Arizona republican., 1913-06-18
Mine Man Denies Most of Charges Brought Before Senate Committee In West Virginia Then Asks All Out for Drink.
BLOWS NEARLY
 FOLLOW INVITATION
Testimony of Operators Tends to Show They Did Not Fire from Train Un- til Bullets Came from the HillsidcS.
..-.-1.rEn rnEss nIsPArcHl

CH HARlESION- June 14---AI ct stormy session of the senate mine strike committee. in which a near fist fight between Senator Maritime, of New Jersey and Quinn Morton. manager of the Paint Creek operators association, was narrowly averted the coal opera tors of the West Virginia fields pre- scnted today their side of the contro- versy.
 Morton as the principal witness for the operators presented their account of the neg0tiations which preceded the strike and detailed his activities dur ing the trouble. His discussion of his participatiOn in the attack on the strikers camp at Holly Grove from the armored train precipitated the clash with Senator Maritime who was ques- toned him at the close of the morn ing session.
 Tn the afternoon, following an earn est conference between Senators swanson. Kenyon and Maritime. Sena- tor Kenyon took charge of the hearing and Maritime did not ask single ques- tion although he had been a persistent examiner during MOrtOn's appearance in the morning.
 All through the morning session feel ing ran high. counsel for the operators at three different times protesting viz orously and in rather strenuous lang uage against the methods of examina- ton employed by Maritime.
 The committee made plans tonight to conclude the examination of wit nesses tomorrow and start for Wash ington tomorrow night.
 Conditions are quiet among the min rr11 ha officials If United Mine Workers said they ex- pected further trouble soon.
 Quinn Morton of the operators, de tended the position taken by the em- pIoyers throughout the present labor dispute declaring that they were ut terIv unable to accede to the terms aff- cred brv the miners although the latter were willing to withdraw all demands except that for recognition of the un- ion He went into details as to the negotiations between the miners and operators which preceded the strike of April 1912.
 Morton and others discussed at length the fight at the miners camp on the night of February ' when the witness for the miners testified ma chine gun raked the town from an ar nnored train and flatIy denied the state ment of Lee Calvin. a former mine guard that he had urged the train be backed up and that the men "give them another round"
 This statement and Calvin's declara- ton that Morton remarked Didn't We give them hell?" after the train passed the town. were the disputed points which Morton vigorously denied and precipitated the clash between the wit
 
 tor had been questioning along this line and had aroused the resentment of Morton when Chairman Swanson announced the noon adjournment and Morton remarked:
 Well lets all go down and take few drinks, then we will feel better"
 Maritime boiled over and the ser Eeant-at-arms and Senators Kenyon and swanson had quite time separ- ating the two men and quieting the room.
 The operators placed on the stand K. $ Leitch. the engineer and William Tardy. the fireman who had charge of the armored train the night of the fight Both testified that they were certain the first shots fired during the trouble were fired from the hills along the tracks and that no firing was done from the train until after it had been fired upon.
 'The first shots' said Leitch "were fired at the lower end of town. There were four shots that seemed to come from the hills then a general fusillade began with the shooting from the train and from the hills.''
 The engineer said he dropped to his knees beside the boiler of his engine and rode there until the firing ceased. He received a flesh wound in the hand from a bullet. When the train reached Mucklow he said he went over the engine tender and found marks from seven bullets and a load of buckshot. All his testimony was coroborated by the fireman who said he took refuge in the coal on the tender when the bull lets began to fly
 Operators called a number of men working in the mines who testified as to the general conditions all declar- ing the workers were well paid.
 Charley Tarnay said of the 42 men who came from New York in a car, only 34 reached Cabin Creek. Others, he said, left along the road. He said he had never been locked up in houses at the mines but declared he was the only one of the 34 who were still at work.