Hellraisers Journal: From The Day Book: Testimony Describes Tactics of Waddell-Mahon Gunmen at Calumet, Michigan

Armory, Laurium, March 7, 1914. — 10 a. m.

Proceedings had before the subcommittee in regard to the Italian Hall disaster of December 24, 1913.

Present: Congressman Taylor, of Arkansas, chairman of the sub committee; Congressman Casey, cf Pennsylvania; Anthony Lucas, prosecuting attorney of Houghton County; O. N. Hilton and Otto Christensen, of counsel for the miners.

Houghton, Mich., March 7, 1914

At the village of Red Jacket, March 7, 1914, in the hall of the armory, Congressman Taylor of Arkansas, for Congressman Casey and himself, made the following statement:

To the people assembled in this hall:
Congressman Casey and myself desire to convey to you the information that we have been appointed a subcommittee from the congressional committee now sitting at the village of Houghton to visit this village or community for the purpose of obtaining statements from your citizens touching the disaster which occurred at Italian hall on December 24, 1913, and in doing so we have invited Prosecuting Attorney Hon. Anthony Lucas, of your district, to be present with us. We have invited also such attorneys as are interested b the investigation generally to be present, but not to take part in the way of interrogating witnesses. We would be pleased to have either of them, however, or any citizen suggest such witnesses as were present at the time the unfortunate calamity occurred, to the end that we may obtain, if possible, the facts. Of course, the prosecuting attorney, the Hon. Mr. Lucas, will be permitted at his election to ask such questions as he may think proper, but in the main interrogatories will be propounded by the Hon. Mr. Casey and myself.

We will commence at this time hearing such evidence as may be offered and will conclude the investigation so that we may return to Houghton this evening and resume our sitting with the full committee at 7.30. Now, with this understanding, we will proceed.

If there is any witness present that knows anything about the facts we will be glad to have him present himself and tell us all he knows on the subject referred to.

Mr. Hilton. We had prepared, Mr. Chairman, a procedure at this time, presume that the affirmative of the issue is upon us, the understanding being at the last conversation I had with the committee that the same procedure would obtain as it has heretofore, the proponents being the striking miners. If it is the desire of the committee to proceed in this manner, the burden would be not upon me, not upon the district attorney, but the committee would be at liberty to hear such witnesses as they may in their discretion see fit to call.

The Chairman. I would be thankful if you have witnesses, or a list of names of any citizens, we will hear them now.

Mr. Hilton. I had prepared a list of witnesses, but I don’t feel like suggesting them, because they were confined entirely to one point, and if the matter is to be heard in conjunction on my part, with the district attorney, in full, at the deference of the committee, I think perhaps the list had better be looked over by him and such selections be made from them as he may wish to make….

The Chairman…Now, if there is any citizen present to-day who was present that afternoon, who can speak the English language, we would like to hear what he has to say. If not, we will have to use an interpreter so that we can get the story. We want to get the facts so that Congress will know about this unfortunate calamity, and it is our purpose to get through as speedilv as possible and go back to Houghton, as I stated, this afternoon. We are up here under promise to Judge Hilton that we would come before going back to Washington, and we are here now. Is there any persons that will speak up? If so, if they know anything about it I hope they will feel free to testify willingly…
(At this point Mr. Lucas appeared with several witnesses.)

[Emphasis added.]

2065. Mrs. Leskella:
(Here John Laity was duly sworn as interpreter.)
She was present in the hall Cmas eve. She was there with her 4 children, she kept her children safe by taking a seat near the windows.
The man touched her chest
She saw and heard the man yell fire
She saw CA button on left breast
“It was near that same time all these buttons came.”
The man had on a long overcoat

2067. Mrs. Elin Lesh:
She was at the party. It started about 2 PM. She was checking union cards at the door until about 3 PM, & then she moved to the stage to assist with giving candy to the children.
She heard the cry of fire in Austrian and English… “Fire, fire,” and then
“Watra, watra”
She did not see the man

2069.  Mr. Oppman:
Gives a description of the Italian Hall

2070. Anna E. Lustig:
She was there Cmas Eve. She lost one of her little boys in the crush. Her husband arrived and was frantic to get inside, the guards clubbed him. Before the party, her children had been told by other children that they would all be burned during the party.
The man was just about one step inside the main door to the hall when he yelled fire
The man had CA button on
She was standing 9 or 10 ft from the man, the people btw her & the man
were all seated
The man was standing

2073. Peter Petchetino:
He was there Cmas Eve. He walked right into big hall, no one checked him for union card.

2076. John Bucar:
He was there Cmas Eve. 13 years old. Did not join the rush. Left by fire escape.
He was on the stage then walking towards the main doors to w/i about 2 ft
of the man
The man had on a “christey,” a hat pulled over his eyes
The man hollered fire twice
The man had a dark face and a little mustache
The man had on a dark overcoat with a fur collar
The man had CA button pinned to left breast pocket
The man yelled fire, then ran down the stairs
The man was short and stout

