Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-08-02
SID HATFIELD KILLED
West Virginia Guntnan Falls 10
Assassin.

West Virginia Gunnan Falls to
Assassin.
Sid Hatfield's career IN west VIZ
ginia ended yesterday on the court
house steps of We'ch, West Virginia.
II remains for a coroner's jury to pass
Judgment as to who shall be heid lot
trial on a charge OF having Ht,u 'lS
shot that ended the he CT p'c.urea
nue figure in the industrial STRIFE ol
N;nro county. c. Il. Lively, private
detective. is being held pending YER
dict
Hatfield. former chief of police AT
Natcyan and central figure in the trial
early this year Of more thah Scui
of mon charged in connection with the
killing of a private detective II months
aro, together with his friend, Eu
Chambers. also defendant in that
trial fell as result Of pistol shot
wounds suffered as the two men Weie
entering the little courthouse where
Hatfield was to face trial on another
shooting charge. ,r,.
According to persons nearby Hat"
field. with a party OF frlehCS, ap~
DrOached the entrance 10 the coui' l
house lust before neon where they me-
Lively and group OF cCmpaiiioil''
Friendly greetings were Sald 10 nav
hron exchanged, but moment hh'''
those on either side were notlcCu Im 40
sumo n hostile attitude. L"uu tnF"'t
was INDUCED in and this was ioll"Wr'
hy the crack OF pistol nrc' ~ '''
howcvcr. could or would say who corT'
mo,crd shooting. Hatfield and Charh-
hcrs were seen to, fall. EXamlnatlui
revealed that Hatfield had been Shot
in the chest and Chambers in the hcad
and breast. one Of the guns carried
bv the Magnolia onGtablc-~itheSSeS
said he carried two-had been dl"-
charged. it was said. by those Wh"
rushed forward. All smells IN the
njstol were empty, il was said. IL was
stated further that Chambers had put
one gun. Some of the shells II. II also
had been fired it was declared.
The shooting, although creating
some excitement. did not cause more
than furry and the large crowd III
Wa'ch for the trial was dispersed
quickly by loca! authorities. me
charge of which Hatfield was TO nave
been tried today was Ill cohhGctiU!'
with the shooting up of MohaWK' W.
Va, about a year ago.
Mrs. Sid Hatfield, who formerly was
the wife of Mayor {. I. Le"'etrllh' MIN
ono of those slain in the Matewan
battle, which resulted in the deaths VI
seven privatc detectives, and three
ci+iZrps. was in Welch To- attend court
at the time. Her marriage to Hatheld
was solcmniZcd two weeks after lh'
death of Matewan's chief executive.
& T. Lively was the surprise VII
ness for the prosecution in the trial
conducted in connection with the deatn
of Albert c. Fclts. director o. the pahu
or nr.ivfte detectives which had been
sent to NIatcwan for the purpose OF
nvjcting miners families from the
houses of Il coal company. TINS trlal
was the culminatioa Of a ste battle
in the West Virginia mining town one
ye1r aco last May 19. When the bat
tie started that afternoon the detec-
tivcs had completed their work ana
were on their way from the hotei AT
which they had been stopping 10 tnC
railroad station nearby. immediately
after the acquittal by jury that hau
listened for many weeks to tcSIlhohH
i'm the case. Hatfield and the code
PENDANTS returned to Mltewan.
shortly thereafter, Hatfield was re-
moved from the office o. chief of police
and Immediately elected as constable
of the Magnolia distric,, an Office he
retained to the time of his death.
Although only 2G years of age, Hat
fields nam" was known TO almost
every West Nirginian and to many
persons outside the state, on account
of frequent pistol episnCcs to which he
had been Il party. He was one of the
witnesses recently called Ey the senate
committee Investigating industrial
conditions i'm the Mingo coal fields.