1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: a show that views history as a lesson from the 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: past that can guide those in the present toward a 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:23,959 Speaker 1: better future. I'm Gabe Louisier, and today we're examining a 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: lesser known moment in labor history that deserves to be remembered. 7 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: The day was September That afternoon, at the edge of 8 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: the town of Latimer, Pennsylvania, eighty six deputies under the 9 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: command of Sheriff James Martin opened fire on a crowd 10 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: of unarmed immigrant coal miners who were on strike. Nineteen 11 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: protesters were killed that day, most of whom were shot 12 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: in the back as they fled. Within a few days, 13 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: as many as five more died from their wounds. The 14 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 1: story of their death is rooted in events that occurred 15 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 1: more than ten years earlier. Pennsylvania's anthracite coal mines were thriving, 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: and the promise of steady work brought a wave of 17 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. By that time, in 18 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: the eighteen eighties, the minds had been worked for over 19 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: a century, making them deeper and therefore more dangerous. Than 20 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: they had been in previous years. The increased risk led 21 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: to more injuries and deaths, and prompted surviving workers to 22 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: frequently go on strike for better pay and safer working conditions. 23 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: But rather than addressing these concerns head on, coal operators 24 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: turned to Slavic immigrants as a workaround. Whenever a minor 25 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,880 Speaker 1: was injured, killed, or on strike, plenty of able bodied 26 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: men were ready to step in and replace them. This 27 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: abundant labor supply also allowed those in charge to keep 28 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: the miners wages extremely low. In eighteen ninety, American coal 29 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: miners established a union to better voice their concerns, but 30 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:14,119 Speaker 1: its primary focus was on native or naturalized coal workers, 31 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: not the new immigrant workforce. In fact, when a three 32 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: cent a day tax was levied on coal operators for 33 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: each non US citizen they employed, the union fully supported it. 34 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 1: When that tax went into effect on August twenty one, 35 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: eight seven, coal operators took the three cents a day 36 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: out of their Slavic workers pay. Some immigrant miners already 37 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: made ten to fifteen percent less than their native or 38 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: naturalized colleagues, and when they learned of the new tax cut, 39 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:50,360 Speaker 1: which cut their wages even further. Many saw it as 40 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,399 Speaker 1: the last straw and decided to go on strike. As 41 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 1: the weeks went on, the strike failed to build enough 42 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: momentum to halt the coal operations in lat him er So. 43 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: On the morning of September tent, a group of mostly 44 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: Eastern European miners gathered for a protest rally. In the 45 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 1: early afternoon, the four hundred or so men began a 46 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: peaceful march to one of the Latimer coal mines. On 47 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: route to the mine, the protesters encountered Sheriff Martin, along 48 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 1: with his eighty six deputies and about sixty or so 49 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: members of the coal company police. They had gotten wind 50 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: of the day's activities and decided to intervene, allegedly fearing 51 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: that the crowd would turn violent and do damage to 52 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: the mine or to its operators. The armed men lined 53 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: both sides of the public road and Sheriff Martin read 54 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: a proclamation ordering the miners to call off their march. 55 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: Some miners refused to comply and pushed forward. A voice 56 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: in the crowd, possibly the sheriff himself, yelled fire and 57 00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: several men fell dead. The rest of the miners turned 58 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: around and start had to run back the way they'd come, 59 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: but the shooting continued anyway for roughly two minutes. The 60 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: nineteen immigrant miners killed at Latimer were quickly adopted as 61 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: symbols of the region's labor struggle. They were buried in 62 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: pauper's graves, but as many as eight thousand people attended 63 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 1: their funerals. As for Sheriff Martin and his men, they 64 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:25,520 Speaker 1: were put on trial five months later for the death 65 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: of one of the miners. The defense attorneys argued that 66 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: the immigrant miners had come to destroy the American way 67 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: of life and that they were quote invaders from the 68 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: steps of Hungary. When the trial concluded, the sheriff and 69 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 1: his deputies were found innocent by a jury of their peers. 70 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: Despite this verdict, the Latimer massacre had a lasting effect 71 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: on immigrant labor in the region. Just two years later, 72 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: John Mitchell, the president of the Coal Miners Union, called 73 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:00,679 Speaker 1: for a strike in support of immigrant miners. He appealed 74 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: to his fellow members saying, quote the coal you dig 75 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: isn't Slavish or Polish or Irish coal. It's just coal. 76 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: This phrase became the rallying cry of future strikes, which 77 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: were successful in securing shorter work days, safer working conditions, 78 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: and wage increases for coal union members, including those who 79 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: were foreign born. Seven decades later, on September tenth, seventy two, 80 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: the state of Pennsylvania established a roadside marker and a 81 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: memorial dedicated to the fallen miners. A memorial service has 82 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: been held at the site every year since. Many of 83 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,480 Speaker 1: the details shared in today's show come from the research 84 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: of paul A Shackle, an anthropologist at the University of 85 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: Maryland and the author of Remembering Latimer. If you'd like 86 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: to learn more about this event, his book would be 87 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,719 Speaker 1: a perfect place to start. I'm gay, Bluesier and hopefully 88 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 89 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you have any comments or suggestions, 90 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: please send them to me at this Day at i 91 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 1: heart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing 92 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see you 93 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,280 Speaker 1: back here again tomorrow for another day in the History Class. 94 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 95 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 96 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: favorite shows.