New Britain herald., 1929-10-05
Gov. Gardner to Hold Meeting
 Of Marion, N. C., Strike Leaders
 Tonight In Effort to Halt Trouble
Union Men and Company Representatives Agree to Discuss Situation-National Guard Commander
 to Permit Limited Picketing at Mill Gates

Marion, N. c, Oct. 5 UP)-Ef- forts of those whose purpose it is to avoid bitterness and compose, if possible. Marion's textile mill labor troubles. began to show effect to- day.
 Conferences last night among union men, L. I. Jenkins, Ashevlle banker and himself q mill owner, Judge N. A. Townsend, personal opreSentatiVe of Governor O. Max Gardner and others brought these results:
 A meeting with Governor Gard ner was arranged for strike leaders to take place at Raleigh. the state capital, at $40 D. m. today.
 Col. Copeland, commanding the National Guardsmen who were sent here 10 maintain order in the Marion mill village. agreed to per init limited picketing of the mill. Accordingly, two pickots will be placed sometime today at the gates of the Marion manufacturing com pany's plant, William Ross, of the union forces, said last night, and he hopes to increase the number grad ually.
 Union leaders agreed that for the present no meetings would be held so as to avoid any unnecessary ir- ritation of the situation.
 Francis J. German first vice president of the United Textile Workers of America; John A. Peel, vice president of the North Carolina State Federation of Labor; James Myers, Of the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America and Jenkins, will attend the conference with the governor.
 "We intend to lay our side of the situation before him. German and Peel told the United Press, and we hope that the governor can use his good offices to bring about a settle ment"
 Any settlement of the strike, the leaders said, must include reinstG~o- ment Of all union men in their jobs "In good faith and without pre- judice."
 "We want to avoid trouble,' Peel and German emphasized. I've will not sacrifice our union, but we want no more tragedies such as that of Wednesday morning and We will do more than our share to avoid them
 In the meantime Judge w. F. Harding, sitting as 8 committing Oscar Adkins, IS of his deputies and four mill employees, charged with murder, and the cases of 3S strik- CTS charged was assault, riot, rebel lion and resisting an officer, con- tinued his investigation today.
 Three witnesses thus far have testified they saw Sheriff Adkins himself shoot Sam Nickers, one of the five dead; one testified he heard Adkins give the order to open fire: and all have said they saw several deputies, but no strikers firing.
 Defense Plans
 Attorneys for the IS defendants have indicated by their cross eXam- ination, however, that they propose to show Adkins did not fire a shot: that in fact he was attacked by strikers before the shooting began and that the first shot was fired by some one in the crowd of strikers.
 Evidence has shown something of the temper of the mill people.
 "I went down to the mill" testi- fled Walden Minish, "sO if it was necessary for me to fight for what was right I'd be there to do it."
 He denied he had cursed the Of fcers saying: T never cuss."
 You never curse?" queried the attorney. but you'll get up at a. m. to fight"
 But the law (meaning the off cers) done all the fighting" said Mnsh.
 You expected to fight"
 "No. if had, I'd gone down there prepared"
 But you were going to make them obey the union 2"
 Yes" said Minish. shaking heavy, brown fist. "I'd use this"