Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1921-09-06
MINISTER FLAYS MINCO OUT
LAWS IN STRONG TALK.

Calling coward 70 those guilty.
Of shooting from ambush. and rsaent-
ing the fact that Of the four West
Virginia State Police wounded. three
Of them fatally. all were shot In the
back. and further that all the msn
the State Police organization lost,
were killed In Mingo county. the Rev.
J. v. Carpenter, pastor Of the Pres
byterian church In Williamson, In
recent Sunday evening sermon. drew
a vivid picture Of conditions In Mingo
county.
His text was nom Leviticus 25:10,
And proclaimed liberty throughout
all the land to all inhabitants there
Of" the Rev. Carpenter paralleled 1t
with the clause of the constitution
Of the United States guaranteeing to
every citizen the right TO life. liber-
ty and pursuit Of happiness.
Take those two fundamental be-
liefs Of all good Americans, weigh
them together and then look at Min
90 county he pastor declared
FOR 9 year or more past we have
had q series n horrors and blood
shed, that would make the blood Of
even a Mexican run cold. We have
the name now, the world over Of
Bloody Mingo.' and we deserve It.
because Of the way we have behaved
and the way We have allowed others
to behave.
Carrying firearms IN this county
seems TO be 50 deeply engraved into
the minds Of some that many do not
seem TO think that they are fully
dressed unless they have a couple
of guns bslted around them. Passers
along the public highways have high
powered rifles on their shoulders and
yet there is nothing In the way Of
game In these hills that requires that
sort Of gun. And when one goes out
with rife Of that character to spend
day. he is not hunting squirrels
he 10 hunting men.
"OMcers of the law, sworn to en-
force the laws of the state for our
ambush while about their duties Of
seeing to the enforcement Of law and
order. Three State Police members
were shot and killed, the bullet from
the assassins' rifle being fired from
the rear, while he lay in ambush
And finally another State Police on
Ger was seriously wounded and for q
while lay almost at the point OF death
because he was at the task assigned
70 him by his superiors OF rounding
up for an investigation some of the
persons suspected of being perpe-
traitors Of this promiscuous shooting
and cowardly ambushing. And in
this effort to round up some Of these
offenders. another man was killed.
out upon the hillside and away from
his home with a rife in his hand;
with water and food and ammunition
that would last him day. The bar
rel of his rife was still hot when he
was picked up and an empty cart
ridge shell was In his gun showing
that he was opposing the officers Of
the law and by his very opposition
was making himself an outlaw.
And then to cap all this, this man
who was killed while the officers were
trying to do their sworn duty and to
arrest and bring to the county seat
the men who had endangered their
lives; the lives OF our sheriff and our
adtutant general OF the state and his
assistants, this man who was shot
upon the hill and had with him eN-
dence that he had gone out on the
hills to stay at least day at his SELF
appointed and lawless task; this man
who had a high-powered rifle with
with him; this man who made him.
self an outlaw by resisting arrest BY
lawfully constituted authorities; this
man who used hts gun to try to inflict
wounds II not to kill the duly elected
and duly sworn officers of this county
and state. was given a hero's fu-i
neral.
"Oh. Americans OF Mingo, to have
that man preceded to his grave by
the American nag is a gross asper-;
sion on that glorious flag That man
who died resisting the law Of the
land and who made himself thereby
an outlaw, honored by the symbol Of
the law and the government at his.
grave. Oh. men. what would Lincoln
say to that Oh men, what would
those who sleep in Flanders field say:
to such a sight? We might Just as
we'll enshroud Benedict Arnold and
Aaron Burr and Grover Bergdoll In
the nag and lay them away. The prin-i
ctple Is Just the same"
Rev. Carpenter said some were In,
the procession because they did not
think; some were there because they;
had been persuaded by propaganda
and some were there because they
wanted to be-because they regarded
the outlaw as a hero. The pastor
pointed out that he takes no part in.
the difference between the miners
and operators.
Il am not concerned with that quar-.
REL" he said. II do not care whether
the man who was buried was a men,
Der OF the union or not.
When a man puts himself outside
the law by voluntary action he ought
thereby to forfeit his standing in and
benefits from the union II he does
not then to that degree the union In
aiding and abetting lawlessness."