Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-06-30
ILLINOIS MINE As
KILL 70 NONUN|ON
. MEN; WRECK MINE
Bodies of the Slain Are Scattered
Over Big Area.
ONE MAN COUNTS 48 CORPSES
Strikers Storm Camp of Southern ILL.,
nois Coal Company Near Herrin-
Capture Strikebreakers, and
Slew Them as They Break
for Freedom.

Herrin, ILL.,, June 23.-A correspond
snt, returning from the scene of the
mine massacre, reported he had count
ed 4S bodies Strewn along the road
from here to the Southern Illinois
Coal company property. The death
xOll is put at rs.
1t is known that % employees of
the Southern Illinois Coal company,
Including the mine superintendent and
ahe civil engineer, the latter a broth
er-in-law Of the president of the COM
pany, were killed in resumption of
the attack on the companys property.
One had been hanged Two more
striking miners also were killed. bring
ang the total of deaths in the war to
II, including the two slain in the first
clash Wednesday.
In addition to these known dead, it
rs believed many of the 81 other cap
nves taken by the strikers in their
ATTACK on the mine property may be
dead or dying. They escaped into the
woods between the mine and Herrin
when the 48 captives attempted
flight Cor life. Seventeen were shot
down while fleeing.
Slaughtered for Revolt
Six, recaptured, are reported 10 have
been marched to the Herrin cemetery,
where they were lined up before
gravestones and slaughtered for their
attempted escape. Bodies of the II
strikebreakers and of two miners have
Deen taken to morgue at Herrin.
Six mine employees are in the hos
pltal at Herrin, as are three of the
strikers.
After the bodies had been placed in
the improvised morgue hundreds of
strikers and sympathizers, scores of
ahem accompanied by their wives and
children, paraded between the lines
of bodies. But they were not there in
the roles of mourners. The faces of
both men and women wore sneers of
triumph.
The weapons borne by the strikers
nave disappeared and the thousands
OF milling strikers, apparently salts
ned with their victory in the war,
from any legal consequences as the
actual slayers.
In addition to the humiliation of
the workers and guards who had been
employed at the companys strip"
mine, the raiders virtually wiped the
mine out of existence. They dyna-
mited the battery of steam shovels
n CT rin
the strata of coal, blasted and then
burned the company's offices at the
milne and then set fire to all coal that
had been loaded in cars.
The slaughter of employees took
place after they had surrendered to
the overpOwering numbers of the at
tacking force. Those who had not
been wounded were rounded up and
started toward Herrin.
Jabbed and beaten by the rioters,
the prisoners were marched into the
woods toward Herrin. AS the march
proceeded G. X. Mcdowell, superin-
fendent of the mine, who was handi-
capped by his artificial leg, Jagged.
- Cripple Beaten to Death.
Wnen he protested ne could not
make any better speed the mob at
hacked him and beat him to death,
then riddled his lifeless body and left
1t lying beside the road.
James Shoemaker, a brother-in-law
of President William Lester of the
coal company, protested against the
attack on Mr.. Mcdowell. This swung
the attention of the rioters to him
and he was shot dead. He had been
employed as the company's civil en-
gineer.
There were said to be several hun
dred men and boys in the cavalcade
which started from the mines for Her
rim, with the A men in front. When
the column reached a point on the
Johnston City road, about half wav
TO Herrin, where it passes through
the woods, the killing began. Strikers
say that the prisoners, apparently at
prearranged signal, made a dash 70
escape and that they were pursued
Ind killed.
Most of the strikebreakers are said
10 be Italians. There is large for
eign element in the local mining popu-
aation from which the union men
game.
KUIITu IC kEkIM CiICEEMNrN