The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-02-24
200 MINERS GO ON
 TRIAL FOR MARCH
 TO LOGAN COUNTY

Char1estown, w. Va. Feb. 24.- | Slxty-three years ago John Brown,
 Abolitionist, was hanged to sour apple tree in the court house yard or
 Charlestown for treason against the | United States government. | In April, 1922, 200 men charged | with treason against the government l of West Virginia, and other offenses, | will be put on trial here as the result l of the armed march of miners last
 August.
 The trial of John Brown was one of the "15 famous trials of Amer
 ican history That of the United Mine Workers officials and their | followers will probably be one of the
 most remarkable industrial hearings | of modern history.
 Comparing the two cases there Is a | queer similarity. Brown, a Northern CT, with Theodore Parker and other
 famous Abolitionists. matched a | scheme to establish a free negro col
 ony in the Virginia mountains. where s1ave-1iberating forays could be made into the surrounding country. October 6, 1859, with 19 comrades, John Brown captured United states | arsenal. Two days later he was | wounded and taken prisoner by Fed eral forces commanded by Robert B. | Lee.
 Brown was convicted of treason in | the historic Charlestown court house | and hanged December 2, 1859. His | body was taken to an old farmhouse near North EIba. Jefferson county, where to this day his grave Is | marked by a huge rock. Affair Created Sensation The affair created a sensation l throughout the North, and while sympathy was not with Brown for his treason against the government it gave rise to a famous war song | which goes:
 | '.John Browns body lies a mou1der- ing the grave,
 | But his soul goes marching on."
 Trial of the union miners was | transferred from Logan to Jefferson county on plea of the miners that they could not get a fair and impar- | tia1 trial in Logan for the reason that most of the eligible jurors had
 taken up arms against the miners army.
 The 1921 march was organized at i Marmet, W. Va, in August of last year. Before the authorities realized
 what had happened a big army start ed march toward Logan, with the | avowed intention of unionizing the | coal fields there.
 On Federal intervention the miners
 halted near Madison, Boone county,
 where they were urged to disband by | Frank Keeney, president of District | IT. United Mine Workers of America. 5000 Storm Logan County II A day later 9. second march was | organized and army Of more than
 5000 stormed the Logan borders. Lo-
 gan residents and volunteers from
 many other counties of south ern West Virginia took up arms in an
 effort to halt the march to the Up- per Guyan coal fields.
 The big mine army was held in
 check until the arrival of United States troops, when it was disbanded. Grand juries in Kanawha, Boone and
 Logan counties brought indictme ents
 against various members of the Uni ted Mine Workers organization and participants in the march. Charges upon which the miners
 were indicted range from pistol toting
 to conspiracy. jnsurrection. murder
 and treason.
 H Charlestown lies about 10 miles
 from Harper's Ferry, where the
 Brown raids were organized. It is a much-visfted summer resort, lying on | the Shenandoah river. The popu1a-
 ton is about 5000 persons. The
 Northern District Federal Court is held here.