The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-09-10
MINE FIGHTING
 RACES IN OLD
 FEUD COUNTRY
(By The Associated Press)

Logan, Wa, Sept. 10-The South ern section of West Virginia, scene of the present conflict between miners, residents and public authorities, has been noted for it's bloody conflicts, feuds and 1awiesSness for a century.
 The picturesque mountain section comprising the counties of Wyoming, Logan, Mingo, Mcdowell and Boone, has rarely been- without some sort of warfare or smou1dering quarrel, likely at any moment to burst into the flame of rifle fire.
 Hemmed in by rugged mountains, the early settlers were cut off from the outside world and succeeding generations have so remained to a more less extent. Roads are few, travel is slew and tedious and the ad- vance of civilization has skirted this mountainous region until today it has gained the reputstiTn of being one of the most promiSs sections east of the Mississippi river.
 From the early period when the hardy mountaineers fought the Indi- ans until today. the inhabitants have had a tendency ta take the law into their own hands and to mete out jus tice according to their own ideas This. no doubt has been due in part to the fact that law and order have had a hard struggle to gain foot hold in a section spra sely settled, al most impossible during the winter months and often almost entirely cut off.
 ESACepI TOT the small towns, the m habitantS for the most part are noun taineers. Many live Tn log cabins and combine f-rming on a small scale with fishing and trapping. Schools and churches are few and far apart. Many children do not attend school others have the advantage of a six m mOnthS' term.
 Probably one of the first affairs of the section to gain the attention of the outside world was the Hatfield Mccoy feud, which continued inter mittently for the greater part of half a century.
 Few of the many feud killings re- suited in prosecutions and fewer still found almost impossible to obtain
 juries as practically every inhabitant
 knew the feudiStS or was helated.
 The section, like some other noun tainous regions, also became known years ago as Q stronghold for moon shiners- Revenue agents and state prohibition officers had almost in numerable clashes with mountain | in search of mountain dew" Otter 1 they were successful in seizing stills and illicit liquor, seldom, however did they bring back prisoners for the mountaineers, according to the rev. l enue agents. had an intelligence sys- 1 tenn of their own and their coming
 was usually heralded long before theiI | arrival.
 The Mingo coal fields. however | have proven the latest and most | bloody ground of conflict. This trou- ] ble started with efforts of the miners | union to unionize the Mingo fields,al- | most the only coal section in the state not organized.
 The operators resisted and at first | the miperg themselves showed slight enthusiasm. There were frequent 1 clashes between union and non-union l miners. Many of the mines were | closed down, union miners began tc | picket the mines and the operators re- | taIiated by evicting union miners from l company houses.
 It was such an affair that resulted 1 in the noted Matewan trigger fight | in which a. number of citizens oi l Matewan, including the mayor and | several private detectives employed | by the mine operators, were killed l Nearly a score of Mingo men, in. 1 c1uding Sid Hatfield, were indicted ir | connection with the death of one o- 1 the detectives. Weeks were spent re gently in obtaining a jury and other weeks in trying the case The ac cused were acquitted. In the mean