The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1910-04-14
by Fayette Grand Jury for Highway Robbery
-Orlrne was Committed Last July at
Rush Run New River.
a e Felts the Accused is Head of the
Guard" System, in New River Coal
Fields-Evielence Furnished by
Eye Witness to Holdup

The 'tguard'' system maintained in
the tscab 'coal fields of West Virginia re.
ceived the greatest jolt ever administered
during its regime in this state when it
was announced Monday that the Fayette
county grand jury had returned an in.
dlctment against A. c. Felts for highway
robbery.
The indictment charges Felts with
holding up and robbing Robert Wicks
paypaster for. the New River Collicries
Company, of $500.
Felts is the head of the Baldwin detec.
tives, or guards in the New River
coal fields, where AL. Deck, a representa-
tive of the United Mine Workers of
America, was SO horribly beaten up in
February, and where the "guards' -
reign supreme over the civil authorities
and take devilish delight in manning and
maltreating union men and sympathizers,
and commit many other lawless acts
The indictment was returned on the
evidence of one of the men who was in
the party that was held up, and we have
Information from reliable source that it
Is very conclusive and that the case is a
strong one, being worked up by re-
sponslble detective after many months of
untiring efforts. Felts will put up a
strong fight, backed by the coal barons
who maintain the system, but recent out
RACES committed by t'guards'' through
out the state have aroused the people to
such an extent that they will not stand
for whitewash of the case but will de.
mand that it be tried upon it's merits If
he is proven innocent, well and good. but.
If not, the law must take it's course. re-
gardless of the political pull of the sys-
tenn.
Following is the story of the crime:
Wicks, as paymaster for the New River
Collieries Company, went to Thurmond
on Friday, July 3Oth, 1909, leaving Rush
Kun at near the noon hour and returning
with the money to meet the payroll at
about three o clock in the afternoon. He
left train No. 13 with a number of
other passengers and with several went
to cross the river in skiff When all
the passengers had taken seats in the
skif and the ferryman was preparing to
cross to the south side of the river to the
Rush Run mine and offices, lone robber
with a leather mask over his eyes and at
tired in brown raincoat, jumped from
behind a rock in the bushes and ordered
Paymaster Wicks to leave the boat and
place his money the shore Facing n
leveled Winchester held by the robber,
wlcks complied with the command, while
the other passengers, including two or
three women, sat silent in the skiff When
oh hoI ,,1aa Al,
money on the bank, the paymaster was
ordered to return to the boat and the
ferryman, at the point of the Winchester,
was ordered to row the passengers across
the muddy waters Of New River Short
ly afterward the alarm was given and the
railroad for two days was patrolled by
armed guards looking for the robber, but
he had made good his disappearance in
the mountains. Bloodhounds brought to
the scene of the robbery could not follow
the trail, and the most careful efforts of
number of officials and detectives,
urged on by the offer of a thousand dol
lars reward for the apprehension of the
highwayman, availed naught. And final
ly the matter was given up by most peo-
pie entirely, and 1t was thought that no
arrests would ever be made in connection
with the robbery
The following statement, issued by
Felts at Fayetteville, will be indeed in
teresting reading for the union men and
others who have come in contact with
him and other tBaldwins' of the state
since 1902, and who know them by ex-
perience:
was surprised to learn some four
weeks ago that l was ever suspected by
any human being of being party to this
or any other crime, and the rumor, com
ing to me as it did, seemed serious con-
slderation, which otherwise would have
been regarded by me a sickly attempt
at some practical joke, so I Immediately
began an investigation and found who
the parties were that were fermenting
this hell-broth, and knew at once from