The New York herald., 1921-09-06
'aleIT1illac, Undel
Union Workers SiiNUtfi-
day, Centre of Attack.
16 REVOLTERS SEIZED
State Police With Addition
al Machine Guns Expect
to Hold Border Line.
WOMEN HELP DEFENDERS
Conspiracy Seen to Force In
reference by U. $. Troops
in Mingo County.

By STAT Correspondent OF THE NEW YORK
HERALD.
WILLIAMSON, w. Va. Sept. 5.-State
police. who are enforcing martial law
in Mingo county under Gov. Morgans
recent proclamation, to-day uncovered
what they believe to be a union miners
conspiracy to repeat in the Mingo coal
fields the armed uprising that was
quelled yesterday in Boone and Logan
counties by Federal troops.
The mining camp of Merrimac, about
five miles from this town. has been
under fire since last Friday from
union miners in rifle pits on the Ken
lucky mountain slope across the river.
Sixteen striking union miners were
arrested this morning and yesterday
by the State police on information
that they had participated in the firing
on the colliery of the White Star Coal
Company at Merrimac.
Ma jor Tom Davis. who is the Governors
representative in the enforcement OF
martial law. said tonight that one of
these prisoners had confessed that con-
certed attack on Merrimac by more than
700 miners had beeu planned by the
union leaders.
This man." said Major Davis. "ad-
mitted that orders had gone out from the
union chiefs for a gathering OF these
miners at Stringtown and a sudden de-
scent on Merr.mac. The msn who were
to participate in the attack we're to come
from the/strikers camps at strayton,
Kermit. ,Ehattaroy and Lickcreek.
Estate Police Confident.
.vnother prisoner told us he had been
Ydered. with others In his camp. to take
lis gun and come to Stringtown or their
Town camp would be shot up"
The State police are patrolling the
West Virginia side OF the river and be-
lieve that wOa the aid Of machine guns
which have been brought back from the
defepcN of Logan. they will be able to
.re,5ei anx attack not made in overwhelm-
ing numAars.
That the pNat did not succeed last week
when the westhyirginia side Of the Lug
River was left nesrly defenceless BY the
rush of State police and Minso county
civilian volunteers to 4he aid Of Logan.
is due to the desire OF "a woman in
Stringtown TO protect her sister liz Mer-
rimac. This woman knew of the con-
spiracy. Early last week she came
across and warned her sister to go away.
"The miners are going to capture
Merrimac and there will be shooting"
she said. please go away at once but
don't .ell anybody what told you"
But the sister did not follow this ad-
vice. She informed the State officers
ard they were ready.
In the firing across the river one State
policeman, Harry Allen. was shot in the
hip. Besides wounded miner who was
captured Major Davis believes several
others were hit by the police in return
ing the fire and that three miners have
been killed. The wounded mans name
Is Jim Scott.
Rose Mccoy Cline, wife OF G.. w.
Cline, foreman at the White Star Coal
Company mine, and daughter Of Randall
Mccoy the famous leader of Pike
county, Kentucky, has been helping the
state police to silence the strikers fire.
she Is crack shot with rifle. and oc-
cupied dugout near the river to-day
and yesterday aiding in the defence OF
mine property.
want United states Troops There.
There Is no doubt in the minds OF the
state officials here that the striking
miners are trying TO force the sending
of Federal troops into this district as
they are now In Logan, Boone and
Kanawha counties. The strikers seem
to believe they will gain some advantage
by having the Federal Government In
stead of the county and State authorities
to deal with. They say the Federal
troops will be impartial, while the local
officials are all under the Influence OF
the big coal operators.
The shooting here began las. Friday
night about IL o'clock, when fifteen or
twenty shots were fired across the river
irto Mcrrimac from Stringtown, the
strikers stronghold.
The first shots were fired at an auto
mobile returning from q trip TO Logan
with machine gun. The headlights OF
the automobile could be seen on the road
that skirts the hills on this side OF the
river and 1t made a good moving target.
but no one was hit. When no more
shots had been fired up to 10 o'clock
Friday morning the State police. VINO
had been rushed to the scene the night
before, withdrew with the exception n
an outpost. Scarcely had they left when
the shooting began again from several
different points on the Kentucky side.
All day this kept up. with the Mingo
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