Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-27

Senator Borah and I we're friends
long ago in Boise, Idaho. II my
testimony helped the committee, I'm
not sorry.
But, it's about the coal companies
steel-armored death special that
want to tell you, Miss O'Reilly. Be
cause that's what brought on this
war-mainly."
Lee Calvin adjusted his stalwart
body to prolonged inactivity-245
pounds of bone and sinew.
1T was the worst thing that ever
happened in any strike anywhere
the shooting up of sleeping women
and children from a fortified car,
wasn't it?
And who did it? That's the ques-
ton.
"well, 1 was on that train and
know
about February 1 l was working
on Paint Creek as chief guard of a
colliery The strike had quoted
down and superintendent Hale of
Mueklow mine told Captain Levi of
the Baldwin eltz mine guards that
we must reduce his twenty-five gun
men to ten-five night men and five
day men-a saving of $500 a week.
THE night shift saw their chance
and they took it. On February Z at
a. m.-before it was daylight-the
night shift climbed the hills above
Mucklow and shot up the miners
shacks. The day guards, just get
ting up, ran out to attack and found
their friends.
But fight with striking miners
sounded fine and saved their jobs.
There you have the battle of Muck
low!
Captain Levi, in charge of B. G.
F. mine guards at Mucklow, tele-
phoned the sheriff to come up and
arrest the shooters.
Sheriff Bonner Hill was just
sworn in and knew next to nothing
of his duties.
"R. B. Paine, assistant chief of the
Baldwin, men working as Ches-
apeake & Ohio railroad detectives,
knew the sheriff was inexperienced.
So Paine sent word to Holly Grove
that the sheriff was coming up to
make wholesale arrests. Then we
called out the C. & O.'s armored
train.
Yes, I know we are going slow,
but sending that death special up
Paint Creek was the crime of crimes
in the mine war. 1t proved who is
perhaps guilty of other things.
Sheriff Hill picked up ten deputies
in Charleston, but he paid neither
for the train nor the arms and am
munition put on board. Calling it
the sheriff's train was only a blind.
when Holly Grove heard the
sheriff was coming, the miners fitted
into the hills.
THAT left the women and children
alone in their strikers tents.
Remember, it was in February
early dark and bitter cold. About
p. m. the Death Special pulled
out of Charleston. In the steel arm
ored car behind the engine was
machine gun and dozen B. & F.
mine guards acting as Chesapeake
and Ohio detectives
give of those men had done time
for murder burglary or worse. Five
were ex-policemen discharged for
drunkenness. The crowd looked at
home in an armored car.
1.-THE sheriff and his ten deputies
were put in care of the special. With
US was Quinn Morton, of Burnwell,
millionaire mine owner, and his gen.
eral manager, NJ. H. Mechanism.
IT could not understand how they
came to be there until later.
Sheriff Hill and his deputies sat
quiet, talking and joking-expecting
no trouble. But when the train
passed the junction and headed up
the creek the detectives pulled out
boxes of rifles and began loading a
gun for each. Quinn Morton had Sc
cured two boxes of 0-30s-Winches-
ters-man- killers-from the State
capital.
These guns belonged to his con-
solidated coal company, but had been
confiscated by the militia at the first
declaration of martial law.
"Why did the governor give them
back to a fighting coal corporation?
Don't ask me.
That is West Virginia.
Phil Walker. railroad detective,
offered me a rifle.
1T refused.
You were often up the Creek be-
fore and never got hurt. Why do
you expect to be shot into tonight?'
I asked him.
Because the strikers have found
out the sheriff is coming. Get hold
of this gum says Phil
Then why didn't the sheriff say
there was shooting ON the program
1 says. and refused the Winchester.
with that we came near Holly
Grove. Someone turned out the car
lights, The engineer gave two short
whistles.
Being an old railroad man I knew
it for a signal.
And before you could think the
machine gun in the ,armored car
opened a continuous stream of fire
on the strikers tents near the track.
George A. Lentz, chief detective
of the C. s, o. detectives. worked the
gun.
st was near II at night, dark and
cold. frosty night The miners, al
most to man. had slipped into the
hills But the means of women and
children were heart-rendng.
Esco Estop was shot dead.
Mrs. Halls leg was shot off.
Two women gave premature birth
to dead children.
Almost at once the town of tents
took fire.
That was near midnight of
February 7. Women and children
shrieked all night. God only knows
what they thought had come upon
them in their sleep.
But Quinn Morton, general man
ager for the Imperial Colliery Com