The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1915-04-10
CIRCUIT Court
TO START RIOT
TRIALS MONDAY
Louis Urich Indicted On
14O Charges, Will Be the
First Case.
PLAN STRONG DEFENSE
STATE TO SAY RIGGS WAS IN
JuRED BEFORE FALLING
FROM BUGGY.

The trial OF Louis Urich, So years,
% Croatian coal miner, on 14O charges
Of murder, conspiracy to commit muir
der and other felonies, is scheduled
to start Monday forenoon before Judge
w. s.. Raymond in Circuit Court here.
Urich and 133 other miners employ
led by the Jamison Coal and Coke
Company have each been indicted by
Marion county grand jury on lao
similar charges of murder, conspiracy
10 commit murde rand other felonies
as the result of fight with county
officers last February 20, when an at
tempt was made to arrest two strik
Y ers for throwing stones against coal
tfpple nearaFarmington owned by the
& company. The trials OF the other in
dicted strikers are scheduled to follow
that of Urich.
Congressman James Francis Burke,
aprominent attorney of Pittsburgh,
has been employed by the National
Croatian Society and the Servian Or
tIio6ox Society to aid local Attorneys
Rollo Conley and Frank R. Amos in
the defense of Urich and the other
strikers. Francis A. Bogadek, OF
pittsburgh, the Croatian consul for
the district, will be present during the
trials, and It is limited that the trials
may result IN diplomatic communtca-
tions between the government of Gro.
washington. Following a visit of Bo.
gadek and Burke to Fairmont, the
trials were postponed from last Mon
day until tomorrow.
Constable William r. Riggs, OF
Fairmont, fs the only member of the
posse in the fight who has died. Dep.
uty Sheriff T. v. Buckley was seri-
onsly injured by blows struck on the
head with clubs made from slender
1ining tools. :. Buckley win be able 10
appear in court tomorrow as a wit
ness for the state. Sheriff c. D. Con-
away and Special Officer william Fin
ley were injured so severely as to be
confined to their homes for severai
days.
Constable Riggs. whose death is the
basis for the murder charges against
the 134 strikers, was struck by clubs
and knocked down when the strikers
rescued two prisoners from the posse.
Riggs then 1eaped into buggy in
which Sheriff Conaway had ridden to
the place where the arrests were
made and endeavored to escape. The
horse became frightened and is said
to have ran away.
The strikers claim that Riggs re-
cetyed his fatal injuries by being
thrown from the buggy and kicked by
the runaway horse. Prosecuting At
torney Tusca Morris based his request
for the large number of murder indict-
merits on the contention that Riggs
had been injured fatally before he got
into the buggy.
Al panel of so prospective Jurors has
been summoned and the men ordered
TO appear in court for jury duty Mon
day. This panel includes 20 farmers,
10 merchants. two mine superintend-
ents, two coal company bookkeepers,
one coal company auditor, one mine
foreman. one mine employe not a min
er. one boarding boss" and two min
Z ers.
The other veniremen are of various
occupations, some OF them being "re,
tired.
About 1000 miners employed in the
three Jamison mines near Farming
ton struck early in February when the
company stopped its practice of fur
nishing free powder for knocking
down the coal The price of the ex-
plosive was fixed at 81 for 10 sticks
and the price of mining the coal was
raised 5 cents car.
The men claimed that the raise in
price for mining the coal did not OFF,
set the cost of the powder The min
a!6TSts cLhlIueo OLQeE grievances ,alleg-
ing that the foremen did not treat
them fairly in the matter of ewighing
cars, and that sometimes they would
not be given credit for an entire car
Following the riot which resulted in
the wholesale Indictment OF the strik-
siers. the men not arrested returned to
work. There has been no disorder in
the strike district other than on Feb.
ruary 20. which resulted in the whole
sale arrests.
s erich was in conference with his
local attorneys, Mr.. Amos and Mr..
SConley, in the county jail today and
appeared cheerful and confident of a
satisfactory outcome of the trial. He
spent most of his time reading an H.
lustrated Bible and prayer book print
ed in the Croatian Language.
wife and baby girl are waiting
Asfor Sne at our home in Pennington
said Urich as he stood close to the
{ bars of his cell door today in confer
ence with Attorney Amos. There
will coon be another baby in our home
and hope to be out before it arrives
30 that u can provide for it."