The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-03
MINGO COUNTY AN
OLD BATTLE-GROUND
Scene of Present Struggle Between West
Virginia Coal Operators and Miners
Has Seen Many Fights.

WILLIAMSON, W. Va. Jan. s.
Since the early days when first settlers
from Virginia fought their way to the
western country against bands of hostile
and Pike county, Kentucky, just across
the border, have been almost continuous
backgrounds r.s. ...
AIingo county's latest struggle is be-
tween the coal operators and the miners,
but after series of outbreaks which at
tracted countrywide attention, federal
! troops are maintaining order.
After the early settlers had disposed
of the Indians, the mOonshiners took the
| field and for years fought and sometimes
tected as they often were against attack
in the high hills and deep valleys that
cover this section. Then came the ia
nous Hatfield Mccoy feud of the SOS
and COS, which resulted in the practical
wiping out of the Mccoy family, and
which caused two state governors to take
Il hand in its suppression. For some
years after the feud the moonshiners again
| took the field, and although prohibition is
now law of the land the maxim of
! Ticker has never been given up entirely
| in these hills.
| Still another chapter of blood was
written in MingO when efforts were made
this year to organize the coal miners. An
| unhappy climax came about in Mattewan,
| w. Va, on May 10, 1920, when in fight
/ Ill the streets ~ men were Killed, seven
of whom were guards of a private detec-
tive agency, sent into the district to eject
union miners from company homes.
Since the Matewan fight Mingo has
been the scene of other disorders and rail
road mining properties have been de
strOyed by explosives. Intermittent war.
fare between operators guards and min,
J erS and their SympathiZers followed in
such proportions that recently Governor
| COrnwell of West Virginia called on the
federal government for troops. When q
provisional battalion was sent to Mingo
martial law was declared here and in sew.
cral other towns and villages.
| In the meantime, miners elected from
company houses organized tent colonies
and hundreds of families are living in
canvas homes in Mingo. This situation
| raised n question of sanitation.
In the clashes in AIingo the names
Hatfield and Mccoy have figured promi-
neitly. In the Matewan fight Chief of Pc
lice Hatfield took part and later was in
dictcd for murder. His trial is pending.
. In the week following Mccoy on lonely
! mountain road was badly wounded by an
unidentified asSailant.
] These fights have caused old settlers tC
| bark back to the day when the Hatfield
clan. following the killing of one of their
brethren, under the leadership of Devil
Anse" Hatfield, swore what was know
as the black oath" The story is told
that 20 members of the clan. kneelinc
around camp fire in the hills of AIingC
i county, pledged themselves to the absolute
destruction of the Mccoy family. As 8
result men, women and children of tn,
enemy clan found no mercy. and the feuC
became known far and wide as one of tn,
bloodiest in the history of the mountains
Strange to say. three Of the detectiv,
guards who were killed in the Matewar
fight this year were descendants of stat,
guards and officers who were sent int,
lingo in the early COS to put down thu
lfcud.
With the federal troops in the section
the county, for the first time in many
years. apparently is in fair way to ob
tain Deace and cal