New-York tribune., 1921-01-28
Miners on Trial
Locked i'm Cells
To Avert Battle
Sid Hatfield Leads Defend
ants to Jail When Court
Rules Bail Bonds No
Longer Grant Freedom
Town Is an Armed Camp
Only Seven Jurors Named
as Rival Clans Fight
for the Right to Serve
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

WILLIAMSON. W. Va, Jan. 27.-
Growing signs Of trouble as feudists
and foemen of bygone days gathered
their clans under the caves of the
Mingo County courthouse here re-
suited today in judicial order thai
sent to Jail for the first time since
their arrest Sid Hatfield, descendant
of the Hattields of Hatfield Mccoy
feud fame, and score of other de-
fendants who are on trial for their
lives in connection with the Staying Of
seven Baldwin-Felts detectives in a
pitched battle at Matewan last Nav.
the result of long-standing labor
trouble in the Mingo County coal
fields.
Trial Judge Robert D. Bailey. with
Colonel Henry Hall, commander of the
Federal troops who patrol the streets.
seated en- the bench by his side. issued
the order that Jailed the mountaineers.
His action followed the gun play re-
ported in the court room yesterday.
The trial judge several times struck
hard at the defense to-day, the second
day Of the trial Right after the open
ing OF the court he overruled motion
to quash the indictments. Then he
ordered the defendants to jail on the
grounds that their bail bonds were
good only for their appearance in
court, and late in the afternoon, after
a bitter debate between counsel, he
ruled that members of the United
Nine Workers of America are not elig-
lble to sit as jurors in the case.
Situated in the center of what one
time was one of the greatest feud bat
tlegrounds in the country, Williamson
now is virtually an armed camp. SOL
diers with bayoneted rifles patrol the
streets and stand guard in the court
room, alert lest the smoldering flames
of feudism break out afresh and re-
suit in bloodshed in the court room.
Clansmen of the various factions, the
friends of the Hatfelds and the Nc
Coys, union and non-union miners,
each with only bitterness in his heart,
glaring through eyes that see red.
Only one setting is missing from
the picture-the figure of Devil Anse"
Hatfield, greatest of the mountain
fcudists, whose death a short time ago
brought a gathering of clans that was
not unlike the gathering in William
son now.
lmpaneling of the jury to hear the
testimony began this morning with 200
persons summoned, from whom twelve
must be selected. In, the list of the
prospective jurors are Hatfieldo and
McCoys, relatives of the Hatfields and
the McCoys, friends of both, with the
result that when Judge Bailey dropped
his gavel late this afternoon, signify
ing the session had adjourned, only
seven men occupied the jury box
1t was a day of bitter fighting be-
tween counsel, a day of discovery that
most of the talesmen called were rela-
tives of one or more of the defendants.
At one stage when the name of Anse
Hatfield was called for examination
Prosecuting Attorney Wade Bronson
stepped forth and announced:
"Your Honor, that man is dead" I'm
mediately he turned to see two men
stepping toward the witness stand, both
claiming that name and evoking from
the court the statement that, "He has
apparently come back to life" Both
men claimed relationship to the famous
feudist of that name.
When court convened this morning
armed deputies stood at the doorways
and as each person entered the room
he was subjected to "fc;sking" for
arms. Judge Bailey's order yesterday
afternoon followed announcement by
the States Attorney that one Of the de-
PENDANTS was armed.