Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-17
TRIGGER TRIAL,
NEAR CLOSE, is
ON POWDER KEG
Miners Threaten to March on
Courthouse to Offset Mine
Guards.
ARE BEGUN
BY S. d. WEYER.
Copyright, 1921. by International News
Service


Copyright. 1921. by international News
Service.
| MINGO COUNTY COURTHOUSE, WILL
| HANSON, W. Va, March 17.-Now it
must be told.
The last act Of the "trigger" trial is
on and the stage on which 1t Is being
enacted is a powder barrel.
| Arguments to the jury were begun this
morning.
1t is time that the curtain Of secrecy
that has hidden the true situation here
from the view of the outside public was
| lifted. A newspaper mans first duty Is
to tell the truth
! Things are stirring in Mingo County
mysteriously, ominously. Miners are
threatening to come into Williamson by
the hundreds and march on the court
house. armed to the teeth. The saner
counsels Of the United Mine Workers of
America have prevailed thus far, but the
movement for a sympathy demonstration
for the sixteen miners on trial for the
murder of Detective Albert Felts Is
! powerful For one thing, its prime NOV
ers insist on having enough men here to
offset the presents of "Felts men"
DENIES DETECTIVES
ARE SLIPPING IN.
Rumors are adding to the tension. one
persistent report has 1t that at least two
score Baldwin Felts detectives have
slipped into town the last few days.
Tom Felts head Of the agency, vigor-
ously denies this He further AYERS there
| Is not a scintilla OF truth in reports that
strong squads of detectives or mine
guards, as they are more often referred
| to, are held at nearby points ready to
pour into this town at a moments notice.
There are not more than a dozen known
Felts men In town. That there are others
working under cover is admitted by
Tom Felts
| 1t should he said in all fairness that
/ the Felts men who have been here since
the trial began have strictly minded their
business: they have gone out Of their
way to avoid trouble. Some Of them have
| been States witnesses Five OF them are
I to be tried next month for the murder
of Mayor c. G. FISHERMAN and two others
in the Matewan gun battle
TEN IN FEAR
OF DEATH.
There are at least ten men here whose
| lives. common talk holds, are not worth
pinch OF SNUFF from the moment the
verdict IS in. It matters not which way
the verdict goes.
| Williamson, for seven weeks the town
| OF fearful suspense, has changed over
night into a town OF trigger dread
| People who have gone about their busi-
/ ness tight mouthed for nearly a year are
/ beginning TO talk. And all the talk re-
wolves around the intangible, yet omnl-
/ present dread Of trouble which every
/ body believes will follow the verdict.
| And In the event OF trouble this town
/ has no more protection than some two
score State police and a handful Of dep
1 uty sheriffs. Every hour makes II more
/ apparent why court and counsel tried so
/ frantically n month ago TO prevail on the
/ State and the War Department to keep
/ the Federal troops here.
The slightest provocadon by either side
/ In the gigantic struggle now approaching
! its climax is bound to bring on a trag-
edy which any one familiar with the sub
/ surface situation here shudders to con-
/ template.