The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-21
800 MEN MARCHING ON M|NGO COUNTY, OFFICERS ADVISED
Reporter Who Succeeds In Reaching Rendezvous Is Chased Away By Men
 Armed With Rifles
By Associated Press

Charleston, w Va, August 2o.-
 Men from the Paint Creek and Cabin
 Creek coal fields along the Ka-
 nawha river assembled at Marmet,
 near here. today with the avowed in-
 tention, 1t was reported to state au- ttorities, of making demonstra- ton against Mingo county, where
 martial law has been In force for
 several months as the outcome of an
 industrial controversy of long stand ing Some 800 CT goo men were in
 the party, and 1t. was said they would
 begin to march tomorrow morning,
 reaching Mingo through Boone and
 Logan counties.
 1t has been reported on several
 occasions that the men, many of
 whom are not steadily employed
 would march on Mingo, but surprise
 was expressed this afternoon when
 the news reached state officials that
 the movement was well under way.
 Col. Jackson Arnolds commander of
 the state police declined to discuss
 the situation, nor from any other of
 flcial source was any information given out.
 It was known, however. that late ,n the afternoon a crowd Of men es-
 timated at fully 500 had Collected in a hollow about one mile from the
 railroad station at Harmet Armed
 guards patrolled the road leading to
 the rendezvous, and strangers were
 excluded. A correspondent who sue ceeded In passing the guard and min gled with the crowd said upon his re- turn here that he was quickly sln- gled out and made to state his busi-
 ness. A few minutes later he was | approached by a number of men who told him they were committee to { inform him that his presence was
 not desired, and he was advised in courteous terms to leave. As he made
 his way to the railway station he
 said two men with rifles followed q
 short distance behind him.
 Protest Against Martial Law According to the reports widely circulated In this city and through
 cut the state, the movement is in protest against the maintenance of
 martial law in Mingo county.
 Repeated efforts by miners organ izatlons to have the courts free pris- oners, taken under provisions of | Governor Morgan's martial law pro- clamation, have been without avail. | A mass meeting of miners Tn Charleston recently sent commit tee to Governor Morgan with the re- l quest that he call a special session l of the legislature to "abolish the mine guard system" Governor Morgan, , August IS. in a letter to the commit tee, said similar Legislation failed at the last session of the legislatu and since the personnel of the legislature had not changed mo good purpose l, could be served by such course"
 The governor added that the ob- ! jectionable deputy sheriff system was not an Issue in Mingo county, as the deputy sheriffs there were paid out ] of the county treasury.
 1 These things, 1t was reported here | today, have been freely discussed along Paint Creek and Cabin Creek. | Two years ago large body of ] miners set out on a march from here {, for Logan county, where there were , few union men among the thousands l employed. They gave up the march
 after John J. Cornwall, then governor, threatened to call for federal assis- tance unless they returned to their homes c. F. Kenney, president of the dis | trict No. 1T, Unied Mine Workers Of America, said tonight the men could
 march to Mingo as far as he was con- cerned, and that he would not inter fere He said he had been informed the miners were to have meeting
 at Marmet, but that he had not been | invited to attend.
 "I wash my hands of the whole ar | fair," he declared. I've interfered 1 time and again to stop such enter prises I seem to have halted them | only temporarily. This time they can march to Mingo, so far as l am con cerned." The miners president added that he 1 had little faith in the ability of the | men to withstand the hardships or
 march 80 miles across mountain ous roads, and discounted reports here | that miners in Bonne county were digging trenches and patrolling l7- | mile front He said the president or
 the union local at Blair. Logan coun- 1 ty, reported to him that the Boone- l Iopap horder was quiet,