Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1922-01-10

SIPS per year.
Any address outside Jefferson County
sI.50 Der year.
a WEEK OF UNUSUAL EVENTS.
Service of West Virginia Troopers
Comprises Various Dangerous
Duties.
Herbert L. Grimm, in the State
Trooper.
A riot of miners in the northern
part of the state, threats of a lynch
Ing in the capitol city of Charleston,
launching Of campaign TO round up
miners VINO participated IN the armed
march on Logan county the latter
pat of August, in the same vicinity,
anG the trial In Mcdowell county, in
OF the state, of q. Z. Lively and
others, alleged slayers of SID Hat
field and Edwaro Chambers, motor
ious gunner OF Mingo county, for
which 1T was necessary to provide
protection for witnesses to prevent
another possible fiare-up in the
eternal warfare between capital and
labor, coal operator and miner, pro-
vlded plenty OF activity within the
short period of seven days for the
State Police of West Virginia.
All OF these events, just a bit OF
the ordinary routine for the West
Virginia troopers, enlivened things
the week before Christmas. And in
each of these unusual duties in
suppressing the riot, warding off a
lynching, bringing in a dozen OF
more mountalneers when deputy
sheriffs failed to locate them after
their indictment by Logan county
grand jury, and in helping to main
tain law and order throughout the
trial at Welch-the State Police
We're successful.
Colonel jackson Arnold, superin.
tendent of the State Police, went to
Welch the latter part of the week to
see that ample protection was being
provided and that every possible
precaution was being taken to pre-.
vent a possible fiare-uv. He went
unannounced and with the idea OF
dropping IN casually as spectator at
the trial.
The history of court trials in the
Vlrginias is replete with thrilling
tales of spectacular gunplay, where
the mountaineer takes the law in his
own hands and, with his followers
attempts to shoot up the courtroom
Hence it is customary for the pre-.
siding judge to frequently issue ar
official order that all persons be dis.
armed before they enter the seat OF
justice.
Weapons Left at Door.
And in order to conceal his ident-
ity, 1t was necessary for Colonel
Arnold to submit to asearch fol
weapons, which he quite gracefully
+. dld. After turning over small re.
volver he usually carries in a side
coat-pocket, ana having it identified
as the property of one John JONES'
the Colonel found it comparatively
easy to outwit the erstwhile
deputies. AS he was about to pass
on into the courtroom, he recalled
deputy, that he had forgotten pac
on which he wanted to take some
notes OF the trial for ''his news
paper" He darted across the street
TO a hotel, hastily GRABBED .45 auto
matte, which ne slipped into his hip
pocket, and was back at the court
room within a few minutes. He
called upon the deputy-sheriff tc
bear witness that he had just beer
examined and had surrendered his
weapon, and passed on into the
courtroom and took a seat in the
rear unmolested. But he was ready
tor any possible emergency.
Sheriff John Hazlett, of Marshall
county, sent a call to headquarters
Ter the assistance OF State Police
Wnen a riot occurred at the Panama
mine of he Ben FranklinCoal Com
pany. The trouble arose when union
miners attempted to prevent the
mine from operating open-shop.
Bricks and stones few thick and
fast, and crowd numbering several
hundred men and women collected
around the mine and made an angry
and violent demonstration. Two of
the rioters were arrested by the
ceputy-sheriffs and taken to jail at
Moundsville, but the rioters followed
and threatened to storm the jail.
They broke window-panes and de-
stroyed property in general around
the county bastile, and when the sit
nation appeared to be getting beyond
control of the county authorities,
state aid was asked. Quiet was re-
stored, however, soon after the ar
rival of Lieutenant Rinehart and two
troopers from A company. The APP
pearance of the men in State Police
uniform had The effect of sending a
large part of the mob scurrying for
the cover Of their homes.
Under cover of darkness, Lieut..
Mack B. Lilly of C company, with a
squad of troopers including Ser
geants Driver, Kings and Layman
and Privates Rose, Thornton, Gibson,
Swift, Cook Brown, Jones, and Con-
way, swooped down on Dry Branch,
on Cabin Creek, Kanawha county,
and gathered in seven young
weather-tanned men on warrants
from Logan county charging them
Win completely IN the killing of John
Gore, a Logan county deputy-sheriff
during the armed march of miners
ard threatened invasion of Logan.
They quickly rounded up their men
Ben Kanoski, John O'Meara, Dan
irwin, Dewey Bailey, Walter Han
cock, Tom Thompson and Romie
Cooper-and took them to State
Police headquarters, at Charleston.
All are charged with fading, abet-
ting and counseling" the shooting of
Gore when he fell dead with bullet
between his eyes while defending the
Logan county border. Frank Kitchin
is now held in the Logan county Jail
charged with the actual murder Of
Gore.
The state troopers made the trip to
CABIN Creek In automobiles, armed
with machine gun, which was to be
used in case thev mot With \ =.