2077. Mary Koskela:
She was there Cmas Eve. She was there with 4 children, none of them killed.
The man yelled fire, he was about 20 ft from her, near the main door to the hall
The man was big and stout
The man was dressed in dark clothes
The man had a cloth hat on
The man had on a blue heavy coat with high collar
The man had on a white button on left breast

2078. Mrs. Hilda Forester:
She was there Cmas Eve. She had 2 children with her. She was caught in the crush, passed out, came to upstairs in the hall.
She was standing by the door when the man stepped in and yelled fire
The man was wearing a CA button on left side
The man was stout with red face
The man had a kind of sealskin cap pulled over his face
The man had on a dark blue suit and a coat
The man was stout, about 5 ft 9 in

2079. Mary Lanto:
She was there Cmas Eve. She was near the stage with her baby as the rush began. She did not join the rush. She did not hear the cry of fire because it was noisy near the stage. The hall was full. Her husband and 7 children were with her, one girl caught in crush who survived.

2080. Mary Merilaimen, a witness, sworn, testified through Interpreter Laity as follows:
She was there Cmas Eve. She heard the cry of fire, but didn’t see the man.

2081. Frank Schaltz:
He was there Cmas Eve. 12 years old. He was caught in the crush, but was not injured.
He was standing near the center of the hall & saw the man yell fire
The man had on a dark coat
The man was of medium height
The man had on a fur cap pulled over his eyes
The man threw his hands forward as he yelled fire
The man had on a white button with red lettering
“I seen this man before, about three or four weeks, on Sixth Street, carrying a club.”
After yelling fire, the man rushed for the stairway
He was about 10 or 15 ft from the man who yelled fire

2083. Paul Jakkola:
He was there Cmas Eve.
He was standing at the top of the stairs as the man came up the stairs and passed right by him
The man was of good size
The man had a corduroy collar
The man had a dark mustache
The man had a cap pulled over his forehead
The man had on a CA button on left breast of coat
He was 2 ft from the man as he yelled fire
As soon as the witness heard the man yell fire, he ran downstairs to the saloon to see if there was a fire, there was no fire

2083. Charles Saari:
He was there Cmas Eve. He left the Hall about 20 minutes before the rush began.

2084.Charles Olsen:
He was there Cmas Eve. He had with him his 2 little girls and his wife. He was looking for his wife and children because he wanted to go home. His wife and children were not caught in the crush.
He got up on a chair to get a better view, to find his wife and girls just as the man came into the hall thru the main doors
He saw and heard the man yell fire, and a lady tried to grab the man as the man turned to rush out of the Hall, she tried to grab the man’s right arm as he rushed past her.
The man was about 5 ft 8 or 10 in tall.
The man was stout with broad shoulders
The man had on a dark gray overcoat
The man had on a button that looked like the CA button
The man waived his arms about and then he disappeared
The man had on a fur cap pulled down

2087. Peter Lanto:
He was there Cmas Eve. He was standing at the landing near the main door as the rush began, he got pushed down the stairs. Did not see the man or hear the call of fire.

2089. Erick Erickson:
He was there Cmas Eve. He had his 4-year-old boy by the hand when he heard people shouting fire. He saw 2 fellows with CA buttons on, maybe three. He doesn’t know who shouted fire. But:

The Chairman: What direction from you was the noise of “fire” or hollering of “Fire” coming from? The Witness. By the door, behind me — that is, coming from by the door where you get in the hall. I don’t know how far, but I heard, I heard holler, and he holler pretty hard.

2090. John Jokopie:
He was there Cmas Eve. He was standing on the landing at top of stairs near main doors. Did not hear cry of fire, did not see man with CA button. “There was a lot of noise inside and it was possible that I could not have heard it.” He had come down stairs ahead of the rush. There were no deputies there at that time, they came later after the rush.

2091. Afternoon Session 2 PM

The Chairman. Having the coroner’s inquest, and by agreement of parties who are familiar with the facts, we state that in the stair way at Italian Hall there were killed 62 children and 11 adults, making 73 in all.

2091. Peter Marchesey:
He was there Cmas Eve. He was in the ticket room (at the top of the stairs, outside of the main doors leading into the hall) as the rush began. He did not hear the cry of fire, “there was a certain amount of noise.”

2093. John Boggio, a witness, sworn, testified on examination through Interpreter Paul Tommie as follows:
He was there Cmas Eve. He was sitting down 10 feet from main entrance as rush began. Did not see the man or hear the man yell fire. It was noisy in the hall. His family was with him. He left the hall before the rush began. The rush began about 2 minutes after he left. Deputies [deputize company gunthugs] would not let him go back up.

2095. Eli Wiropia:
He was there Cmas Eve. He did not see the man or hear the cry of fire. He was near the bottom of the stairs going outside when his little girl told him that somebody shouted fire. He left with his children before the rush began. He got across the street with his children and the rush began.

2096.

The Chairman. Now, if there is any lady or gentleman present that would like to come to the stand and make a statement you are at liberty to do so. We want to go back to Houghton on the 4 o’clock train and be with the full committee, but if there is anyone here that knows anything and wants to tell it, we will be glad to receive it — that is, leading to any information about this matter.

