The New York herald., 1922-09-25
The Blame for Herrin.

The special Grand Jury Of Will
hanson county, Illinois, which inves
tigated the Herrin massacre has fin
ished its work 1t has indicted forty
four persons for murder and ITO
others for various related offenses,
such as conspiracy to commit muir
der. assault or rioting.
That fear OF the miners union
which imbued the local officials and
permitted the horror OF July was not
In the hearts Of the jury which in
quired into the most shocking trag-
edy in the history OF American labor
conflicts. 1t was the duty OF that
jury TO find and name the criminals.
II has spared nobody. 1t has in
dicted important officials Of the union.
1t has indicted Marion county Off
GERS. It's report scores every man,
from the Adjutant General of the
State to the Sheriff of the county,
who failed to do what he could to
prevent the butchery OF twenty help
less men.
The Adjutant- General failed to
send troops to Herrin even after his
representative. Colonel HUNTER, had
called for them Sheriff THaXroS
refused to ask the State for troops.
Then, with the new men at work IN
the mine, came the fateful message
from JOHN l.. LEWIS. president OF
the United Mine Workers. declaring
tc. the Herrin strikers that the new
miners we're not recognized as union
men and that Representatives OF our
organization are justified in treating
this crowd as an outlaw organization
and in viewing its members in the
same light as they do any other
common strikebreaker'
II was after the posting OF LEwIs's
telegram, the Grand Jury declares
that the strikers took by force or
}uilc all the firearms in the town
ship and made ready for the slaugh-
tcr--the brutal killing of men whose
only offense was their desire to work
end who. according 10 the Grand
Jury. were ignorant of being strike
breakers. not knowing that LEWIS
had repudiated the union to which
they belonged.
As the Grand Jury describes il. the
massacre was even more horrible
than the newspaper accounts indt-
Gated. The forty-seven workers sur
Il aiCn nf n
duct and were marched toward Her
rim. On the road superintendent
Mcdowell. cripple who was unable
to keep up with the procession, was
shot to death. Then the man who
lad promised safe conduct to the
prisoners was deposed as leader OF
the mob. Let the Grand Jury's re-
port tell what followed:
The new commander ordered the
captive men to march into tho woods
adjacent to and around the power
house. Here the new leader directed
that only those in the crowd who had
gums should follow into tho woods.
ana those who were unarmed should
remain without.
The surrendered men we're then
marched gone 200 yards back OF the
power house to the vicinity OF
bar-bed wire fence. where they we're
told they would be given a chance TO
run for their lives under nre
.sThe firing began Immediately. and
thirteen or the forty-scvcn non-union
men we're killed and most OF the
others severely wounded.
Tho mob pursued those who had
escaped and two were hung to trees.
six wore tied together WITH rope
about their necks and marched
through tho streets Of Tferrin 20 an
adjacent cemetery. where they were
slaot by the mob and the throats ot
three were cut. ono Of six survived.
"The atrocities and crueltics OF the
murders arc beyond tho power OF
words TO describe. a mob Is always
cowardly. but the savagery Of ris
mob in it's relentless brutality is al
most unbelievable, The indisnities
heapcd upon the dead. did not end
until tho bodies were inferred In
unknown graves"
Such was the crime over which the
mob laughed for days. Such was the
crime which the Sheriff Of William
son county took no steps to prevent
or punish. such was the crime which
made the country look in wonder at
state which, for the moment, seemed
unable to carry the law through the
defiant barriers OF region ruled by
the union to which the murderers
belonged.
yet Gop IN not mocked; and neither