The Washington herald., 1921-02-03
RIVALFACTTONS
MAKE CHARGES
IN CLAN TRIAL
Operators Issue a 1000
Word Statement At
tacking Union.
WORKERS CLAIM
PROOF OF BRIBERY
Each Side Says Fight to
Gain Supremacy Has.
Just Begun.

WILLIAMSON, W. Va. Feb =
Typewriter warfare broke out here
tonight Charges Of murder and at
tempted bribery were the heavy ar
tilIery, the Williamson Coal On
orators Association and the United
Mino Workers OF America the con-
tenders. Each side. after deliver
ing its opening blast. declared that
1t had only begun 10 night
a psychological moment was cho,-
en- for the opening Of hostil!,f,g
The end OF the seventh day Of The
Matewan gun-tght case an iuser-
arabic part Of the struggle betwecn
miners and operators. was Consumed
in selecting four additional tenta-
tive Jurymen. and prospects OF gel
tlng a full jury seemed more r,muf..
than ever. The town is quiet and
peaceful Interest in the trigger
trial. has subsided and wall renal,
latent until the first witness is rgt
on.
So the coal operators association
hTed its opening gun IN tho form
oI a -.hOO-WOrd statement. il de-
'lared that there rs neither 4 Iors-
out nor a strike in force in tn.
Williamson coal field. nov that the
union movement has COLLAPSED. fr.-
the United Mine Workers ar. fbr
most . ranniCal uC all labor or
Eauizati"ns," using brutal ana rny--
dcrouS means TO further It's cnas
/ The statement added. More than
twenty murders have been commit
ted in hInEO county. including the
naSSaCro of Matrusn Not ons OF
these murders has boon the result
OF aggression by mine guards AII.
without exception. are charEcsble 10
representative OF the United Min
ers' organization
Denying these and oi.seF ~hHrCss
{ NJ Workman. n1auaE-r n Dlstr1r.
No. Il. United MirC Workers NJ
America, made this chief counter
CharEr.
-Tb. Operators. Association
through tho BaIdwin-F.I's petec-
tive Agency. ATTEMPTED n b-.b
sheriff Blankenshir with an or.rnr
$4,000. and offered Mayor Tester
man. Of MsteNan. $1,000 for parU,s-
sion to bring machine guns into tho
corporate limits
Blsnkenship. nov station arc7, 2.
Natewsn. was county sheriff az tho
time Of the great gun battle on Mav
- last. which forms tho back
ground Of the trigger trial" Msga-
Tcst"rmsn was ou' CC th, ton mon
killed IN that hsttIo His widow
married Sid Ha;hoS Nat-war.,
chief Of police. mine days after tho
battle.
Harold Houston Of counsel yr-
the twenty zone defendants com
mentinE on WOrkman's stutcmc7..
said:
I CIaim Evidence.
4 'All tho assertions contained f-
II VIII he substsntiatcd in the
Another Of workman.s assertion,
was:
Judge Jsmcs Dam-or. then ur
the bench of the Circuit Court now
J trying tho defendants. snd vNn un-
. eTpertcdly resigned and became
counsel for the Operators AsSrCia-
tiou. and who rs now actual. or.
gagged in prosecuting tho defend
ants. in public ,ampai-u Edlr..
{ at NltcWa0 said tho OTrra'o-S nH 4.
Offered him S,S.Onn 10 assist them
! 'Nr Wi'os. wOmbrr ~ the GRIN
| Of BIaS and Wilcs. prominent zr'or-
nCy of Williamson representing 'NN
/ Coal Operators Association. admit
/ ted that 10 had offered 81 O0N ~
TONY Webb a deputy shcrtN ~
/ MlUC". to inhUenO" him 20 night the
United Mine WORKERS
The statement Of the ninc-s
( spokesman emphatiCa11v dcrIrd tina.
( anyone connected with tho ur'on
I had committed any murders H.
coUnterchargcd brutalIr- on the par
( Of the mine guards
FIND Another Juror.
In tho Cours, or todsy's orort-
| to add TO m, tentative panel
man was discovered who had not
heard 7boUt the MatcV Vsn battle
until TO-DAY He is Moses Work
man. a farmer. whb lives eight
miles on the other side n DinEnsr.-
which is by wRv or descrf hing an
/ isolated region Of MinEo. He testified
that he could neither read nor
write. He was accepted 4 deputy
sheriff had summoned him last
night. Workman rode into town
TODAY on horseback. got on in from
OF the court house and asked vhat
IL was all about. He was conducted
into the courtroom. His examine
tion was ono or the brierrSt an
record Court and counsel favor
such men for tho jury. though II &
doubtful whether there is another
in the county.
One vcnireman today got impa
tient. i've done answered that
question a dozen times" said he
Well. let's have il just once
more" said the interroEating attor-
ney. with a patient smile Another
venireman said he was bound 10
base his verdict on what he had
heard on the outside He was eI-