The Herrin Massacre took place on June 22, 1922 in Herrin, Illinois, during a strike called by the United Mine Workers of America. At the end of a gun battle between strikebreakers, company guards, and striking miners, a group of men who had surrendered to the strikers were assaulted, followed as they were fleeing, and murdered. In the end, nineteen men were dead. UMWA president John Lewis denied responsibility for the attack, and local courts acquitted the miners who had been indicted for the murders. However, the State of Illinois established an investigating committee to ascertain the facts. The proceedings lasted from April 4 to May 19, 1923. At the Kheel Center, you can access those investigation records online here: https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/82687 #CornellRAD #KheelCenter #laborhistory #unitedmineworkers #miners #labormovement https://www.instagram.com/p/CQbg2DpMIB-/?utm_medium=tumblr
