The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-12-20

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tsess and carbide lamps q their
caps,
Being foreigners there lsi In
some Instances, & failure among
the miners and coke workers to IN
derstand American WRyB, and out
of this, whether Justly or not, have
! developed some Of the elements
making up the situation, as ! found
Many OF the foreigners took their
sons 10 work with them in ths
mines, and as a father and son
could make as high as SIS q day
between them, digging coal, there
was considerable protest when the
authorities enforced the compul'
sorry education law. 1t Is unlaT'
full for boys under sixteen years
OF age to work in the mines, but
as most OF them are large for their
age some manage to conceal their
years and get by the companys
employment agents,
There was bitter resentment,
therefore, when the school authori'
ties recently issued orders direct.
ing that these boys he sent 10
school, and some Of the parents
openly defied the truRnt officers.
Fourteen of the parents were ar
rested and fined for failure to obey
the law, and as 1t was about this
time that the mysterious fires be-
gan to attract attention, II was
naturally argued by some that re.
sentiment over the enforcement OF
the education law and its conse'
ouent reduction of the earning ca
pacity> of the families had some
thing 10 do with the conflagrations.
No evidence in support Of this
was found, but as school houses
and the nomes OF the school teach
ers seemed to receive the special
attention of the incendiaries, the
Impression continued to persist IN
many quarters. Another fact tend
ing 10 support this theory was that
the depredations seemed to be care
fully planned and skillfully worked
out.
Starting at a small place called
Dunbar, the vauduls worked their
way across FayetIe county. They
operaIed with extraordinary regu'
larIty, and soon the school houses
AZ Speers, Gibsonton, Star juno
ton and Fairhope, all small places,
were destroyed. Then as the wave
OF panic began to sweep across the
country Two big barns In Wash
ington Township, filled with cows
were burned down, Efforts were
made to destroy the lumber YARD
at Fayette City, and there was
much excitement when, on top Of
this. a blaze was started at the
home OF Albert Montgomery, not
far from Fayette City. Mrs. Mont
gomery and two OF her daughters
are school teachers, one at the Ma
rion school, at Fairhope, which was
burned.
1t was only by the barest chance
that the fire at the Montgomery
home was discovered berofe It got
well under way, and extinguished.
At Casparis teacher. Miss Ida
M. Walk, was knocked down and
robbed by an unknown assalant
while she was passing through a
woods ON her way 10 school.
The villages and towns quickly
adopted measures 10 protect them
selves, and also sent an appeal for
help to the headquarters OF the
state contabulary at Greensburg
Rewards aggregating $4,000 for the
capture of the persons responsible
for the fires were posted. Armed
men were detailed to patrol the
school houses at Bellevernon, Con
nelIsyIlle, Brownsville and other
places in addition to those men
toned.
The widest rulnors were, circu.
lated, one OF tie strangesti being
that organized attacks by radicals
among the miners we're impending
and that efforts would be made to
establish a Soviet government in
the counties.
The only discoverable basis for
this report, so far as l could dis
cover, was that there were known
to be some Communists among the
foreign workers, and that consid.
cradle radical literature favorable
to a Soviet rule had been distribute
ed throughout the region. Soon
after detail Of state constabulary
men had arrived at Uniontown,
the county seat OF Fayette county,
two OF the alleged radicals were ar.
rested at Brownsville and much
Red propaganda confiscated.