The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-02-16
FIRST SHOT BY
SID HATFIELD
Hardware Store Clerk Gives
Sensational Testimony IN
"Matewan Trial

, MHnamHuu. W. Va. Feb. lj.--NdSlmG
4 fight +" The last ditch I" r"ldn i"'
federal troops in Williamson Whale IN"
MAt"wan battle cdS"N are n progress
; Judge Eailcy. pre- jding n' ia" Pr"S"n
. trial. and counsel for both S.drs sought
ways and means IN Il G"SpcrIt" effort
! this evening to gain their end.
; GUvcruor Iurnw'l! Wa> appealed Z"
again wheu IL WAS learned lhr"hSh
Ia press rcSG,rt that senator Suth'r-
: land.s s,axCmcui that tho soldiers would
: stay was said To have h""n unauth"'-
! jzcd. An answer had not boon received
! late this afternoon. Nothing. however.
! stood IN In, way OF the officials e"
rave the order rcsc!ndcd, Telephones
cnmmuni,al ION with the governor was
! found L. b" difficult. bu; tho! waited
J to have III" Ines repaired menc;ari'N.
! Preparing 70 Leave.
! In the meantime, tolonc! Hall. COM
| mand.ng the troops. wuS preparing TO
! leave with the last company Il :
o'clock tomorrow morning Military
hcadGuartrrS. wh:,n has been thr seen"
. Of constant Icijlity since III" pr"Nis-
! iuHal battalion cam" into MinEo last
! November. was bare "f It's army para
: phcrnal!d this AFTERNOON. and tine "nl!
! life about i; wd% an orderly. tttirCrS
: and men were packing ih"'r PERSONAL
! b,lonSingS. and tents which had been
, set uD back Of the court house were
! struck.
, Colonel Hail said hc would nc prc-
pared To- leave on scheduled tm' Tor
camp sherman. and nothing but last
minute order from tho commander o.
! the Fifth corps army headquarters at
. lnI;anapoliS could dctain him.
1 NV,,aV nd
the state police. has been in William
son several days. More of IN" state
trooper. will be brought into the county
, seat. i; Is understood. when. the soldiers
! leave.
Hatfield Fired Ftrst.
| Several witnesses were placed on III"
stand IN the trial Of nineteen Maicwan
men accused Of being implicated IN the
hattlc Many offered sensational state
ments. but mono created greater stir
| than that Of jeff Stafford. rormcrly
! employed as clerk in the Chambers
hardware store. when he said that the
FIRST shot he heard fred came from sid
HataeId's pistol, who was standing q
I few fcet- from tho him inside the door
of the store. Later nc supplemented
[ his testimony in saying that other
| sha:s may, ,Aaxa. -hAah- -ared- which hn did
y
! temporarily when it was brouSnt out
by the defense that Stafford rcco ntly
! had told Harold W. Houston. an a.tor-
| ncy fer tho defense. that he did not
know who was responsible for the first
shot.
| With Hatfield standing inside the door
talking TO Albert Felts and Z. y. Gun
ninEham. Baldwin men, who were on
! the outside, were Ben Mounts and Isaac
| Brewer Co-dcfCndant, according to the
witness Stafford said ne did not know
upon whom The bullet took effect. Il
any. but that vnllcy of shots followed
tho first ono, and he ran 10 dcntaI
| office upstairs
| "BiN" Hamilton. a resident Of Ken
itucky. residing opposite Matcwan when
called. said that Ecccr Chambers a
defendant. had borrowed d r;nc from
him and several cartridges 4 short time
before the fight occurred.
Conif's Question.
| Upon cross examination. J. J Coaifr
! asked If it were not true tina; ~ Bald
win. recently had offered him $4,000 10
| say in court that when Chambers bor-
rowcd tho rifle he declared he wanted
| II to use on the detectives. So much
| controversy arose between opposing
counsel that il was hard TO gather
whcther tho court sustained th" mo-
! ton OF tho state against the question.
| until II was aSCcrtain"d that III" VII
! Continued on Page Eight)