The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-03-04
a Clash Between Rioting Miners
and Officers Of the Law.
ATTEMPT TO ENFORCE INJUNCTION
AT Stamford City Results in
Three Miners Being Killed, Two
MertalIy Wounded and
Several ainers and Federal aed State
DepHties Less ssrIeasIy Injured.

Deputies Less SeFseassy iRjsEeu'
Charleston, Kanawha County, ".
Va, February 25.-At Stamford City,
Raleigh County, a terrible fight took
Mace at dawn today between the joint
bosses of Deputy United States Mar
shal Cunningham and Sheriff Cook on
one side and rioting miners on the
other, as a resuls Of which three min
ers were killed, two others nortally
wounded and 8 number OF othres on
both sides more or less seriously hurt.
The dead are Dick Taylor, Dobson
and an unknown miner; the mortally
wounded are John Heiser and Irwin
Lawson.
The trouble grew out of the attempt
TO arrest thirty-four miners for viola
tion of the blanket Injunction issued
by Federal Judge Keller last August.
Deputy Marshal D. VI. Cunningham
went last Saturday to Atkinsville, a
mining town in Raleigh County, to
arrest men charged with violating the
injunction.
He was surrounded by large party
of miners armed with Winchester RI
aes, who ordered him to leave the
place, AN order which he quickly obey
ed. Sheriff Cook at the same time at
tempted to make some arrests under
process issued by 5he State Court and
was treated in like manner. Gun
ningham returned to this city and re-
ported to the marshal and district at
torney that he could do nothing with
out a large force, and then only at i'm
minent risk of precipitating bloody
conHics. He was instructed TO return
with rnen sufficient to serve the pro-
cess given him, and to do it at all haz-
ard. Before Cunningham returned to
Atkinsville, however, Marshal John
z. Thompson and s. G. Burdett, at
torney for the United Mine Workers,
went TO the scene, spending most Of
Sundag and Monday there. They
found everything quiet, the rioters hav-
ing Withdrawn from she Immediate
neighborhood and crossed New River,
going into camp three hundred strong
near the Big Q mine, on the north
side. Thompson and Burdett came
home Tuesday morning and Cunning
ham and strong posse went from here
to make the arrest. When Atkinsville
was reached the Federal forces were
ioined by Sheriff Cook and his posse.
The coal companies near by furnish
ed some guards, and the deputy and
sheriff found themselves in command
of about hundred we'll armed and
determined men. The rioters had re-
crossed the river on Tuesday and were
parading up and down before the Vari-
Gus coal works, from l5O to 200 men
armed with Winchester rifles. They
intimjdated miners at work, drove
away che guards of the mines and even
went SO far as to disarm one guard
and force him to march at the head
of their procession. Emboldened by
their success, they attempted to burn
down bridge Of the Chesapeake and
Ohio railroad over Piney Gulch and
threatened the destruction of other
property. Last night they went into
camp near Stamford City.
About daylight today the officers
and their combined posse surprised
the rioters in their camp and called
on them to surrender. The reply was
a shot. This was answered by shot
and Immediately furious battle was
raging. When it ceased three of the
rioters lay dead and many others were
found to be wounded, two of them
fatally. Seventy-three arrests were
made, ten falling to the share
of Deputy Cunningham and sixtythree
to Sheriff Cook. AL the prisoners
we're taken to Beckley, the county seat
of Raleigh, where the United States
prisoners were given preliminary
hearing by Commissioner Dunn and
held for appearance here. They will
be brought here on an early morning
train. The Federal authorities will
try to get the State to give up the
siyty-three, so that they may be tried
in the Federal Court, but it is doubt
full if it will be done, as the State
Court will meet on Monday, and it is
thought they can probably be tried
more expeditiously there.
s. G. Burdette, attorney for the
Mine Workers of America, went to
Beckley this afternoon to attend to the
case of the miners. The Injunction
which the miners were charged with
violating was the blanket writ Of Judge
| Keller in the suit of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Coal Agency Company. The
| defendants in the case were all the
coal companies operating in the New
River field. 80 members of the Mine
Workers Of America by name, includ-
ing President Mitchell and Secretary
Wilson. and all other persons whatso-
ever who aided and abetted them. The
injunction covered almost every foot
of ground in the coal mining region OF
New River. While all the mines in the
Kanawha and New River sections have
been worked for some months, the
strike has not been officially declared
of and its embers have been smoler-
ing in the New River gorge, threaten
ing to break into fame in the spring.
The locality in which today's tragedy
occurred is one in which the mines
have rrbut recently been opened and The
small towns are filed with the most
desperate men that ever come into the
State.
Advices from the scene of the con-