The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-01
HILL PEOPLE FIRE ON
W. VIRGINIA TOWN
Expected Outbreak Comes at
Dawn Before Trial Of Hat
field Opens.
iFEUD RENEWAL FEARED
members of Mountain Clan
Will Be Divided Over
Detective Murders.

Special Despotch to THE NEw YORK HnALp
WILLIAMSON, W. Va, Jan. 31.-The
first outbreak Of the threatened trouble
between hill denizcns and authorities
here as an outcome Of the trial OF Sid
Hatfield and twenty others for the muir
der Of Baldwin Felts detectives occurred
to-day Just before daybreak. when
fusiIlade of shots was fred from a hill
side into the town. The bullets ratified
on the side walks In tho vicinity OF
Fourth street No one was hurt. Sol
diers quartered hero 70 preserve order
during the trial of Hatfield were aroused
from their hunks by the shots and
searched the hills near the town. No
trace of The gunner was found
There is already whispering among
the natives OF the strong possibilities Of
the resumption Of the feud In the Hat
field clan as a result Of the trial. It
may be that the trial OF the defendant
will be the spark which will again ignite
the fire which existed for years.
When the taking Of testimony gets
under way Il will be discovered that
members OF the Hatfield clan will testify
for the State. while still others will tes-
tify for the defendants. What the
aftermath will be time alone will de-
termine.
Thus far the trial has indicated that
the Hatfield clan is divided. While SID
Hatfield Is on trial Greenway Hatfield,
wealthy coal operator and a brother Of
former Gov. Hatfield OF West Virginia,
is assisting the State In the selection OF
the jury which will pass upon the guilt
or innocence Of tho defendant and his
associates.
when court adjourned late this after
noon there were nineteen Of the twenty
seats for tentative jurors filled, but IL is
ing tho day viii be disqualified on ac-
count Of his kinship to Sid Hatfield.
At the resumption of the trial this
morning there were eighteen jurors in
the box, but four of these were removed,
three on account OF an attack OF in
nuenza. A physician recommended to
the court that NJ. c. Dingess. a juror
who was Ill, be excused and be per-
mitted to go home, as there was danger
o. the other members Of the jury be-
coming Ill.
The one big obstacle encountered by
the court in obtaining jurors to-day was
scruples against the imposing Of a death
penalty. This was attributed to the fact
that the primitive religion Of the native
mountaineers Is against the taking OF
human life by law. Nearly half OF the
new panel which was summoned yester-
day is exhausted, and the net result OF
the days work was fve additional tales
men.
1t is doubtful If the full quota Of
twenty tentative jurors to I'LL the box
before both sides begin exercising their
peremptory challenges will be secured
tomorrow. Over $50 witnesses that
were in court this morning were excused
carly this afternoon by Judge Bailey
until Wednesday morning. During tho
day there we're several talesmen. who.
when examined, declared that they
were opposed to labor unions, giving as
the reason for their opposition that
they created unemployment and caused
strife In the community. Still others
gave voice to their antipathy to the
slain detectives, referring to them as
thugs"