Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-10-14
500 INDICTMENTS IN
". VA. MINE RIOTS
Men. Arguing for Freedom on
Bail, Blame "Blanton" for
Their Overt Acts.
ry AssooIated Preaa % Eyery EvenIng

taF A%@Nttttttu t'ffha 70 EVERY fteHfHks
Logan. w. Va. oct. 14.--Iogan-
Boone county disturbance defendants
today continued their testimony begun
yesterday in support Of an application
Tor admittanee 10 bail following post
ponement Of their trials the day be-
fore. until the January term Of Cir
cult Court. When Judge Robert Bland
this morning assembled the improvised
bench lp a motion picture theatre.
serving as a court room while the
county building Is being repaired. IL
was brought out shat the hearing
would be concluded probably by noon
The taking of testimony was made
necessary BY the prosecutors objec-
ton to the release on bond of IS Of the
81 men who appeared for trial We'd
nesday.
The regular grand jury has added a
number Of indictments TO those re-
turned several weeks ago by a special
grand jury, and the total now ex-
ceeds 500. The charges range from
murder 70 gun 'toting" and resulted
from disorders in Boone and Eastern
Logan counties late IN August and
early in September when IL men were
killed.
Most OF the defendants heard so far
have testified they were unwilling par
ticipants but the prosecution has
sought through questioning TO show
that they made no effort 10 shirk the
tasks assigned 10 them By men whose
names they gave es "Eianton, Thomp-
son and GLITCH
Pat Crawford one Of the applicants
for bail. told the court he was a un-
ION miner, adding that he only took
part in the trouble through the coer-
cion OF "Blanton"
Eli Akers. another defendant, testi-
fed that "Blanton" had made him
work on a road out OF Jeffery, near
which place most OF the trouble oc-
CURED
"who is Blanton?" Judge Bland
asked. "I don't know Akers answer
ed. Hes supposed to live in otta-
wa"
"He must be a powerful man in that
community" interposed the prose-
cutting attorney, John Chain.
II don't know" replied Akers, but
when he shoves gun in your face
you do as he wants
Dana Miles, Of Laurel City, testified
that he was one of the men who
guarded Magistrate w L. Mitchell. of
Logan. after the latter was captured
during the disturbances. When Mitch
ell and several others made prisoner
with him were taken to Laurel City.
Miles told the court that ''it looked
90 though, fhaxy 1x.ara srnfuor to 10 hin
ed"
"Colored men crowded around them
and poked guns in their faces" he
said Il tried to stop that kind OF
thing, but was pushed away"
"Soon thereafter Mitchell and his
companions were taken from the
scene," Miles continued, and he didn't
see the magistrate till 'Blanton' as
signed him TO guard Mitchell again
several days afterward.
Il never heard a march discussed
at any meeting" Miles said, in re-
sponse TO questioning by Prosecutor
Chain, hut | did hear they were
going to march to Mingo county"
A marching body, estimated to have
Comprised several thousand men.
gathered at Marmet. near Charleston,
prior TO the Logan Boone trouble and
proceeded to Madison. Boone county.
about IL miles from the Logan line.
At the solicitation OF miners union
officials II dispersed after reaching
that point, but three days later began
to assemble on the edge Of Logan
county, through which 1t was neces-
sary TO pass in order to reach Mingo.
where State martial law previously
had been imposed, following Industrial
ldiunrdnr..