorney general and his as
sistants took seats in front of the
| Jury box. Twenty-six men came
| forward in answer to the roll call
at IL o'clock. Four men were eX-
cused for home reasons and one
man was selected to make the neces-
sary twenty-three who were then
sworn and put in charge of a spe-
cially selected sheriff.
Judge Hartwell said in his
charge:
You are not here to settle a
labor dispute. You are not here as
t herepresentativeso OF the operator:
or the miners or anybody else. You
are here as representatives of the
State of Illinois. under oath to in
quire fully. fairly and impartially.
You and ! all know that We
have been held up to the public as
a lawless set of murderers and law
violators, as members of a vicious
political machine kept in office BY
lawless mob. that we get our
votes from the mob and do the bid
ding of the mob, and that nobody
in the county Is worthy OF trust
and that no officers can be spoken
of except in terms Of denuncia-
tion