New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-02
Sid Hatfield
lis Shot Dead
BY Detective
tcontInuod from paue ensl

a good breakfast and thought he would
eat great many more than Hatfield
would
Hatfeld then declared he was not so
sure that Lively would eat as MANY
meals as he would. They had more
words. Then the shooting began.
Chambers attempted to help Hatfield
and Lively killed them both in flash.
A dozen miners stood by during the
gun play, but none of them moved to
join the fight after their leader had
been shot down. Lively also had a
number of friends on hand. None of
them took part in the shooting, but all
were ready to JOIN in general battle
examination revealed that Hatfield
had been shot in the chest and Cham
bers in the head and breast. One of
the guns carried by Hatfeld-w witnesses
said he carried two-had been dis
charged. Shells in Chambers gun also
had been fired, it was declared
Although the shooting caused q
furry the large crowd in WEIGH for
the trial was dispersed quickly by local
authorities.
Lively and four of his companions
were placed under arrest.
Mrs. Hatfield and Mrs. Chambers
widows Of the slain men, tonight were
found at the home of Sheriff Hatfield
both declined to answer a telephone
call from the Associated Press, saying
through an intermediary, that they had
nothing to give out for publication. II
was Sheriff Hatfield who had gone to
Matewan and placed Sid under arrest
Tor the Mohawk ShOotjpU
Ten Killed at Matewan
Hatfield was chief of police in the
little mining village of Matewan on
May 10, 1920, when private detectives
were sent there to evict niners from
houses of the Stone Mountain Coal
Corporation. He was charged with
Leading townsmen who. bst.led with de-
tectives as they were about to take a
train for Bluefield after the evictions.
Ten persons were killed in the fight
and Hatfield, Chambers and twenty-five
others were indicted for murder.
The trial at Williamson. resulted in
the acquittal of Hatfield and his com
panions.
Governor Morgan tonight ordered
Mcdowell County authorities to make
n complete investigation of the shoot
ing.
named was tWenty-tOur years old.
He was born at Matewan and worked in
the mines. He was made Chief of Po-
lice under Mayor C. C. FISHERMAN, who
was killed in the mines fight, and
whose widow Hatfield married less than
two weeks later in Huntington. After
Hatheld's acquittal ne returned to
Matewan and transform ed the jewelry
store which Tetserman formerly owned
into hardware store. He sold, among
other things, arms and ammunition.
In the spring election he was elected
constable of Magnolia District, the
township in which Matewar is stu
ated. Being classed as an officer, Hat
field was permitted to carry arms.
Hatfield was a nephew of Anse Hat
field, who was reputed to have killed
thirty men. Sid Hatfield was said to
have killed fifteen men. He was con-
sidered she quickest and one of the
most accurate marksmen in the noun
tain district. He is said to have shot
mans ear off without touching his
victims head at distance of fifty
yards. He had told the man that the
next time he had trouble with him he
would shoot his ear of. When they
met Hatfield kept his word.
Ed Chambers, who was killed by Hat
fields side, was the youngest of the
defendants in the Matewan battle, be-
ing scarcely more than twenty one
years old. He served under Hatfield as
2 special policemen in Matewan and
like him was permitted to carry arms.
Both men were looked upon as being
able to draw quick and hit the mark"