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flag if the besiegers would also raise one, and promised to confer with the union officials. Then, in the belief that the sheriff should head any group of mediators, another effort was made to find the missing official. As usual, he could not be located. Someone suggested a citizens’ mediating committee, but the men in the office could not agree upon its composition. They decided, therefore, to put the truce into effect, and work out the details later.
    Edrington called the office of the subdistrict of the United Mine Workers in Herrin. Neither Sneed, the president, nor HughWillis, state board member, was present. In their absence he talked with Fox Hughes, subdistrict vice-president, explained what the committee planned to do, and turned the phone over to Hunter. Hunter asked Hughes to take several men to the mine, put up a white flag, and see that the attackers stopped shooting. The Lester men would have their own flag up before he arrived. As soon as the firing ceased, he and his party could arrange for the withdrawal of the strikebreakers. Hughes agreed. Hunter called the mine, told the officials there that Hughes had agreed to the truce and would be out soon, and directed them to place their white flag where it could be seen. Hunter also asked that they telephone him as soon as the truce was effected.
    Time passed, and the men in the office of the Greater Marion Association became apprehensive. A call to the mine brought word that the strikebreakers’ flag, a sheet thrown over a telegraph wire above a pile of overburden, had been up for some time, but that nobody on the outside had appeared with a flag of any kind. And the firing persisted, though with diminishing intensity. The peacemakers called the subdistrict office again, and learned to their consternation that Hughes had not yet started to the mine. He promised to go at once, and did leave a few minutes later. By phone Hunter told McDowell that Hughes was coming at last, and cautioned him to make certain that his own men held their fire when the union official approached. Soon afterward the mine phone went dead.
    Believing that they had achieved their purpose, all the members of the citizens’ committee except Edrington and Hunter left for their homes. The two men sent out for sandwiches. Hunter took advantage of the lull to make his third report of the day to General Black. By this time he had confirmed McDowell’s report that there had been casualties among the attacking miners. One man had been killed and two others seriously wounded. The miners, nevertheless, had agreed to the truce he proposed, and it was now being put into effect. There was no longer cause for apprehension.
    To the Adjutant General, Hunter’s call brought great relief. That afternoon, after he had learned from Hunter that the mine was under attack, he had received two telephone calls that had convinced him the situation in Williamson County was about to blow up. One came from Lester, who demanded in great excitement that troops be sent to protect his men and property. The other call was from Governor Small at Waukegan. The governor said that Lester had appealed to him, too, for troops, and asked Black what steps he had taken. Black replied that immediately after talking with Lester he had ordered the commanders of three National Guard companies in southern Illinois to have their men ready for an imminent call to active duty. The three units could be mobilized and on their way to the scene of trouble within two hours. Before calling them out, however, he wanted to hear from Colonel Hunter on the ground. What he did would depend upon that officer’s next report. Small approved Black’s course.
    Then came the call from Hunter reporting that a truce was in the making. Black immediately telephoned the news to the governor. Both men agreed that the three companies of guardsmen should be held in readiness, but that they should not be called out that night.
    If Hunter, Black, and Small had