The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-06
DEFENDANTS WILL DETAIL STORY ID
 JURY NEXT WEEK
Girl Testifies She Heard FeIts Declare He Was Going to "Get" Hatfield and Two
 Others
By Assooiated Irsas

NiilldnSOn, " w. wa. Mdfcn 9'--ooiil- : of the defendants in the Matewan gun fight trial, of whom there are r will likely tell their stories to the trial jury in circuit court next week. Nine defense witnesses were disposed of before court recessed at noon today until Monday morning and it was said that the bottom of the list was in slght.
 Of those placed on the stand today the testimony of Miss Elizabeth Bur graff, sister of one of the defendants. and John Burt, a union miner, caused | the greatest stir.
 Miss Bunsraff told the jury that she overheard remarks by Albert c. Felts, killed during the street fight last May l9 and in connection with whose death rthe IF men are being tried, to the eff feet that he was going to get Sid Hatfield, Tester man and Blanken- ship before he left town. and "others. if they fered"-Hatfield is tlie chief of police, and Testerman was the mayor of Matewan. Blankenship at the time of the shooting was sheritt of Mingo county.
 The witness testified that she was employed at hotel where private detectives. working under Felts, stopped during the time they were en- gagged in cvicting. striking miners families from Stone Mountain Coal company house.. She said that after the evictions had been carried out, the men returned to the hotel, preparatory to leaving Matewan. According to her testimony, Miss Burgraff saw them carrying rifles when they entered. While taking down their guns, Miss Burgraff testified she heard Felts make the threat. When leaving the hostelry, she said she noticed the men but that they had their short guns at their sides. The fight started soon thereafter.
 Cross examinations developed that Miss Burgraff at the time made ID mention of what she had heard be cause she did not think Felts would do it and didn't have time"
 WHY SHE KEPT SILENT
 When asked why she did not men ion the matter to the hotel proprie- tor Anse Hatfield. the witness replied that ''she didn't talk to him much be- cause he worked for Baldwin"
 The private detectives were em- ployed by the Baldwin -Felts agency. Anse Hatfield, who was to have been a states witness in the present trial, was shot and killed last August by unidentified persons,
 Burt, when placed on the stand. testified he saw the first shot fired from the gun of Albert Felts. Tho weapon, he said, was pointed toward Mayor Testerman as the two men stood in front of the hardware store. discussing warrant Felts had for Sid Hatfield. Testerman, two other residents and seven private detectives. including Felts, fell mortally wound i before the fight ended. On cross-ex animation numerous variations be- tween Burt's testimony today and tha purporting to have been told by him to the grand jury that found the in dictments were brought out
 Members of ev;cted families testified that furniture had been removed from the houses in which they lived earlier on the day of the fight One, Charles Kelly. told the jury he had received a three-day and 10-day notice to yacate put had not done so on account of be- ing unable to find another abode.
 Iestimony was offered in an effort to prove that Claire Overstreet. {; defendant. had taken no part in the llght. TWO men. Earl H. Nall and John iatrlck' garage employees, declare q that overstreet hid under an auto mobile shortly after the first shot was Iired and stayed there until the bat tie was over.
 uriohs BSlnett engineer of tn } passenger train on which the hodics or the private detectives were takes rom Matewan to Williamson, testifi ed mat ne did not see any disrespect shown. The state had previously drawn tsstimony that suitcases had bean thrown on top of the bodies