Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-26
Miners Are on Trial for Murder;
Telegraph Neus of i. S. in Brief
a Men From Mate.pa7, w. Va, Alleged to Haze Taken
Part in Battle With Detectiues-Evading of
Income Tax Charged

By the Associated Press.
| WILLIAMSON, w. Va, January rs.
i-Twenty-four men from the little
mining town Of Matewan, five miles
away. were here today to answer to
the charge Of murder before Judge
r. D. Bailey in the Mingo county
circuit court. They were indicted last
July for the part they are alleged to
have taken in a battle with private
detectives who had evicted former
employees of the Stone Mountain
Coal Company from the corporations
houses. In the fight seven detec-
tives, the mayor, C. c. FISHERMAN,
and two other citizens were killed.
The trials were set for the Sep
TENDER term Of court, but were post
poned until January 10, and each OF
the defendants released on $1O.O0O
bond. 1t was then decided on further
postponement until today, and last
night all preparations for a trial
had been completed. Two hundred
veniremen had been summoned, from
among whom it was hoped the jurors
would be obtained, and scores of
men had come in from all parts OF
the county,
| Five Detectives Indicted.
| The defendants are Sid Hatfield.
| chief of police of Matewan; Reece
Chambers. William Bowman, Clair
Overstreet. Doug Mounts. Jesse
Boyd. Isaac Brewer, Charles Kiser.
Chambers. Lee Taylor, James Over
street, Fred Burgraft. At Williams.
B. r. Page. Fred Webb, Van Clay.
Albert Burgraft. Calvin Mccoy. Hal
lie Chambers N. H. Atwood, William
Starr and Ezra Fry. the latter
The indictments charge that they
killed Albert c. Felts. Lee Felts. J.
w. Ferguson, A. J. Booher, E. o.
Powell, c. B. Cunningham and G. T.
Higgin. all employees of the Baldwin
Felts detective agency. In addition
| was indicted for stealing $500 from
| the body of Albert Felts. and others
of the defendants for stealing
weapons belonging to the dead de-
tectives.
Five detectives who escaped during
Mayor FISHERMAN. but they were
/ granted a change of venue. and will
] be tried in Greenbrier county.
Organizers Had Been Busy.
For several months before the bat
tie, organizers of the United Mine
Workers of America had been busy
forming local unions among the
of the Stone Mountain Coal Company
at Matewan Joined the union and. it
was stated at that time, were ordered
to move from company houses. Some
of them, however, were still In pos
session on May 10, and a party OF
Bluefield to serve writs of election.
They had completed their work and
were on their way to the Norfolk
and Western railroad station late in
the afternoon when the fight occurred.
"Anse" Hatfield, proprietor of the
hotel at Matewan. was locked up as
an important witness in the case. He
was shot dead within a month after
the indictments were returned. and
std Hatfield. Halle. Ed and TAFT
3Chambers were afterward indicted for
the killing. Another important wit
ness was Miss Janey Mullans. who
was employed at the hotel. She has
been in Williamson for several weeks
and, according to counsel will be
among the first to tell on the stand
the story of the battle.
Held Under Mann Act.
| BALTIMORE. Md.,-Arrested as he
fshsss Me y sSai yssss with 4,d
violating the Mann act. Milon said
he had just sold factory in Fair.
mont and had come to Baltimore t.
blow" the money. Esther Brand
Twenty one years old. of Morgantown
w. Va. is also. under arrest.
II Two Shot In Duel.
II CLEvELAND.-Walte f. Smith
city marshal here, and Winfield Glib
son. were both shot through the
stomach and probably fatally wound
| ed here in q pistol duel which fol-
lowed. spectators say. an effort on the
part of the officer to stop a disturb.
ance which, 1t is alleged, Gibson wal
causing in store. Both men were
taken to q Greenville hospital on a
special train.
II Kills Self and Wife.
PLANT CITY, Fla.-Nathan Drawdy
| we'll known here, shot and killed his
wife and then committed suicide by
shooting himself in the head at their
rooms here. Other roomers in the
house say that Drawdy was angry
because he failed to find his wife at
home when he came in earlier in the
afternoon, and that when she return
ed q quarrel was begun which ended
in the dual tragedy.
II Presses Anti-CiEarette Drive.
| TOPEKA. Kan.-Miss Lucy Page
CASTOR of Chicago. representative of
the International Anti Cigarette
League, announced that she would
leave Kansas February to begin next
on Missouri and Oklahoma" Miss
CASTOR said she would visit every state
capital where the legislature Is in ses-
sion after her campaign is launched in
Missouri and Oklahoma.
Invites Debate ON Industrial Bill.
/ TOPEKA, Kan.-Gov H. ]. Allen an
nounced he had been informed the
Iowa legislature. in which an indus
trial courts bill modelled on that of
Kansas has been introduced. is con-
sidering concurrent resolution now,
Inviting the Kansas executive and
Samuel Gompers to appear in joint de-
bate.
shifts I'm "Dryo Personnel.
/! CHICAGO.-Frank D. Richardson,
prohibition director for the central d.
vision, has begun to reorganize the per.
sonnet Of his Office by shifting five OF
his assistants to new territories.
Among the changes announced were
the supplanting Of James =. Brierton
as head of the Indianapolis district
by Lee Kidder. formerly in charge at
Peoria.