Imperial Valley press., 1922-06-23
Wound in Hospital Expect
ed to Increase Massacre
Fatalities
OFFICIALS DO NOTHING
Sheriff Says Men Will Be
Peaceable While Work
Is Stopped
United Press Leased Wire

MARION, ILL.,, June 23.-SOuthern
Illinois mining towns were quiet today.
The massacre of at least q strike
breaking miners was a closed subject.
Small groups on the streets OF Mar
ion, Herrin and other mining commun-
tiles from which the mob of 1000 was
recruited, talked in hushed and usually
foreign tongues.
Strike sympathizers believed that the
guilty will not be punished.
"They committed suicide; they at
tempted to escape and were shot, =
were two explanations of the killings
most frequently given.
The total number of bodies recovered
was brought up to q today. Seventeen
were III the morgue at Herrin.
County Officials Unmoved
Bodies in the morgue were terribly
mutilated. Arms or. legs were missing
and they were bullet riddled. Most of
the dead still unclaimed were from Chi
cago. They were sent here by labor
agency and no step had been made to
return them.
No formal procedure for probe and
prosecution had been started today.
The inquest was postponed until next
week.
Deos Duty, prosecuting attorney,
said he was quietly conducting an in
vestigation and expected to have re-
suits within q few days.
Sheriff ThaXton and other county Of
ficials believed the trouble was over
GAS long as they do not operate the
mines, the men will remain peaceable, -
ThaXton said.
All mines are closed tight, even
"strip' mines, which are allowed to
operate under union regulations.
Several Wounded Men Near Death
The wounded were being cared for
in the little hospital at Herrin. Six
teen were suffering from serious gun
shot and bullet wound injuries. They
also had been bruised with clubs and
revolvers. Deaths of several were
momentarily expected.
A total of 81 surrendered when the
attackers swarmed into the mine.
With 81 known dead, l6 injured and
two known uniniured survivors, all but
eight of those who surrendered are ac-
counted for. Authorities believe they
escaped, as thorough search of the dis
trict surrounding the mine failed to
reveal additional bodies.
Shot Under White Flag
p. d. Miller, former Chicago police
man, is suffering from four bullet
wounds and was near death.
81 was shot when the miners came
over the top after we had waved the
white flag" Miller said.
"Three others fell at the same time
I did. For two or three hours | lay
in the mine, thinking that eternity was
at hand. l was almost dead for water.
Finally | managed to roll down hill
to a swamp where lay half submerged
until help came
At mine union headquarters the door
was bolted An old gray-haired guard
said all of the boys were out "pick-
ing berries.
w. Il. Snead, state senator and chief
union official of this district, has gone
to Springfield to consult with state au-
thorities.
UnionSVersion Of Shooting
Hugh Willis, member of the execu-
llNt DOuTu, WIS HtAb ituhiuS VIII
cial left in Herrin. He told the Union
side of the story.
"Last Wednesday / went out to the
mine of the Southern Illinois Coal Co.
and called on Superintendent j. b. Me
Dowell to ask him to cease operating
with strike breakers,' he said.
"McDowell told me to get to hell
off of this property.
Willis then related how kilograms
were sent John l.. Lewis and Frank
harrington, international union chiefs,
asking them the status of the men EN-
ploYed in the mine and the reply that
they "were common strikebreakers. F"
ga meeting of the local union heads
was called,' Willis said, "and we de
cided that we did not have authority to
act. A mass meeting was called.
George o NELL, in small automo
bile, toured the country for miles
around, travelling at high speed, sound
inp the call for the meeting Today he