The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1921-08-15

IN, people of Welch have q good healthy
opinion OF these detectives and pay
homage 10 their astutencSs-this IL evil
denced by the fear In which they arc
held The city is in all truth lousy
with Rnldwin- Felts detectives, and but
very little goes on without their KNOW
ledge.
The records in the sheriffs office OF
Mcdowell county seem TO be rather
pgue IN tho matter Of these detective
deputy shrriirs-the exact NUMBER IN
,hc county could not he ascertaln"d
from that source. Sheriff Hathe!d was
not in his office when the Information
vas requested. hut MS chiet deputy
stated there were about oignteen OF
twenty I3aldwin-Felts detectives holding
commissions as deputy sherlHs III
Mcdowell county, but he was not GER
tain. However this may be- al the time
Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers were snot'
eyr-wi;nesF-S claim that there were
some fifteen or eighteen OF these deputy
sherins on the court house steps sur
rounding Lively and others who were
doing the shooting evidently there to
see that A good job was done by Idfely.
An Affidavit
The following affidavit. from which
all names have been Withheld TOT op-
yious reasons. gives good account Oh
the whole affair and shows 10 WHAT
ex.en, the DaIdwin-Felts detective
deputy sherihfs participated in II ana
encouraged it by their presence;
State Of Wts; Virginia.
County Of. ........ to-Wt:
being. duly s~orn'
upon his oath makes the following
statement
I Am thirty-nine years Of age a coa!
miner and reside at....... go
Am married and have family or
wife and seven Living children. ! was
pres.nr in Welch on the frs. day OF Au-
gus 1921. whc; Sid Hatfield and Id
Chambers were murdered by Ba id~iE-
Felt; detectives Ny wife. who was
With me. undertook 20 cad my attention.
In a man with two guns. VINO she sa'u
was going to shoot someone. and imme-
tfialc,y turned To look. but by that
chambers was shot aDd mad lailen apu
vas sliding down the steps.
W. were on the sidewalk and WITHIN
ONLY few feet Of The parties Out the
WAL IN front OF the steps oDStrucieo
my View Of persona low down on the
Steps ard a.d MT see Sid Hatfield De
fore he WIS "Io: ~ while they were
shooting AT him 2Lt seen men shoo'-
Ing Chambers and saw them come down
,bn s,.r., oast chambers and SAW him
raise up a lIttlo az they passed MIN
and at thot Tine saw one or them pace
:, pistol almost against him anu hre
into his body.
,crn at least five persons shooting.
seen two Of them run down the steps
and three or four others out on the top
Of the hank above where Sid Hatfield Is
said 10 have rolled. and nrc repeatedly
in the direction OF his body.
would Judge there were from thirty
IN nifty shots and | don't think the
shooting lasted more :hnn one-haf
minute, saw Buster Pence and the
man said 10 be Lively shooting and saw
them run down the steps and saw Live
" shoot into tho body OF Chambers
after he was down. saw them both
shooting IN the direction Of whore hat
field was supposed 10 be.
My wife says that she was looking
right at tho men and Chambers when
they shot him and that he was walking
along with his wife and there was no
argument between the parties and that
Chambers had no gun in his hand or
any other weapon and that he made no
motion towards getting one.
Affant further says that this Is the
frst statement ne has ever made as 10
his knowledge Of tho above murder and
tina: he has been advised by numerous
friends 10 get his family and get out of
Mcdowell County: That he is interested
in seeing that Justice Is done In this
case bu; tccls that anyone who will tes-
tify freely as TO the actual facts OF the
case will suffer the same fate OF Hat
hrld and Chambers at the hand Of the
same bunch Of men. Affant says that
he recognized at least fifteen or twenty
Baldwin men there on the ground at the
time OF the shooting.
Subscribed and sworn 10 before me
this the sixth day Of Aug. 1871
Ny commission expires 1920
Notary Public
This affidavit Is just one Of several In