Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-01-03
PEACE IS BEING
BROUGHT ABOUT
IN MING0 FIELD
Strike in Coal Mining Camp
Recalls the Hatfield Nc
Coy Feud; Federal Troops
Guard District.
(By The Associated Press.)

| Williamson, West Va, Jan. e.
Since the early days when first
settlers from Virginia fought their
way to the western country against
bands of hostile Indians, M1ngo
county, West Virginia, and Pike
county, Kentucky, just across It's
border, have been almost contin-
uous backgrounds.
Mingo county's latest struggle
is between the coal operators and
the miners, but after a series OF
outbreaks which attracted country
wide attention, federal troops are
maintaining order.
After the early settlers had dis
posed of the Indians, the moonshln-
ers took the field and for years
fought and sometimes vanquished
the hated revenue agents, pro-
tected as they often were against
attack in the high hills and deep
valleys that cover this section'
Then came the famous Hatfield
Mccoy feud of the sos and '9Os,
which resulted in the practical
wiping out of the Mccoy family,
and which caused two state gov
errors to take a hand in its sup
preston. For some years after the
feud the moonshiners again TOOK
the field, and although prohibition
is now a 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 ef-
forts were made this year to VIZ
ganize the coal miners. An unhap-
py climax came about in Matewan,
W. Va, on May 10, 1920, when in a
fight in the streets ten men were
killed, seven of whom were guaros
of a private detective agency, sent
into the 1istr ct to eject union
miners from C. mpany homes
Since the Matewan fight Mingo
has been the sc enc of other disord-
ors and railroad mining properties
have been destroyed ny explosives.
Intermittent warfare between tpe-
rators' guards ana miners ana
their sy.npa nizers followed in
such propo tioas that recently
Governor Corn y, Of West Viz
ginia, called on the federal govern
ment for troops. When a proVis-
ional battalion was sent to Mingo,
martial law was declared here ana
in several other towns and villages.
In the meantime, miners elected
from company houses organized
tent colonies, and hundreds OF ram
/ lilies are living in canvas homes IN
Mingo. This situation raised
question of sanitation.
In the clashes in Mingo the
names Hatfield and Mccoy have
figured prominently, In the Mate
wan fight Chief of Police Hatfield
took part and later was indicted
| for murder. His trial is pending.
In the week following a Mccoy on
lonely mountain road was badly
wounded by an unidentified assall-
ant.
These fights have caused old set
tiers to 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
known as the "black oath" The
story is told that twenty members
of the clan, kneeling around a
camp lire IN Inc Hlilo "
county, pledged themselves TO Ine
absolute destruction of the Mccoy
family. AS a result men, women
and children of the enemy can
found no mercy, and the feud be-
came known far and wide as one or
the bloodiest in the history or the
mountains.
Strange to say three Of the de-
tectiye guards who were killed in
the Matewan fight this year We're
descendants of state guards and Of
ficers who were sent into Mingo IN
the early '9o's to put down the
feud. :. .,,o
with the federal troops in the
section. the county, for the first
time in many years apparently Is
lin a fair way to obtain peace ana
1tn,