Evening star., 1923-03-20
OFFICIAL
IN HERR|N RIOTS
Physician Says He Heard
Union Leader Tell of Plans
to Prevent Escape.
By the Associated Press,

By the Associated Press.
MARION, Ill, March Conditional
witnesses were called today by the
state to build up and strengthen its
case against Hugh Willis. member of
the state executive board of the IL
hnols mine workers. and five others
charged with the murder of Antonio
Mulcavich Of Erie, Pa, during the
riots of last June.
testimony from states witnesses
yesterday again connected Willis
Aaihe with that of the mob that ac
coroing to previous testimony, cap
Iured the non-union miners at tho
strip mine, marched them
uo"n country road unarmed and
smen .,' shot them down by a barhed
Heard Willis Speak.
.or nv acc0falng to the testimony
dant - Snlpman, formerly a resi-
bem ot Herrln, drove to the miners,
va III Herrln in an automobile TO-
Wara midnight on June o1 Ear1ier
me same day the hardwara etoras -
aierrln and Marion had been looted IF
aIlls @ and ammunition. the non-unior
rIliraeI IN the mine of the Southern
iIllnols Coal Company had hean -,
tackled and three union Miners lii,,aS a.
II. Shlpman asserted there was
crowd before the hall when wills .r
riH9n ..9l and that he heard him sav:
.ra we We got the mine well guarded
DO anything more before day1ieh+ iah
" neh We can see. What am rnost
lhhteIested in is prevailing upon tbe
sneriT not to get the troops there mn
I'll we get the men out. ui-
Quotes Sherin's Statement.
rhe sheriff is our friend and he
- to'u ms them. they ought
come down here, but now tbat thee
are mere. let them take what is com,
ing to them 10 'oiii
r., The sheriff is a good fellow. bows
ne ne IS loyaI TO us and we ought to
take care of him at the fall election"
Melvin Thaxton. recentlv eIactad
county treasurer, was sheriff ar tho
time of the outbreak, but DR.. ShiDman
Irstlhed that he did not know to
Whom Willis was referring
The next morning. according IN nra
vlous witnesses, the forty-eight de-
tenders OF the mine laid down their
arms and surrendered, after beinp
assured Of their safety. They were
marched two miles, lined up before a
roed-wfre fence and shot down as
they fled.
Saw SIX Led Away.
DR. Shipman said that he had seen
SIX of the prisoners who had been re-
captured, marched bleeding and
pleading through the streets Of Her
rim by jeering mob to a cemetery
outside the town, where they were
shot down in the road.
The crowd at one point made them
get down and crawl along on their
hands and knees" he testified Then
they were all tied together with a
piece of rope about their necks.
-,
God. to Thee and d man told them
that if they had every prayed in their
lives to pray then. After the prison
ers had been downed the crowd con-
tinued firing bullets into their bodies
until all movement stopped"
Former Mayor Testifies.
r. O. Greer. former mayor of Her
rim. where he has a hardware store,
testified that he had driven out in his
automobile and had met the crowd
bringing the prisoners from the mine
He said he had heard Otis Clark, a
defendant in the present case, who
was acquitted at the first trial, make
a speech.
CLARK said: We ought to start at
the head and stop the BREED" Greer
declared. Then another man stepped
up and said:
LOTS. Pm a state board member,
and you're not going to do any such
thing and Clark replied:
I've been in this fight for five
days, and you have not done a damn
thing. Go back and sit down."
Greer said he could not identify the
speaker, and on cross ss-examination
admitted that he had a pistol in the
car with him at the time
Earlier in the day the defense won
a battle to exclude part of the testi-
mony of two hardware men regard
ing conversations said to have taken
place when their stores were looted
Of arms and ammunition.