Lattimer massacre

In August and September 1897, anthracite coal miners in the Hazleton, Pennsylvania region — many of them recent Slavic, German, and other immigrants — engaged in a series of strikes against the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company and related operators over wage cuts, unpaid labor, and company-town controls. The strikes began with teenage mule drivers on August 14, 1897, and spread rapidly; by August 18 nearly all local mines had closed as workers joined the United Mine Workers (UMW). An initial settlement in late August was followed by the mine owners reneging on promised wage increases, and strikes resumed in September, eventually involving 8,000 to 10,000 miners. Unable to suppress the strike with their own private Coal and Iron Police, mine owners requested help from Luzerne County Sheriff James F. Martin, who formed an armed posse.

On September 10, 1897, about 300 to 400 unarmed strikers, nearly all Slavic and German immigrants, marched toward the Lattimer mine, owned by Calvin Pardee, to support the newly formed UMW union. They were repeatedly confronted by law enforcement and ordered to disperse but continued marching. According to accounts, deputies had spent the morning joking about how many miners they would kill, with one reportedly stating he expected to "drop six" upon arrival. When the marchers reached Lattimer around 3:45 p.m., they were met by the sheriff and roughly 150 armed deputies. A scuffle occurred when Sheriff Martin attempted to seize an American flag from the lead marcher, after which deputies opened fire on the unarmed crowd. At least 19 miners were killed and between 17 and 49 were wounded; medical evidence indicated many victims were shot in the back, and some sustained multiple wounds.

In the aftermath, Pennsylvania National Guard troops were deployed to the area to restore order, and unrest continued for weeks, including an unsuccessful search for a mine superintendent and a later confrontation involving a group of women and men who attempted to shut down another coal works before being turned back by Guard troops. Sheriff Martin and 73 deputies were arrested and tried. Defendants argued the marchers had disobeyed dispersal orders and charged toward them. Witness John Pusti testified that the strikers were unarmed and that he was shot in the arm and leg, with the leg wound entering from the back. Despite medical evidence showing most strikers were shot from behind, the sheriff and his deputies were acquitted.

The Lattimer massacre is described as a turning point for the United Mine Workers, which saw more than 10,000 new members join afterward, and contributed to the union career of John Mitchell, who was later elected UMW president. A memorial was not erected at the site until 1972, when the United Labor Council of Lower Luzerne and Carbon counties and the UMW placed a small marker there.