Salt Lake Tribune | 1914-03-08 | Page 3 | [Illegible] Tell of Italian Hall Panic

IESSESlTF mm pic ssional Committee Citizens' Alliance Ac-used Ac-used of Horror. N IS MUZZLED y for Federation of irs Not Allowed to Ask Questions. CET, Mich., March 7. A fitnesses "wero oxanrincd today leutativos Taylor of Arkansas of Pennsylvania, members of rossional convontion investi-e investi-e Michigan copper strike, in to ascertain the causo of tho all panic in which seventy-ions seventy-ions loBt their lives, omen and children who had ,e hall when the panic Btarted, i stout man wearing a long and a fur cap stood in tho and shouted "Fire." Somo man's lapol boro a Citizens' utton, but none attempted to Sehaltz, a boy, said he had man in Red Jackot several foro the panic, carrying a ic Erickson testified ho saw wearing Citizens' Alliance i tho doorway after the call The testimony of these two had. not been brought out at jr's inquest, es Subpenaed. itnessos selectod by Anthony Linty prosecutor, as among :onsidorod most important to V coroner's verdict, wero sub-ty sub-ty the committee, as they re-j re-j j appear otherwise jj Maarchesi, who was in the 9 bom outsido the main hall, Baid fit, d no crsr of Are but admitted ,the hall might have prevented J ing such a cry. ' Poggio. who said he was insido Jnear the door, Baid he heard no fat and thought the rush was M the entertainment was over. ' H JJuonia testified ho was at the -'J ''of the steps with his little girl $ ie rush began and heard no cry, a x the chila told him "somebody . j yfire up there." 3 Josephine Lcskola testified that a she was near the middle of tho hall when a man who stood alongside her cried "Fire! FiTel " and then started for the door. Sho said ho was a large man with a long overcoat and that be wore the button of the Citizens' Alliance Alli-ance on his coat. Swears to the Button. John Burcar, 13 years old, described tho man ho said ho hoard cry "fire" as a short, stout, man. "Ho wore a long overcoat with the fur collar turned up and had a Citizens' Alliance button on bis breastpocket," said the witness. Mrs. Mary Keoskolos said a large, stout man cried "fire, rush," and the panic started. Sho said ho wore a button, but-ton, but sho could not distinguish tho lettering on it. Mrs. Eliza Lesh heard a male voice cry "fire" twice in English and then its Slavonic equivalent, "vatra." Mrs. Anna Lustig, who lost a little boy in tho rush, was positive that the man who cried "fire" wore the insignia insig-nia of the Citizens' Alliance. Hilton Protests. 0. N. Hilton of counsel for tho "Western "West-ern Federation of Miners, protested at the decision of the committoo that Prosecutor Iucas would be the only attorney at-torney to examine witnesses. Hilton told the investigators he could not carry tho burden of proof unless he were permitted to question the witnesses. wit-nesses. Bepresontntivo Taylor told him it was the decision of the full committee commit-tee that the inquiry be conducted in this way, but that any questions he wished asked would be asked for him by one of the committeemen. Defend Action Taken. The South Iiaugc raid by members of the Citizens' Alliance, acting as a sher iff's posse, on union headquarters in a search for arms, was defended today by witnesses beloro the congressional eommittoe investigating tho Michigan copper strike. Witnesses for tho Houghton county sheriff's office occupied tho stand throughout the day. Undcrsheriff William Wil-liam lleikkila, who was accused by Louis Fodar, a striker, with an attempt to "railroad him to the pen," explained ex-plained his encounter with Fodar when he went to arrest him for assaulting uouuniou workers. Tho witness said that, the strikor's wife resisted his entranco with a kettle of hot water and that he found Fodar in a closet with a nun in his hand. Ho told of grappling with Fodar and said tho latter fired at him. He' doniod giving giv-ing false testimony at Fodar 's trial. Deputy Sheriff William Lucas told of searching tho union headquartors for arms after being told that tho strikers meant to "shoot up" South Range. In the raid Deputy Sheriff Driscoll was shot, thirty men wero arrestod and a number of trims seized. Tho congressional committee investigating investi-gating tho coppor miners' strike tonight to-night ended its hearing in the copper region. On Monday tho committee expects ex-pects to hear witnesses in defense of tho Michigan national guard in Chicago.