The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-10-14

shooting was started by the pc
Witnesses will further eX-
pose the character of the police
deputies and company stool
pigeons who were all the prose-
.ution was able to, use in it's at
tempt to build a chain of per-
jury and prejudice that will
give the strike leaders what
amounts to life sentences.
Saturday three witnesses for the
lefense brought out more facts Of
he events of June Z.
W. E. Ray, textile worker, told
low Policeman Gilbert acted on the
picket line. Gilbert was one of
hose who a few minutes later was
accompanying Chief of Police Alder
iolt in the attempt to disarm the
strikers guard at the union lot and
.ent colony, in preparation for the
massacre that was to be perpetrated
~ the police.
Ray witnessed the attack by the
Iastonia deputies on the strikers
,icket line, which marched from the
.ent colony and National Textile
Workers. Union headquarters to-
ward the Loray mill, and was broken
I'D, lust before the police attacked
he headquarters.
He testified that he saw Tom Gil
,ert blackjack a man and then
mock down old Mrs. McGinnis, a
grandmother, but one of the pickets.
Then Gilbert said, Lets go down
here and run them out and tear
heir place up. I'd figrt a woman
Is soon as a man."
Marie Huntzinger, a II year old
triker, member of the Youth De-
,artment of the N.T.W.U., corro-
,orated the testimony of all other
lefense witnesses who were at the
trike meeting which preceded the
,icketing, and refuted the prosecu-
ion witnesses coached testimony
hat Beal told the pickets to go into
he mill, and to "shoot and shoot
kill" Beal told them only to go
the mill and picket, and that a
;roup of the night workers would
'ome out and join them on strike.
lie said nothing about shooting.
Huntzinger saw the battle, and
estified that Gilbert attacked the
guard, Harrison, and that the po-
ice fired the first shots.
During the cross-examination, the
prosecution attorneys pointed dra-
natically up to the gallery, where
he labor jury, with two Negro men,
,ers on it, sits throughout the trial,
eady to report to the working class
he results and methods of the
prosecutions attempted railroading.
The gallery is the Jim Grow sec
ion, and the whole labor jury sits
here in solidarity with the two
Negro members, who were thrown
'ut of the regular section for the
White audience down below.
The prosecution tried to intimate
hat the labor jury was influencing
he defense witness by boarding at
Ter mothers boarding house.
Saw First Shot Fired.
Floyd Rathbone, a textile worker,
old of events at the meeting, tes-
flied that Beal did not make the
emarks ascribed to him by the
Prosecutions perjurers, and told
lso of Policeman Jacksons beating
p striker on the picket line, and
# Gilbert's declaration that the
ime had come to go up and kill out
III the unionists.
He also saw the police fire the
frst shot at the union grounds, that
hey had gone there soon after
reaking up the picket line, and evil
lently in agreement with Gilbert s
announcement that it was time to
ill all the unionists. Rathbone saw
Gilbert holding the guard on the
round, after the police had wrest-
d away his gun, and other police
eating him with their guns.
Rathbone told of Gilbert's attempt
raise a gang few days before
he actual raid, when he met crowd
boys at Gastonia lunch counter
nd told them that they could go
own to union headquarters any
ime they wanted and raise hell, and
they needed any liquor, he would
let it for them
All witnesses testified the police
Iad been drinking.