The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-08-13

Ihe mining situation has chang
ed but little since our last issue
says the Birmingham Labor Ad.
vocate. The operators and
deputies have. stopped at nothing
In their lawless acts, going SO fal
as even numbering a poor defenae.
less negro who was under the pro.
lection of our sheriff through his
legally appointed deputies, by tax
ing him out of the Brighton Jail
Tuesday night and numbering him
by hanging, he being charged with
dynamiting another negro's house
Monday night. When arrested he
denied the charge, and claimed at
the time the bomb exploded to be
sitting up with a sick negro. The
Circumstances leading up to this
horrible crime committed by the
operators and deputies are these:
About $40 Monday night a nom
union negro house at Brighton was
dynamited. Major Mobiles, com.
mander of the militia of this dis.
trlct, happened to be near the
place i'll his automobile, on his
way to Bessmcr. On examining
the negro and his family, from the
evidence obtained from them, had
the negro and his wife arrested
and Jailel for dynamiting their
own home Mr.. Woodward ap.
peared at the Jail (probably fear
ing one of his dupes would squeal
on hlm) very indignant that his
dupe should be arrested for this
dastardly crime, and Immediately
balled him out. Somebody had to
suffer for it, and that immediately.
The so-called blood hounds, who
We're never known to catch a
rabbit or anything else were called
into play and supposedly put on a
track, where no doubt the officers
knew that the negro whom they
afterwards murdered had passed,
tracked him to his place of abode
and there arrested him. Could
any crime appear more horrible
than this7 The question naturally
arises, was Mr.. Woodward a party
to this dreadful lynching All
the circumstances point that he
was.
Thursday mornings "Mistake',
stated that when Mr. Woodward
was informed of this horrib'a
lynchIng that he felt as if he could
be Knocked down with a straw
We'll, we don't wonder at it.
Some two week ago we referred
to the battle of jefferson, where it
was reported 1000 rounds of am.
munltlon were fired and one de-
putty dangerously wounded. An
eyewitness states that actually
there were no miners near the
scene, and not a shot was fired by
miners; that the train was running
very slow waiting for another train
to come out of the tunnel. tor
pcdo was exploded and these
guards and deputy shcriffs ap-
pointed by Sheriff Higdon imag-
med that the woods were full Of
miners and commenced shooting
lndlscriminately. One man was
sitting in the car on the floor with
his gun pointed the roof. firing
Just as fast as his gun ouid belch
forth the lead. Some one called
his attention to what he was doing
and he exclaimed, shaking from
irlght and with tears running down
his checks: ~ didn't know | was
shooting.' What is not generally
known, one deputy was shooting
out the car window at the imagi-
nary miners. He rested his gun
against baby's head and the con
cusslon pressed the baby's Uranium
open so that it died next day.
There was one death from the eff
tects Of the battle of jefferson.
The fight at Bessie between the
deputies and the miners pig. The
pig seemed to have been recon
noltering the deputies camps and
got too near, when they, though
their fright, commenced shooting,
and actually killed the pig.
Monday night great flourish
In the daily papers state d that an
attempt had been made to dyna-
mite the stockade at Lewisburs.
and about 800 shots were fred at
the guards by the miners. 4
prominent detective informed rs
that he had investigated and could
find no signs of any shots coming
hn