[Emphasis added.]

2096. Jalmer Olsen, a voluntary witness (not sworn), testified as follows :
He was outside near the deputies. He came to the Hall after the fire whistle blew.

The Witness. Jalmer Olsen.
The Chairman. Where do you live?
The Witness. Osceola. I noticed one thing in special that I would like to say out and that is a Finnish man went up to the deputies — there were four or five deputies, and this here Finnish man went up to those deputies, and he spoke something to him, but I couldn’t near the words he said. I was standing about 10 or 15 feet away from him. One deputy took this man by the collar or some place around his neck and this deputy pushed him out from there and told him to go out from there. He had a club in his other hand. He told him he didn’t want any orders from anyone like him. I followed this man, as I wanted to see where the deputy would bring him, and when they got aways more people gathered around the hall, and he told him not to come up there any more, “If you come I will have you thrown in jail.” I came back with this fellow after, and we stood there a little while again, and the deputies said something to us, but I couldn’t catch what they said. They clubbed this other fellow a couple of times, and he didn’t do nothing. Then they chased us away, but I went to the same place where I had been standing when I saw this man took and the deputies were right near the wall between the two places where the fire escape comes down. I got on the corner and after a few minutes the deputies chased me and told me I wasn’t allowed to come so close, and that they would arrest me if I did, and shove me in jail. After awhile I went back there again and I saw the stairway was loaded, the people were loaded up in the stairway. Why, the stairway was crowded and jammed full, as full as it could possibly be. The people were right down to the bottom of the stairway, some of them lying down and hollering and crying in a terribie way. Nobody seemed to give them a hand. It was full up to the top of the door, and they had to open the window on the side of the stairway and get them out that way.
Congressman Casey. This was after ?
The Witness. When the biggest rush was come downstairs.

[Emphasis added.]

2097. Copy of Corner’s Inquest entered into record.

[A list of names] came to their death on the 24th day of December, A. D. 1913. at the Italian hall, in the village of Red Jacket, by the evidence we find, of the witnesses, that the cause of the death of the above-named persons was by suffocation, the same being caused by being jammed on the stairway leading to the entrance of the Italian hall, where a Christmas celebration was being held under the auspices of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Western Federation of Miners, and the stampede was caused by some person or persons within the hall, unknown to the jury at this time, raising an alarm of fire within the hall, and we further find that no person or persons was allowed inside of the hall where the celebration was being held without producing a union card or having some member of the union vouch for them before they be allowed admittance. We further find by the evidence that the citizens, doctors, firemen, and the sheriff ‘s force are to be commended for their prompt action in their efforts to relieve the suffering.

In testimony whereof the said coroner and the jurors of this inquest have hereunto set their hands the day and year aforesaid.
Burton Barnham.
Jacob Besonen.
Matt Chop.
Dan Yauch.
Jacob Talso.
George F.Talbot.
William Fisher. Coroner.

[Emphasis added.]

[Note: the coroner owed his job to the Houghton County Board which was dominated by the mine owners. James McNaughton, for example, was a member of the board. In fact the door was not monitored after 3 PM. And witnesses above stated that they entered the hall without showing any form of identification.]

2098. Description of Italian Hall

DESCRIPTION OF ITALIAN HALL.The Chairman. The subcommittee is at this moment standing in Italian Hall, where it is said the disaster occurred. The building fronts to the east. This hall is 78 feet long and 38 feet wide. As we stand here we are looking to the east, and in our rear is the stage, some 20 feet wide, and on the right 38 feet from the front of the building is a doorway in the hall which leads into the stairway going down to the street. On the right is a gallery where people may sit and observe what may be going on in the hall. Immediately to the right of the stage is what is called the “barroom,” referred to in the evidence, and beneath the stage is what is called the kitchen, where food is prepared in cases of entertainment. Leading from the bar room is a small hall about 3 feet wide down to the stairway, running parallel with the hall. The door which affords an exit from the hall to the stairway is 6 feet wide. In this hall are 10 windows on the front and left side thereof, and 3 windows at the rear of the stage in the rear of the building. The door entering from the hall to what is called the bar is the same size as the door leading to the stairway. The width of this stairway is 5 feet 9 inches. When leaving the hall there is a vestibule 8 by 10 feet, and the stairway makes to the street immediately down from this vestibule. In leaving this vestibule there is in the stairway 23 steps, and from the door 3 steps to the sidewalk. The building is constructed of brick and the hall is in the second story. Underneath this hall is a room occupied as a tea and coffee store and another occupied as a saloon, the saloon being on the south side of the building and the tea and coffee store to the north. The building is owned by an order known and called the Italian Benevolent Society, and we are told that six or seven lodges meet here at the pleasure of the said society. As we dictate this statement, there is present pobably 100 people, residents and citizens of this town of Red Jacket. Aside from the windows referred to, there are three exits from the hall.(Whereupon the committee adjourned at 3 o’clock.)

[Emphasis added.]