There are sixty miners in the Hall.  They decide to go at once to Harleigh, to exert “moral suasion” on their fellow miners there.

They start from the Hall unarmed, walking two by two.  At the head of the line of sixty men, one carries the Stars and Stripes; another a white flag.  There is nothing revolutionary about the procession.  It is a sharp contrast to the armed force of the Culpepper Minute Men, who, under the leadership of Patrick Henry, marched to Williamsburg, Virginia, to demand instant restoration of powder to an old magazine, or payment for it by the Colonial Governor, Dunmore.  The Minute Men carried as their standard a flag bearing the celebrated rattlesnake, and the inscription “Liberty or Death:  Don’t tread on me.”

The route to Harleigh is in an opposite direction to the armory.  The little column passes out of the town of Hazleton and is a mile distant when the Coal and Iron Police learn of their departure.

Instantly there is a bustle in the armory.

“Form your company, Captain Grout,” the sheriff orders.

“Give each man twenty rounds.  Tell them not to fire until I give the order.  When they do open fire, have them shoot to kill.”

The company is formed on the floor of the armory.  It receives the orders; one-third of the force is left to guard the armory.

In column of fours the main body marches out, Captain Grout and Sheriff Marlin in the lead.

To catch up with the miners the column marches in route step.

“We will head them off at the cross roads this side of Harleigh,” the sheriff explains.  “There is a cut in the road there, and we can put our men on either side.  When the miners come within range I shall challenge them.  If they do not turn back, it will be your duty to compel them to do so.”

Unconscious of the approach of the sheriff and his posse, the miners march on.  The road is heavy and they are so much run down by long weeks of short rations that they cannot make rapid headway.

Sheriff Marlin and his men are now at the cut near the cross roads.

Captain Grout stations his men to command either side of the road.  The banks of the cut are fringed with brush, which affords a complete cover for the men.

“You keep out of sight, too, Captain,” Sheriff Marlin orders.  “I will stop the miners.  If they see you and the Coal and Iron Police they may scatter, and some of them reach Harleigh.”

The ambuscade is complete.  Five minutes passes.  There is no sign of the miners.

“Can they have been told of our plan to head them off?” asks the sheriff.

At this moment the head of the procession of miners turns the corner of the road.  The American Flag and the White Flag are still in the van.

The sheriff takes up a position on the side of the road.  As the miners come up to him, he calls them to “halt.”

“Where are you going?” he demands.