The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-05-23
COMMITTED UPON HIM RY CAN
DIDATE FOR GUBERNA-
r. TORIAL NOMINATION.
Is PENIS Statement
Chafieston Man Claims The Attack
OF DIR. Hatfield Upon him was Un-
provoked AMI Occurred Il Half
Hour After he Had Last Talk
With Him.

Charleston, w. Va, May 20, 1912
Editor The Advocate: :--.--,...
Within the past week or two so
many false accounts of the contro-
Versy between DR.. Hatfield and myself
IN the State House, the last night o;
the regular session Of the Legislature.
nave been circulated here by his ennis
saries that in justice to myself | feel
that the public should be acquainted
with the facts in the case
During the previous session Of the
Legislature l had done some cleaning
and pressing for a Senator Hatfield
FOR which no payment had been made.
being under the impression that DR..
II. d. Hatfield and the Senator Hat
Held for whom the work was done were
one and the same person, approached
him some days previous to the night
IN question and informed him that I
had bill against him. With the
simple denial of any indebtedness to
me and before l had had an oppor-
tunlty to clear the matter up, Dr..
Hatfield parted from me.
Meeting him again on the night he
so brutally assaulted me, l again at
tempted to secure settlement when
be again curtly informed me that he
owed me nothing, adding something
that l did not hear distinctly. told
him that the small amount of the bill
would neither make nor break me,
and the incident was closed, so far as
| was concerned -.
The Senate was at that time in re-
cess and | took seat near the en-
trance to the chamber with the pur-
pose of Witnessing its deliberations
when 1t reconvened. During the half
hour or~more | sat there I greeted a
number of white friends passing in
and out, and DR.. Hatfield I saw once
or twice standing in the rear Of the
chamber on the Lee street side. Grow
ing tired of waiting longer for the
Senate to reconvene, / left the room
at about the same time that Felts,
Baldwin detective, came out. AS We
went down the corridor some one
seized me in the collar from behind,
jerked me around and asked if I had
| called him .... 49,. :. . 1t
| was DR.. Hatfield, who, despite my
! pfotestation of innocence struck at
me with his fist. l warded off the
blow, but was struck by Felts with
the butt of his revolver.
| broke away from the two and
started to run, but just as | reached
| the head of the stairs, DR.. Hatfield,
Felts and others crying, Stop him!
I, Stop him. in the meantime 1 Slip
ped and DR.. Hatfield struck me,
knocking me down to the landing. On
arising he again struck me, knocking
me down the stairs to the foot, where,
with black jack or some other wea-
pom he again struck me twice. Some
one demonstrated with him, but he
said he would "kill the damn nigger,"
or words to that effect, and as | fell
exhausted from his brutal attack
through the revolving doors, he kicked
me under the eye causing it to pro-
trude from the socket. AS soon as I
was able | secured medical attention
for the wounds from which I have not
yet fully recovered. The scars l shall
bear to the grave.
These are the facts stated briefly.
The report that I was intoxicated or
that | used blasphemous, obscene or
insulting language to or about Dr..
Hatfield is absolutely false and those
who say / did do so without any
foundation Of fact. Knowing as / dM
the reputation Of Dr.. Hatfield and Of
others bearing the same name, It
would have been the extreme Of inn
prudehce for me, especially while he
was surrounded by sympathizers, to
have deliberately aroused his passion
by word or deed. Just as I did not
make the remarks. accredited to me
by his henchmen, neither did ! make
any motion to draw a revolver--as /
had none-nor did | make any other
hostile move until he struck at me.
(SipDpdl RTTF'TTS q PENN