Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-09-24
OFF |C|ALS ARE
GIVEN BLAME IN
HERRIN HORROR
Grand Jury Report. Accom-
panying Indictments,
CritiCizeS State, County
and Town Authorities.

Marion, Ill, Sept. 2S (by the As
sociated Press. )-The special grand
jury investigating the twenty-five
killings at the Lester strip mine
June II and 90, today returned 152
additional indictments bringing the
total to PA, in partial report CEN
suring ''the state administration,
Adjutant General Black, Of Illinois,
Sheriff Melvin ThaXton, Of William
son tthis) county, and local po-
iice.'
The jury, after making its re-
port, recessed until october 2G. .
The report declared the state
administration undoubtedly realized
the acute situation at Herrin," and
asserted the "adjutant generals Of
flee and the sheriff alternated in
passing responsibility, with neither
taking decisive action to prevent
disorders and protect property"
The atrocities and cruelties of
the murders" the report empha-
sized, ARE beyond the power of
words to describe. A mob is always
Cowardly, but the savagery Of this
lJlOD Ill llS ItltlltltGo VI uNSllig ~
almost unbeleva BILE. The indigni-
ties heaped upon the dead did not
end until there bodies were inter.
red in unknown graves
Many Murder Indictments.
The jury returned a total OF
forty four indictments for murder,
fifty eight for conspiracy to COM
nit murder, fifty eight for rioting,
and fifty-four for assault to muir
der.
The report stated a telegram
from John l.. Lewis, president Of
the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea, was one of the causes or the
riot The telegram was to State
Senator William Sneed, a district
president of the miners union, and
declared the union men ARE justi-
fled in treating this crowd as an
outlaw organization and in view
it's members in the same light rs
they do any other common strike
breakers"
This telegram was posted at Nari-
Gus places, the report declared, and
shortly thereafter the strip mine
was attacked, after hardware stores
had been rifled for firearms and
weapons.
Among those indicted today were
Hugh Willis, district board mem
Der of the Illinois Mine Workers,
who was charged with murder and
assault to commit murder, and VIII
Davis, secretary of sub-district No.
10 OF the miners union, who was
charged with murder,
Sheriff, Union Man.
The report, read by I. +, Russell,
grand jury clerk, directed attention
Itu the fact that Sheriff Thaxton IL
a member Of the miners union, and
also is candidate for county treas
.urer, and that ''either because or
loyalty to the union or from rear
of injuring his candidacy the sher-
if would make no demand for
troops, nor did he take adequate
measures to preserve the peace.
The sheriff, the report stated, could
not have been unaware that an at
tack ON the strip mine was bcinS
contemplated
The local police" of the various
towns in Williamson county We're
censured for alleged failure to take
proper steps to prevent the disord-
ers.
Mine Company Criticized.
The Southern Illinois Coal COM
pany, which owns the strip mine,
was declared to have been woe
fully ignorant of the danger OF Its
operations, or blindly determined to
risk strife and conflict if profits
could be made" The report stated
it was "foolhardy to attempt to
operate q non-union mine in ne
very heart of the miners union i'll
view of existing conditions.
The workmen at the strip mine,
the report asserted, were evident
ly ignorant of being strike break"
ers. The men operating the steam
shovel affiliated with a union, even
though unrecognized by the Amer
lean Federation of Labor
1t is planned to have the trials as
speedily as possible, and the first
to be tried, it was said, probably
will be Otis Clark, the first in
dicted for murder.