THE HEREIN TRIALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18277, 19 December 1922, Page 9

THE HEREIN TRIALS.

WITNESSES INTIMIDATED.

FARMERS TO RETALIATE. A. and N.Z. NEW YORK. Dec. 17

By intimidation attempts are being made to obstruct the trials now proceeding at Marion. Illinois, of five miners ■who are indicted for murder in connection with the massacre of strike breakers at Herrin in June.

Incensed by threats that farmer witnesses who give evidence will be killed by the strikers, a secret organisation of farmers has been formed which has announced that for every fanner witness killed the organisation will take toll of ten attackers. One witness before taking the stand broke down, wept, and begged to be excused. He explained that be was apprehensive of an' attack, and said that he feared for his family.

The special grand jury which inquired into the massacre of working minors and mine guards at Herrin in June last returned 214 indictments, of which 44 are for murder, 58 for conspiracy to murder, 53 for rioting, and 54 for assault with.intent to commit murder. The jury's report recites how on June 21 there was an attack upon the men working at tho mine, and the fire was returned by the guards. At the "break of day the following morning firing began in a severe'volume." Finally the men at the mine, " surrounded by hundreds of men, most of them armed," ran up a white flag, and the "spokesman from the attacking party " promised " safe conduct " if arms were laid down. Forty-seven men surrendered. lne report then states: — " The captive men were marched (town toward Herrin in double file. After they had marched about one mile Superintendent McDonald, being crippled and unable to keep up with the procession, was taken bv numbers of the mob and *hot to death. The remainder of the captives were marched on the public road and were stopped at the power house of the inter-urban -railroad, about three miles from Herrin. Here a change in the leadership took place, and the man who had guaranteed the safety of tho men who had surrendered was deposed, and another leader installed. •■ The new commander ordered the captive men to march into the woods, adjacent to and around the power nouse. Here the new leader directed thet # on y those in the crowd who had guns snould follow into the woods, and those who were unarmed should remain without, "The surrendered men were then marched some 200vds. behind the power house to tho vicinity of a barbed wire fence, where they were told they would be Riven a chance to run for their lives tinder fire. The firing began immediatelv, and 13 of the 47 non-union men were killed, and most of the others Beverelv wounded. , , 'The mob pursued those who had escaped, and two were hung to trees, hix were tied together with a rope about their necks and marched through the streets of Herrin to an adjacent cemeterv, where they were shot by the mob and the throat* of three were cut. One of the six survived " The indignities heaped upon the dead did not en§ until the bodies were interred- into .unWwn graves.