New-York tribune., 1921-09-05

LOGAN, w. Va, Sept. S.--M'GEE-
HAN, Managing Editor: I owe S5 to q
sergeant OF the West Virginia State
Constabulary. He won bet. think
you ought to o. X. it as part Of my ex-
pensc account. This is the yarn:
On the platform at Sharples this
morning were four correspondents who
had travelled in on the first troop train
We overheard boy in overalls-he
was about seventeen-say the fighting
had not ended.
"You can hear the firing up here, al
ways, where it's quiet" he said.
"Can you show us?" all four de-
manded. Sure" he said, and got per-
mission from the miners official, who
was there, to take us. We were: Don
Craig, Washington correspondent OF
"The New York Herald"; Miss Mildred
Morris, of the international News Ser
vice; Jacobs. of The United Press, and
your, at the present writing, very hum
bic correspondent.
Omnipresent Flivver Handy
"I'll get you a car" said this guide
and did so. 1t was f1ivver, an ancient
one. In the drivers seat was Nicholas
Ball, an electrician. his wife and their
year-old baby. Mrs. Balls head was
draped with pillowslip pinned so as
to suggest nurses cap, the ends trail.
ing on her shoulders.
The guide left us in Balls car anc
he started up the valley, where nc
Boone's mining camp. The road dis.
appeared shortly after we started, and
Ball drove his automobile into the bee
of the shallow creek they call Goa
River. Sometimes, / imagine, it is 6
deep and ugly mountain torrent.
We followed the bed of this river
for awhile, took so-called road for 9
change, and found it worse and go
back in the stream. Then the driver
turned the car into another valley
Presently he called to a friend in an
other machine and asked him to carry
two Of his four passengers. His wife
and Jacobs climbed into the larger car
which fell in behind Balls flivver.
We progressed another mile through
this country, which suggests the Ar
gonne region of France, and when Bal
turned out of the rocky, impossible
road to avoid an especially deep hole
the car gasped and tainted. Then i
sank to the nuDs in muck.
We met an old man there. He wa:
in overalls. His scrubby whiskel
growth was white and there was
green patch of celluloid tied over hi!
right eye.
Information From the Front
"The machine guns are a-cracking VI
yere at the head of the crick," he said
leaning one arm on the higher side o
the stranded car.
Then we heard a muffled boom.
"You all are not scared to go on VI
here in the Wolf Pen Hollow" ques
toned Ball.
"No," we lied in chorus. Then w
heard another report. Ball estimate,
that it was about a couple miles away
! From other men We encountered, un
armed ones, we had learned that tn
miners cred necks" they are called b
the civilian army in Logan, and ere
necks" they call themselves had ha
900 men holding this low gap in tn
hills that is called Wolf Pen Hollow
Most of 'em have come out thi
morning." we were told. One miner W
encountered said something about pris
oners. We asked a few more ques
| tions.
We got some of their'n," he sale
"and we'd have fixed 'em, too. Blu
those fellows (the civilian army) ar
so DANCED thick they'd have fixed our'r
too, SO we had to keep 'em. l CUES
maybe we can find them when we want.
He implied that he knew of abou
twenty that had been taken alive.
We had come up this hollow betwee
two sharply rising mountains to forl
Ball whistled in a peculiar fashio,
Then he whistled again. From time t
time we heard more firing. Ball starte
on, saying:
you might keep a-talking. Some c
these boys are careless about shootin,
They ask questions after they shoe
Shoot without halting you"
There WAS no anSWer to the Whistlf