The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-10-31
THUG RULE n
IN LOGAN COUNTY

ton and their findings will reveal
conditions Incredible in a civilized
state.
Don Chafin is high sheriff of Lo-
gan county. Ills cousin Con Chafin.
Is prosecuting attorney All the coun-
ty officials are Democrats. Circuit
Judge Wilkinson is Democrat,
though man who wants this law en-
forced. go
Sheriff Chafin. ii is estimated. has
about two hundred deputies. When
lie was elected u part ofihis platform
was that he. would drive out the
baldwin mine B guards from Logan
county. E NoaBaldwin men are known
to be in this county now, but these
deputy sheritfs are known as mine
guards. .AilSot.. them are supposed
tc. be armed, with, pistols, blackjaclss
and, the usual weapons and there is
lno:trouble to..findi evidence that they
have these weapons in violation OF
the. law: Some. of y:them are known
to be 'ex-conviets and as such would
not be. licensed to carry reyolyers, etc.
They shoot, club. slug and thug at
will. But they 'aresnot arrested and
Imprisoned. :Fpr they are the law
and. the enforcement thereof.
Events oftthe past few'weeks show
the effectiveness of this organization
or deputies and the way. in which
they. operate There are twenty
eight voting precincts in Logan coun-
ty. When the registrars were on
their rounds. registering the voters
some Of tile deputies were on hand
and even the Democratic registrars
were afraid not. to obey their orders.
ITO 90 back further they were on
hand +ae :the, Democratic. primaries
and efDemocratic nominees are the
men of. their -dhoice and$of that of
their chief: 4 : = sd 81. =.t,,..
The Democratic. registrars refused
to register. many. Republicans, espe-
ciaily among. the 'colored: voters.
When the, county commissioners met
ito conyass the. registration four. Re
publican lawyers, State Senator E. T.
England, Ira p Hager, W. q. Law
trence, ,Jr,,, and OIL, Deegans, the lat
ter being Republican county chair
man, took the lead ito see that Re-
1iublicans entitled. to vote, were regis
tered. Probably, one hundred col
ored voters were brought into Logan
for examination for registration.
Threats had been made: by deputies
against the ,jouTneying OF negroes to
the court. house. there to demand
their rights. ~.
@ The work, beforeHthe county court
was slow. as the. Democratic leaders
challenged. every step. fsthe Repub,
LEANS. But eleven men we're passed
upon the first day, five ofwhom were
registered, six turned down. That
night, the apparent cause for delay
came. "A colored family lived at
Monitor Junction. a mile from the
court house. II was supposed that
some OF the negroes awaiting regis
tration were there. This gave the
conspirators a chance $and the gun
men. got busy 4 p !.
! Soon after dark al. band of armed
men raided, the. house, shot out. the
windows, fired bullets into the bod
les of:two, colored men. beat up 9TH
ers and drove a woman and child
into the hills without giving them
time to dress. The raiders said they
were looking for strange ,niggers.Y
AS The result 81, that raid one, col
orcd man lies in IAN unmarked grave
on the hillside and another Is likely
TO join. him seont ( No Strange mig
gers" we're, in, that house,
!! "a coiored. man owned a cleaning
and pressin g Establishment within u
couple; squares Of : the, court house.
His windows we're demolished and
his. place, OF business next. morning
looked as though a German siege gha
had been turned on It, 81 Z ,f,
A score Of colored men awaiting
registration were quartered for the
hight in the office .of! isehat TOT Eng
5lish; and adioining offices About
eleven thirty o'elocK thatsntg htssome
OF the negroes We're awokened By
noises IA the hall IS and o sepsaS
ton a. not being able % breathe.
They rushed 10 the window aud