Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1914-02-12
DETECTIVE so TESTIFlES
TELLS CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT
TEE OF STRIKERS, ALLEc-
ED ATRoclTY
GUARDS WERE IMPORTED
BUT PAY ROLL HAS BEEN SENT
AWAY, MAKING lNFoRMA-
~. TloN IMPOSSIBLE

O6uN6I, NOlO,, FSDs ia ulloS
charge that George w. Belcher was
murdered in Trinidad by United Mine
Workers of America, at the instiga-
ton of an organizer of the union, was
made today by A. G. Felts, superin-
tendent Of the Baldwin-Felts detective
agency. The killing Of Belcher, a
Baldwin-Felts detective, occurred No
yember 20.
Felts, the first witness Of the day
before the house committee inyesti-
eating the Colorado coal mine strike,
said that Luis zancaneli had confess
ed the murder, in the presence of
Judge Advocate Major E. ]. Boughton
and Adjutant General Chase.
How do you know that the killing
was instigated by an organizer Of the
United Mine Workers. demanded
Representative Evans.
eZancanelli said SO in his confes-
sion"
who was the organizer?
"a B. McGary."
did your men XIII ANYBODY in
southern Colorado?" was question
suddenly flashed by Representative
Byrnes.
YES replied the witness, Before
the strike was called Gerald Lippiat
attacked Walter Belk, one Of our men,
and george w. Belcher shot and killed
Lippiat in defense Of himself and
Belk."
qDid you do any shoOting?"
YES"
who did you hit?"
81 probably hit nobody"
< The witness then explained that
on october &c a crowd Of strikers fir
ed into the Berwind camp and killed
deputy sheriff, and continued:
@The morning Of october 27, |
went by train to Berwnd. Near Lud-
low we were fired upon by strikers
at the instigation Of union leaders.
Probably from 500 to 1000 shots were
fred at us at a distance Of three
quarters Of mile. Several Of our
men were wounded. We returned the
shots, but I have no knowledge that
we hit any one. After the shooting
we backed the train to Forbes juno
ton and walked over the mountains
through the snow to Berwind." IN
Representative Byrnes asked the
witness Of stories that several hun
dred Baldwin-Felts men were EN-
Dloyed in the southern Colorado fields.
eyes, said Felts. 4 have heard
those reports, too. Every man en-
ployed by the mine owners was called
a Baldwfn-Felts detective by the
union men, whether he had ever seen
one of our employees or not.
Felts solved the mystery Of the So
called death special when he testi-
fled that he sent an automobile from
Denver for the use Of the mine guards
and had it covered with iron plates.
The witness was then led into q
discussion Of the Forbes battle Of
OCober IL.
we were appealed to for protec-
tion Of the Forbes mine," he recount
ed, "and some Of our boys went up
with the armored car. A large mum.
Der of deputies from Trinidad also
vent TO the Forbes district. Our men
arrived first and were fired on from
the strikers tent colony. They re
turned the fire, using machine gun
from the armored car. The deputies
from Trinidad, who arrived later, also
used their guns After the fight We
learned that one man who was in
the camp was killed"
A Professional officer
Chairman Foster put the witness
through a searching examination re
garding the employment Of Walter
Belk, whom the chairman character
4voz ac 90 eorf ~ . frovoIfn-s da,.sfft