The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-21
Sensational Report Of
 U. 5. Grand Jury.
Miners of West Virginia Severely Arraigned for the Bloodshed Which Followed Attempt to Arrest Some of Their
 Number.

charleston, W. Va, March 20.-The spe- cial report of the Federal Grand Jury | m Juose keller's court was made pub nc tnis afternoon by permission of At torney General Knox to whom 1t was taken by District Attorney Atkinson. The Grand Jury assigns as a reason for mak- ing special report .he fact that there nao been grave violation of law ending Tn bioodshed and that wide newspaper no.oriety with gross misrepresentation mad been given the affair ana great in- Jusuce done the officers of the court. The report then continues in substance as follows: we nave examined a large number of witnesses who were present and partici- pateo Tn what took place at Atkinson Viiie February g, which eliminated in the battle at Stanaford City on the morn- | ing of February 25, 1903.
 The evidence before us as to what occurred at Atkinsville was not only rom United States Deputy Marshals but rom citizens of Raleigh County and mem-
 oers or the miners union and was un- | contradicted and irrefutable. On that day U. w. Cunningham, Deputy United States Marshal went to AtkinsvIlle to
 execute certain writs placed in his hands, | issued from your honor's court He was
 met by an armed mob and informed that | ne would not be permitted to execute said
 wrlts. and his life was threatened. l when he protested against such pro- | ceedings and informed them that he was
 an officer of the law trying to perform
 his duty, the alarm bell was rung and
 he was immediately surrounded by an
 angry mob of armed men and ordered
 to leave the town in five minutes under penalty of death, and one of the mob | QIlf tnb
 the avowed intention of killing him. and
 was only prevented from doing so by
 one of the members of the miners union.
 Deputy Cunningham left the place with | out being able to execute any writs. "The evidence shows that Cunningham | acted throughout in a prudent and con- | servative manner. It further shows that
 the resistance was the result of a con- 1 spiracy on the part of the miners and
 their sympathizers to prevent the execu-
 ton of the orders of the court at all i hazards. even to the commission of mur- | der itself.
 The evidence still further shows that
 the life of John l.. Cook, a reputa ble citizen and deputy sheriff of Raleigh County, was threatened because in the | discharge of his duty as a sworn officer
 of the county. he was trying to enforce the law.
 Tine evidence further shows that a crowd of men, estimated at from 200 to
 300 assembled and camped on Big Noun
 tain. that a portion of them, some 150, | nearly all of whom were armed. started l from there about February 24 That they | appeared to be under strict military dis l cipline and were commanded by men who | evidently had had some military expe- | rience; that they marched from Big | Mountain to Stanaford City, which they | reached about nightfull, February 24,
 1903, that they made no demonstration on
 the way except to hold up Ed Summers, a | citizen, and shot at him, but seemed to | have a destination and were actuated by
 a fixed purpose which in the light of after | events was evidently to resist the execu-
 ton of the process of this, court at the
 muZzle of the gun, to commit murder If | necessary, in order to carry out their un- | lawful design.
 Having been informed of this proceed
 ing and having learned that the men for
 whom they had processes were members
 of the mob, Deputy Marshal Cunningham
 gathered together a number of men as a
 posse comitatus. some twenty or more,
 and left for Stanaford City on the even