The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-21
READY TO DO MURDER
 IN RESISTANCE OF LAW

ing of February 24 and went to Raleigh where he was joined by Harvey Cook sheriff of Raleigh County. with posse or some sixty or more men. The two posses, commanded by Sherin Cook and Deputy Marshal Cunningham arrived near Stanaford City near mid night of the 24th and arranged to sur round the village about daylight and take ,ne mob by surprise, hoping thereby 10 prevent resistance and bloodshed. Ihey surrounded the town about daylight ana sent squads to different houses where they believed the men for whom they had writs were staying.
 The first demand of the officers of the surrender and admittance was at house occupied by a negro named Stonewali Jackson. Jackson came to door and was told that the parties there were deputy United States marshals and had warrants for the occupants of the house and demanded that they should surrender to the law.
 Jackson slammed the door and when Edward Summers, member of the mar shaFs posse forced 1t open he was fired upon by Jackson.
 The fire was returned by the posse and number of shots were fired both from within and without the house and when the inmates finally surrender to the off, cers 1t was found that two or three of the inmates had been killed and several were wounded. None of the officers was wounded. It was afterwards found that there were eleven men in the house and the officers secured seventeen guns. all of which were empty and also found a large number of empty shells on the floor of the rooms where the men were.
 Tn the meantime the battle had been raging in other parts of the town and according to the testimony of some wit nesses 1,5O0 to 2,0O0 shots were fired alto gether and the evidence shows the strik- CTS had with them a small cannon which they carried away with them. It Is the testimony of the witnesses that no shots were fired by any member of the posse until they had been first fired upon by the strikers; that Deputy Marshal Cum ningham and Sheriff Cook positively in structed their men to use no violence nor to use their arms unless In protection of their lives, which orders, so far as the evidence before us goes, was strictly obeyed.
 "Chriss Evans. national organizer, Uni- ted Mine Workers of America testified that he had the entire charge and con- trol of the United Mine Workers in the district embracing the New River and Kanawaha coal fields and that he fur nish the provisions for striking miners and their families; that he was first in- formed of the trouble in Raleigh County on February 21, that he both wrote and telegraphed to J. H. Lilly and Joseph Gilmore of the afternoon of that day to rake no resistance to the demands of the officers, to submit to arrest and that arrangements had been made for bond for all of those arrested.
 "rhe evidence shays that of the crowd camped on Big Mountain after the dem- onstration at Atkinsonville on Febru- ary q, fifty per cent were not miners nor never had been; that of those who marched from Big Mountain to Sanaford City on the 24th, 1.142. oy actual count, a large number were not nor never had bee n miners, but were composed largely of the lawlcss element of the community or srangers who had come in there to take advantage of the lawlessness origin atng and fostered by the United Mine Workers in the vicinity of the trouble |"
 This report Is signed by all members of the grand jury. and is supplemented by glowing tributes to Deputy Marshal Cunningham and Sheriff Cook,
 Presented to President.
 ernor Atkinson of West Virginia now United States District Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. to-