The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-10-22
STRIKER WEARS
HANDOUTS AS
HE,FACES KNIFE
Sinclair Lewis Tells Story
of Justice Down in
Bloody Marion.
CONTINUED From Page II

ing Governor. lutte willing to be
identified only with the mill.
There were five Of these defense
attorneys. the principal ones being
MI Winborne, D. F. Morgan and
Frank Watson.
Mr.. Watson. who vas brought in
from outside Of Marion. looks like
a stage doctor He has the white
beard and white goatee; he IS al
together suave. It is true that when
he is examining a striker on the
stand, he is, for all his suavity, a
little severe. He suggests that they
ere liars: he suggests that they were
there on that tragic morning of
Oct. only for evil purposes.
Morgan Is Star
But the real star of the trial, to
an outsider like myself, was Mr.
Morgan, D. F. Morgan of Marion.
He is a rather handsome man, tall,
lean, with iron gray hair and mus
tache. It is easy to remember his
name, because when I think of him
I think of Morgan's raiders during
the Civil war. Mr. Morgan is an
admirable raider. He takes things
seriously. During the eighteen or
twenty hours that 1 watched him
in the courtroom, he never smiled.
Whenever he had the task Of
cross-examining one of the strik-
ers' witnesses, he talked to him in a
manner that. to me, was terrifying.
That may be only because Of my
lack of experience in court report
ing. But I do wish to bring in the
testimony of one of the New York
reporters present. He said that in
twenty years of covering trials he
never had heard an attorney talk to
witnesses in such harsh manner as
that used by d. F. Morgan of
Marion, N. G. So that it may be that
my innocence agrees with experience.
But enough of the lawyers in the
courtroom-indeed, if I were wise I
would make this an end to the whole
courtroom scene and the whole
Marion situation.
Talk of World Series
When I left the courtroom to
buy some cigaretS and to have a
cup of coffee, I found that the peo-
pie of Marion were not talking about
the trial. They were talking only
about the worlds series.
In the restaurant where I went
there was a radio with a loud
speaker-oh, God! how loud that
speaker was, how loud, how loud!-
which was giving the report of the
game.
I wonder if it would be too opti-
mistic to hope that these stories of
mine may be published and that
when the newspapers with them ar
rive in Marion they may, for an
hour or two. be almost as important
as the worlds series.
OF course most of the courtroom
was filled with people, plain, Ordi-
nary people. but since I have been
in Marion have learned that ordi-
nary people count so little that they
are scarcely worth describing.
They were bunch of tall, slim
mountaineers, the men mostly wear
ing overalls, the women in their
best gowns made in 1900 or
earlier-and their girls and boys in
rather smart clothing.
Buy Good Clothes
For be it said, that however terri
bic the houses of the mill workers
of Marion, the boys and girls are
buying good clothes. Some day
they may wish to have flivvers and
decent food I wonder what will
happen then? I wonder if they will
go on being satisfied with less than
$13 a week wages?
Since I have written this. Sheriff
Adkins and part of his deputies have
been freed.
The strikers are beaten. Will they
stay so?
Next-Sinclair Lewis will discuss
southern mill owners who are not
southern at all; also he will tell
about terrible foreigners" bearing