Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-06-18
SENATOR MARTlNE's DEcLARA.
TloNs INVESTIGATING COMMIT.
TEE CONCERN.
STATEMENTS SENT 1RoADcAsr
OVER WEST vIRGiNll
Senator Kenyon Takes Charge Of Ex.
animation Following eartins's Clash
With Witnssses-Guard System De-
fsndsd-Rush to Examine Witnesses
Before Recess.


senate committee investigating the
West Virginia coal strike today rushed
along the examination Of witnesses IN
order to hear as many as possible be-
The coal operators had on hand score
or more of witnesses whose testimony
was brief.
The attitude Of Senator MARITIME. Of
New Jersey. who yesterday clashed
with Quinn Morton, one Of the oper-
ators on Paint Creek, and the attorney
for the operators. became a matter Of
concern today. The operators lawyers
declared the senator has been unfair
in his examination Of witnesses and
has been preiudiced in his attitude to-
ward the operators. They said that
when the committee reaches Washing
ton they will put into the records evil
dence Of oral and written statements
by the senator to show that he has
"prejudiced the case"
Prejudice 10 Shown.
A statement purporting to come
from Senator MARITIME and reproduced
in fac -similie Of his handwriting by a
newspaper circulating thruout the
state today aroused considerable dis
cussion. The statement set forth that
Senator MARITIME would rather sweep
the streets than earn his money az
West Virginia coal operators do
Attorneys for the operators declared
they would place this statement and
others by the senator In the record.
Kenyon Takes Charge.
Today Senator MARITIME took little
part in the proceedings, altho he was
present at the hearings. and he asked
no questions, under an agreement that
Senator Kenyon was to take sola
charge Of examination of witnesses.
John 4, Greene, superintendent Of the
Mucklow mine Of the Paint Creek Col
liery Company when the strike broke
out. was the iirst witness. He said tina,
guards were not placed on Paint CreeA
until men at work had been interfered
with by strikers. When the guards ar
rived they were not armed, but after
fifty or seventy -five strike breakers.
carrying guns, had made demonstra- :
ton. he said. the guards were increased
and armed. He declared the conduct
Of the guards was not the cause OF var
ious outbreaks Of violence.
Guards Are Defended.
Water Belk, who served on the aPint
creek a. q guard and who was. for a
time. In charge Of the guards. defended
their conduct. He described the drut
battle Of Mucklow. May 20. 1912. when
the town was attacked from the hills.
The firing. he said. continued for about
NJ hA
searched the hills and found places
carefully prepared for the shooting. He
said men had evidently been In these
places for hours before they began
firing.
Belk described another battle in the
hills when the guards killed ono miner
and wounded another He denied tho
story told to the committee by Mrs.
Sevilla, that she had been brutally as
saulted by mine guards. Senator Ken
yon examined him at length 40 to tho
general plan Of the Baldwin Feltz
guard system, and the general conduct
Of guards In the strike zone.
Question Causes Stir.
Attorney Beloher caused n stir In tho
committee room when he asked Belk:
isn't 1t true that fifteen or twenty
armed men connected with your agency
have been In this room thruout this
investigations"
II couldn't say as to that" anawcred
Belk.
Don't you know that your mon have
been hired to shadow gentlemen con-
nected with the investiGation3'
II could not say as to that because II
Is not my line OF work"
This caused an argument between
counsel IN which Attorney Knight de-
MED vigorously that detectives had
been employed by the operators to
shadow men connected with the In
vestigation