Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-13
while others of us haven't enough t,

cat.
Yes he said. in answer to a ques-
tion. IL signed a paper my father asked
mo to sign. AS well as l remember. it
read something like this Cons on.
boys: tho country is ours and all that Is
therein. There will be no fight. All
we have got to do Is to demand it"
The fact hat this pl.n of cutting
down the high cost OF living" involved
cutting down some hundreds of very
useful citizens who happened to have
accumulated more wealth tina no
clansmen did not seem to nave I'M
pressed She young man very forcibly.
PLOT FIRST DISCOVERED
~ NATIONAL GARD
The gigantic plot, which involved SO
many elements of seriousness, Wa, first
discovered early in May by MIMI ers
OF the Second Virginia Regiment doing
guard duty along the Norfol:- and
Western Railroad. on the Ci:nch Valley
line. over which. a tremendous image
of coal is hauled. The battalion head
quarters of this guard uuit was .i.u-
ated at Cedar Bluff. in Tazewell County,
while n company OF troops was located
at st. Paul. III Wise County. the home
OF rhipps and Mccoy. News Of the
mountaineers' conspiracy first came to
members OF the Farmville
located ut st. Paul. early in May. and
at about the same time information Of
the plot came to the ears of Major J.
+. Bullitt, In command at Cedar -3lufr,
from persons upon whom tremendous
pressure was being brought to join the
conspiracy. but Tho revoltcd al its
terrible purposes. BY shrewd handling
of the mountain people, Major nullitt,
Captain Waller and Captain Hunt
finally secured the startling details of
the scheme, including copies of the
oath of volunteers and Il declaration
CT war. From the information they
obtained. it was clear that nearly 300
men of the mountains had subscribed
to the oath and were ready at tho call
of their chief to rise in a terrible de-
tiance of law which would have created
an unprecedented reign of terror in the
Virginia mountains.
Mccoy, who was n cobbler at st.
Paul, laid his plans with marked in
Genuity, 1t is asserted. Phipps. his lieu
tenant, was foreman in a big wood
extract plant at st. Paul. and it Is said
; that he had signed up practically every
one of the sevcnty-odd employees in
the plant for the army. Frequent meet
inEs were held in an isolated mountain
hut. about three miles from ST. Paul.
which was almost inaccessible to the
uninitiated. Here the chiefs would
meet their l~ieutenants. who were
securing the surrounding counties Sc
curing recruits for the army. and here
IT was planned to concentrate the arms
and ammunition which the clan would
use in their first assault upon the
/ 49,. 800 l... -
railroad.
When the militiamcn had gathered
all the evidence il was possible for
them TO secure. the matter was placed
in the hands of the Department of JUS
ticc. and skilled operatives were sent
into the community to trace down the
tangled skeins cf the net and fix as
clearly as possible the relative ofenses
of the many participants. Finally, feel
ing certain that Phipps and Mccoy
were the prime movers of the con-
spiracy. the arrest of the two men was
ordered.
Mccoy, when suddenly confronted by
a well-armed detective In his little
cobbler's shop at st. Paul. had a dam
Eerous pistol within convenient reach
and a reserve supply of ammunition
close at hand. Phipps was taken with
out difficulty. and. to avoid rumored
danger Of attempts to rescue them by
their mountain comrades, they were
fastened to the jail at Roanoke, where
they have remained ever since. That
the government feels that the two men
were the moving spirits in the entire
conspiracy Is indicated by the fact that
the many other indictments are held
in allegiance until the trial of the two
leaders.
EVERY PROBATION
AGAINST OUTBREAKS
Every precaution will be taken by
Federal authorities at the trial next
week to prevent any outbreak or dis
order such as occurred in the court at
Hillsvii!e several years ago, when a
clan OF mountaineers. taking the law
into its own hands. shot down the
|. judge. the prosecutor and several
!, jurymen. Many deputies will be in at
tendance. II. indeed. the militia is not
on guard.
Mccoy is a member of the family
which participated in the famous Hat
~ield-McCoy feud Of the early eighties.
II is said that on that occasion he re-
ceived a to come to the aid
[ Of his relatives. but was in Missouri
and lacked the funds to make the trip.
> He boasts that he was an intimate OF
> the James boys, whose exploits in the
Middle West are history. and 1t was
noticed at once that the oath OF IoIun-
tcers is closely patterned after the
: black oath OF Quantrelrs Guerrillas
: we'll remembcred by every boy who has
: read the lives Of Jesse and Frank
James. Mccoy has long borne the
= reputation Of being a bad man" in the
community. despite his s~ixty-fve years
Phipps is a native mountaineer. ant
heretofore is said to have led a peace.
full life. II is more than probable tina
n plea OF insanity will be entered ir
his behalf.