Over 70 gathered Wednesday in Lattimer to remember the mission, the injustice and the death toll.

On Sept. 10, 1897, 400 immigrant coal miners on strike from Carbon, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties were met and fired on by sheriff's deputies.Unarmed, the miners were marching from Harwood to Lattimer in support of higher wages and more equitable working conditions. Nineteen miners were killed and 38 wounded in one of the most violent acts in American labor history.Those who gathered beneath the Lattimer Massacre Monument, erected on the site of the slaughter, paid tribute to lives lost and families torn apart.An interfaith service of remembrance and healing took place, sponsored by 12 churches in the region and the Hazleton One Community Center."We remember great courage," recited the crowd in unison, part of the litany of remembrance and hope. "We remember the patriotic enthusiasm these new immigrants displayed. We have come here today to remember the stark reality of shots fired that caused injury, death and destruction that day, and down through the years."Among the speakers was historian Bill Bachman, Dallas, who read the names of the deceased.Clergy recited the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.The event also featured an appearance of the Patch Town Players, living historians and reenactors who portray the people of the anthracite during its heyday.The site of the bloodshed on Lattimer Road remained unmarked for 80 years. Finally, in 1972, the United Labor Council of Lower Luzerne and Carbon counties joined with the UMWA to erect a memorial, which stands today.