The New York herald., 1922-06-24

alton well in hand and that nothing
serious was at all likely 10 transpire.
Colonel Hunter explained he could not
recommend that troops be sent in untll
such time as the Sheriff should ask for
them to augment his peace forces This
the Sheriff steadfastly refused 10 DO.
The Sheriff denies he was TO blame for
the tragedy.
A grim quiet hangs over the town to-
night. Miners. clothed in blue shirts
and overalls, sat on the curbstones IN
long lines calmly discussing the blood
test tragedy in the history of bloody
Williamson county
Many Of the union miners are out
spoken In their belief that the slaughter
was rightful act of judgment others
facetlously declared that lot OF city
chaps will some day realize It doesn I
pay to break a strike In this county
With scabs"
HERRIN, Ill. June % (Assoclated
roress) The massacre OF non-unlon
miners was the act of "A mob which got
beyond the Control of the cooler element,
which was attempting TO escort Inc
captives to Herrn TO SHOW them OFT
10 the boys" according to information
steamed to-day.
The leaders Il was said, finally were
compelled to yield TO the clamors of the
mob that the prisoners beat IT," The
fleeing men thereupon were shot down,
beaten to death, and one was known to
have been hanged.
SCOT what They Deseryed."
Although number of the miners
shudder az the slaughter all say they
got Just what they deserved
AS soon as the forty-four strip en-
ployees surrendered yesterday morning
2 cry went up for the lives of the cap
tives, persons who were witnesses say.
The cooler element. however. advised
that the prisoners be marched into
town, paraded before the townspeople
and sent out Of town.
The cooler element marched just be-
hind the prisoners, who We're at the
head of the procession, and the disorderiy
element flocked behind and beside them.
There were cries of Beat it, which
grew into a chorus, but the leaders with
stood the demand until they arrived at
wooded section about three miles from
here. There the clamor increased and
the mob pressed around the fear stricken
prisoners, some of whom mumbled, evil
oently in prayer.
Witnesses say the leaders, feeling
unable longer TO resist the crowds
clamor. said to prisoners:
"Yes, you'd better beat It,"
Then followed the massacre.
How many of the prisoners realized
that it was to be fight OF death will
never be known.
Between the road and the woods on
the right side there was barbed wire
fence. Most of the prisoners, probably
thinking vaguely that 1t would be some
thing to have the fence between them
and tbs mob, began climbing through
the fence They had difficulty with their
suit cases. There were shouts of drop
your suit cases, you won't need them,
which appealed to the humor of the jeer
ing mob. Most OF the prisoners dropped
their suit cases and scrambled through
and hurried into the woods.
Slaughter Is On.
The shooting was under way and the
killing was on throughout the woods.
AIen were. running and lodging and
crowds We're following and shooting at
them. When one fell the crowd closed
in and fired a volley into the, prostrate
form. The throats OF two were cut.
AS the men were shot down crowds
gathered and watched them breathe
their last.
ono of the wounded men to whom the
correspondent talked in the woods said
he was a steam shovel worker.
The men who crowded about him said
'Yon ought TO know better than to try
tc take the bread from union man s
mouth"
Attempts to slft through the maze of
rumQrs. reports contradictions and
facts of the mine war to obtain an un-
colored account of the events leading
, up to it. tonight after everything was
quiet, brought two authentic reviews
of the affair. one from a union official
and another from a State military
official
Hugh Willis. district board member of
the miners union, i'm the first state
ment from union officials concerning
the massacre. told newspaper reporters
the blame lay squarely on the coal op-
orators, who imported strikebreakers.
lie declared that the first shots were
fired by the strikebreakers and that
these shots were without provocatio
and that one OF the chief causes OF the
disaster was the high handed manner
In which the imported workers "heid
up private citizens and refused to let
them traverse the public highway by
The mine" lie made no attempt to
deny that the affair really was a mas
saere, but insisted 1t was not started
BY miners.
"' huhtcrs hepOrf,
Col Samuel Hunter of the state
iAdtutant-General's office reviewed his
official Investigation Of the disaster. the
Following being the salient points OF his
report:
That Col. Hunter on half a dozen
occasions asked Sheriff Tharton and
other local county officials IL they
wanted troops sent here, but was told
each time-even after the fighting
started-that the local authorities could
handle the matter
That he urged the mine officials to
close II down to avert disaster, but
the request was refused.
That an Indignation meeting OF 600
miners was held just outside Herrin
the day before the fighting started.
That he persuaded the besieged
workers TO run up a white flag and
iobtain consent from mine officials for
q truce, but that this truce was broken:
by whom. he did not know.
Both reports termed the armed
guards at the mine gun men"
Mr.. Wiliis's version follows in mart:
The Southern Illinois Coal Company
has been running this mine about n
year. When work was suspended on
April II was agreed by the mine
union board members and the operators
that stripping of dirt should be allowed.