Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-02

held in this same courthouse Il
C~harlestown, which became rathe,
famous in history. John Brown
who felt the social wrongs Of thu
colored men should be cured BY
force marched a force of anti
slavery men to Harpers' Ferry ant
seized the arsenal there. He an6
his men were defeated and cap
tured, and he was tried for treason
at ~Charlestown and executed Decem.
Der 2, 1889. He was regarded as
a martyr by the abolitionists OF
the north, and a few years later
great armies of men were march
ing through Virginia singing John
Browns body lies mouldering in
the grave, but his soul goes march
ing on"
There is no doubt in the world
that John Browns act in making
war with armed force on the state
at Harpers' Ferry was technically
an act of treason, but the execution
of John Brown for the act would
generally be admitted now by those
responsible for it, if they were
alive, to be a mistake. John Brown
was a fanatic, but at least he
thought he was obeying the will of
God and fighting the battle of free
dom and justice against wrong
doors.
We have little doubt that many
Of those on trial for treason now
at the same old courthouse were
animated with something of the
same spirit. They believed that
they were carrying arms and fight
ing for freedom and against social
injustice. and that only by force of
arms could they defend their rights
as American citizens. They were
dIoO 1dIIdtlIS 40 HULL a. Joiitl
Brown. 1t Is not likely, however,
that any of them will be hanged.
The battles they fought were not in
Charlestown, or ear it. They were
in Mingo county, but because it
was impossible to obtain a fair
minded jury in that vicinity the
case was removed on change of
venue to Charlestown. The rebel
lion and armed warfare grew out
of a coal strike. The miners claim
ed that they could get no justice
or protection from the peace Off
Gals of that county because the
sheriff and the state officers were
all under the influence of their en-
ployers, and their union leaders
urged them to take rifles and pro-
tect themselves. They camped in
the mountains and maintained for
weeks a state of val against the
state and county authorities, and
quite a number of people on both
sides were killed in that kind Of
civil warfare. Then the governor
of the state called in the federal
troops, who demanded the sur
render and disarmament Of the
miners in the hills and their dis
to their homes. The union
leaders did advise their men to
comply with the demand of General
Bundholtz in command of the fed
eral troops, but a considerable por-
ton of the miners refused to fol-
low that advice and a clash between
the federal troops and the armed
miners took place, and the troops
steps to shell the hills where
the miners were encamped. After
that, realizing that they had no
chance, the miners surrendered and
gave up their rifles. At least some
of them did So. 1t was charged at
the time that many of them hid
rifles where they could get
them again if they wished to do so,
and there was probably some truth
in the charge.
The present trials are the result
of charges of treason made against
the leaders of this armed rebellion
against the authority Of the state
and nation. If treason consists of
making armed resistance against
the government of the state and
nation, undoubtedly the leaders of
this miners rebellion did just what
John Brown did and were technic-
ally guilty as he was. But it is not
in anyway likely that they will
share his fate. In fact, they seem
to take their trial very lightly.
They have freely predicted that
they would never be brought to
trial on that charge. In that they
were mistaken it seems, for the
court refused to grant their de-
and they must 60 before a