The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-12-12

ing upon anarchy were upheld wifi
such effect that men, who befor'
Iwere living peaceably aud in com
parative prosperity, purchased Wn
ichesters, reyolyers, blackjacks anC
other murderous weapons to shoe
down the coal "barons" and theil
!, myrmidons.
! "Wild-eyed men. seventy-five pei
cent OF them with unusually COO
Anglo-saxon blood in their veins
and with, instincts leaning to Law
and order inherited down through
the centuries, gradually saw red,
and with minds bent oa havoc and
slaughter marched from union dis
tr.cts across tho river like Hughes
ton, cannelton and Boomer, pa
trolled the woods overhanging the
creek bed ana the mining plants,
finally massing on the ridges at the
headwaters and arranging march
to sweep down Cabin creek and de-
stroy everything before them to the
junction.
Meanwhile the operators hurried
in over a hundred guards heavily
armed, purchased several deadly
machine guns and many thousands
of rounds OF ammunition. Several
murders were perpetrated and all
who could, get away; men, women
and children fed in terror and many
hid in cellars and caves. If ever
there was a case for some strong
measure IKE martial law, the coa-
ditions prevailing on Monday, Sep
TENDER 2, 1912, the eve of the proc
lamation, presented it. In fact, the
opinion OF expert witnesses on the
scene, martial law, and martial law
alone, was the only measure to meet
the desperate situation
The report takes most severe
rap at the local peace officers, de-
clarlng that they failed to do their
duty and recommended that the gov
ernor be given more authority over
such officers. The report says:
1--WE cannot refrain Al this con-
nection from recording out judg-
ment, based on the whole trend Of
the evidence, that the local peace of
sicers of the disturbed regions, dur
ing the strike and many months be-
fore, exhibited woesul lack OF
resolution and energy in enforcing
law and order. This dere!iction OF
duty crops out repeatedly in the
course of our investigation, in fact,
all of those upon whom, locally,
rested the duty of maintaining the
peace and enforcing law and order
have utterly failed To do so. Had
they in the beginning taken a deter
mined stand with pubic opinion at
their back, much OF the disorder and
bloodshed might, in our opinion,
have been avoided. But men were
assaulted IN open day in the pres
ence OF dozens of witnesses, profan-
lily filled the air. arms were carried
at viii, mobs Organized. houses
riddled with shots and but the feeb-
lest efforts put forth by the local of
ficers to quell the rising tide 81
turbulence and law breaking. Few
arrests were made, ana fewer war
rants issued; justice, swift end sure,
overlook hardly any Offenders till at
length cowardly thugs, waxing bold
by. this quasi-connivance, went UP
and down the district gathering
others about them to the number Of
thousand. as on the eve of the
proclamation OF martial law. and.
spreading terror through the coun4
tryside.
This is not the last strike OF the
many that have disturbed and Will
doubtless disturb the peace OF the
state. Unless some remedial meas
ures are provided. indications would
seem to point to their more frequent
occurrence in the future than in the
past.
"The vast majority of our citizen
snip have no direct interest in these
quarrels Not more than approx
nlately fifteen thousand out OF the
fourteen hundred thousand in the
state are directly in this fight. But
many hundreds OF men in the state
militia have been debarred for
months, some with great pecuniary
6Sas "a