The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-12

1SuIol VI ldUOI par SASCAlCASS'
On Thursday, November 8, case
was presented before the grand jury
in which two state policemen were
charged with larceny and the break
ing up Of peaceable miners meet
ing. Burchinal refused to allow the
witnesses to tell their story and had
the case thrown out of court. Dan
Lane, the miner who made the COM
plant, has been sent to Jail for the
costs $75.35 which were levied
against him.
"Justice"-Capitalist Farce.
Washington County "justice" as
dished out by this infamous district
attorney is becoming a huge joke
among those who have seen it in
operation. Grand juries in his court
house have no more to say about
cases brought before them than has
the kindergarten class in remote
village school house. Here the vici-
ously prejudiced Burchinal sits
whenever workers case is set for
hearing. Here he pulls the wires
which not alone release the perse-
cutors of the workers but also drag
into Jail those who have been made
to suffer.
In this particular case, the miners
of Avella were holding meeting to
elect delegates to attend the. con-
vention of the National Miners
Union which was held on September
9. The meeting had just started
when Corporal Pierce and Trooper
McNernay of the Pennsylvania
State Police, stationed at Avella, in
'vaded the hall and broke it up. The
troopers confiscated the local unions
record books and stole the personal
mail of Dan Lane, which consisted
Of copies Of the Daily Worker and
personal letter from his brother
out west. Lane had not yet read
the letter and he has never seen it
since.
Brings Legal Action.
In order to recover the personal
and LEGAL union property, Dan Lane
secured the assistance of the Civil
Liberties Union and brought action
against the troopers charging lar
ceny and also invoked an old act of
the Pennsylvania assembly against
the breaking up of meetings. For
the defense of his rights he has been
sent to Jail pending payment of
S75.35.
This is similar to the case Of
Rudolph Depiazzi who was sent to
the same Jail after coal and iron
yellow dog had broken club over
his head and despite the fact that
he presented the broken club before
the grand jury that heard his case.
It is the same court that freed the
murderer, Louie Carboni, who adj
mitted that he had killed George
Moran. In all Of these cases Dis
trict Attorney Burchinal struck out
with the iron fist of the coal oper-
aors against the miners.
Witness Put Out.
In the case of Dan Lane, the
grand jury hearing was conducted
and the decisions were reached by
this reactionary Burchinal and the
witnesses were told to "get out"
when they answered the question:
unfavorably. The clerk of the court
with the bold effrontery of one who
knows who his masters are, warned
the witnesses:
"You will get nc justice here, you
are in the wrong court"
Because of this Lane must Ian
guish in Jail until the National Min
ers' Union is able to raise the funds
for his release. Lanes wife who is
ill is now lying in one of the typic-
clly miserable and cold barracks
which is the "home" of those thous-
ands of ccal diggers who live under
the system of exploitation by the
coal barons. Capitalist justice!