The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-17
BREEDING PLACE
OF TURBULENCE
Mountain Section Of West
Virginia Writes His
tory in Blood
NEVER BEEN AT PEACE
Home of Feudists and Monn-
sinners Now Becomes Cen.
ter of Industrial Warfare

LOGAN w. va, sept 16.---Tlr'
southern section OF West Virginia,
scrne VI the present conflict be-
tween miners, residences and pub
lie authorities has been noted for
is bloody conflicts, feuds and law
lesgr. ss for century.
tn, picturesque mountain sec
zion. comprising the counties OF
wyoming, Logan, Mingo, Mcdowell
and Bpone has rarely been without
some sort Of warfare or smolder-
ing quarrel, likely at any moment
Sto burst into the flame OF rifle fire.
Hcmmed in by rugged mountains,
the or " settlers were cut off from
the outside world and succeeding
gen,rations have so remained to
Ror less extent. Roads are few,
fras is slow and tedious and the
advance Of civilization has sltirted
this mountain region until today
IL has gained the reputation of be-
tng .ue OF the most primitive sec
ton east Of the Mississippi river.
From the early period when the
handy mouutaineers fought the In
diaus until today, the Inhabitants
have had a tendency to take the law
into their own hands and to mete
out Justice according to their own
ideas This, no doubt, has been
due in part to the fact that law
and order have had a hard strug-
gle TO gain a footholt in a section
sparsely settled. almost impassa Bile
during the winter months and often
almost entirely cut off
Lutte COntnct With World.
Except for the small towns, the
Inhabitants for the most part are
mountaineers. Many live in log
cabins, and combine farming on a
small scale with fishing and trap
ping. Schools and churches are
ilW and far apart. Many children
d. not attend school, others have
'ahe advantage ,of a six months
Term.
Probably one OF the first affairs
OF the section to gain the attention
Of the outside world was the Hat
field-McCoy feud which continued
internationally for the greater part
of half a century.
Few OF the many feud killings
resulted in prosecutions and fewer
still convictions. In MANY cases II
was found almost impossible to OBJ
tain Juries as practically every in
habitanJ knew the reudists or were
related.
Hunt for 'Mountain Dew
The section, lie some other
mountainous regions, also became
known years ago as stronghold
for moOnshiners. Revenue agents
and state prohibition officers had
almost innumcrable clashes with
the region in search OF mountain
dew" often they We're successful
in sezing stills and Illicit liquor,
seldom however did they bring
back prisoners for the mountaineers
according to the revenue agents
had intelligence system of their own
and their coming was usually
heralded long before their arrival.
The Mingo coal fields, however
have proven the latest and most
bloody ground of conflict. This
trouble started with efforts OF the
miners union TO unionize the Mingc
fields, almost the only coal section
IN the state not organized.
The operators resisted and al
first the miners themselves showed
slight enthusiasm. There were fre.
Sseuent clashes between union and
nonunion miners. Many of th(
mines were closed down, unloT
miners began TO picket the mines
and the operators retaliated by
evicting union miners FROM com
pdny houses.
Breaks Into BIoodshed.
IL was such an affair that re
suited in the noted Matewan 'trig
yer" fight in which a number o
ftiZens Of Matewan, including th'
mayor and several private detec
tves employed by the mines op
orators, were killed.
Nearly a score OF Mingo men IN
eluding Sid Hatfield, were indicted
in connection with the death O
one of the detectives. Weeks wer
spent recently in obtaining " jur
and other weeks in trying the case
Tho accused were acquitted. In tn
meantime there had been other act
OF violence, miners from outside tn
region had been brought in an
often the situation was beyond con
'rol OF the state police and tn
county authorities.
At various times state and fedora
troops have been sent to the sectiol
and maintained order under martia
law.