The New York herald., 1922-04-29

Miners LEADERS
IN PRIVATE FEUD
Hapgood, Harvard Organ
izer, Says Bentley, At
tackled Him.
HARASSED ON HIS TRIP
Asserts 'Bawling Bull Of
Boswell Dogged Footsteps
in Pennsylvania.
WAS ILLEGALLY JAILED
Intends to Sue Burgess Who
Caused Him to Be Impris-
oned Recently.

This is the sirth article Of
series By THE NEW YORK HERALD
analysing the coal strike situation
and the outlook. The seventh oYti-
clc ,oiH appear to-morroto.
Special Dispatch to THE New York HERALD.
BOSWELL, Pa, April 2s.-JaclS Bent
ley, the Virginia born protector of
non-union mines, says that Powers
Hapgood is fresh young kid. Powers
Hapgood, Harvard bred organizer for
the United Mine Workers of America,
says that for his part he cannot bring
himself to hate Bentley, and, in fact,
regards him as a first class bull. Even
SO, Hapgood has formally charged
bentley with assault and is starting a
damage suit against Burgess Sober OF
Somerset.
Powers Hapgood is son of Will
lam Hapgood, a business man of
Indianapolis and a nephew Of Norman
Hapgood. formerly editor of Golfers
and of Hdrper's Weekly He studied
the labor movement at Harvard to
such effect that he now Is a lively
part of it. Joining the United Mine
Workers, he worked in the West and
last summer in some OF the very
mines in Somerset county, Pennsyl-
vania, that he recently helped to
bring into the coal strike.
Jack Bentley Is known to the union
miners as the Bawling Bull of Boswell.
Mr.. Bentley deprecates this. He Is
tall and handsome southern gentleman,
wears the fossiest clothes in Somerset
county and the finest mustachios, and his
great voice roars through the hills like
az trumpet blown at midnight. He Is
rowing deputy.
Hcadon Collisions.
His special function is to protect
his county and It's non-union miners
and operators against Attila's horde OF
marauders from the north, Attila being
John Brophy district president of the
United Mine Workers, who has taken
VOW 20 unionize and close the mines OF
Somerset county from top to bottom.
This being the situation, Organizer
Hapgood's progress through the county
has amounted to a series OF head on col
lisions with Mr.. Bentley.
I'VE went to Coal Run on April IL,
intending to have a meeting Of the non
union miners" says Mr.. Hapgood. I'VE
found there fifteen or twenty men, IN
Guiding deputies, spoters, B. & o. buiis,
who had ridden UP from the south on
specders. and Coal C Iron police. we
also found the field selected Tor the
meeting was mine property, but we Were
invited TO the field of friendly farmer.
"Tbe next morning Organized Pete
Mellon and | went to Boswell. Chief OF
Police Beanie and his men began follow
ing u.s. Jack Bentley Joined them. lie
tapped his coat aside. showing his
deputy's badge. and said: My lads.
you've walked around this town enough
come with me- We protested put ne
told us we might as we'll cut our talk
as il didn't make any difference TO HIM
He said we were suspicious characters.
s.He took us to the Burgess Office.
but the Burgess. who Is hosting en-
E;nccr for the Davis Coal Coke Com
pany, wasn't there. SO Jack Bentley
kept us there three hours without any
formal charge having been made ssainst
us. and then let US go. BY that time IL
was dark and we thought, IL best TO so
over to Stoyestown to spent the night
shadowed by BentIey.
AT this point I should like to say
that Jack Bentley knows his job and
when William J. Burns leaves the Secret
Service / nominate him. He and five
other bulls followed Pete Mellon and me
room next to ours. telephoned Brophy,
who was up at Cresson, in Cambria
county. The next morning Jack Bentley
said to me: Think you're r. smart
young feller. don't you? Well, | heard
every word you said to Brophy. He
rad too. He repeated what said. word
for word, to prove 1t. Well, we titneyed
back to Boswell the next morning. with
Bentley and his retinue just behind. At
a hotel in Jenncr we went into for
breakfast waitress started TO serve US,
hut after Constable Jim Mays came in
and dropped a few words she told us
she was sorry but they weren't serving
brea kfast that morning.
"Jm Mayr said TO w, You get out or
town. so we went 70 Stoyestown. with
BENTLEY on our heels in his new Ford.
we were such pals by this time that we
had breakfast with Bentley. We took
train for Somerset and Bentley sent
ulle of his men along with us. We were
union organizers. -ou know--despeTa-
does Bentley himself went TO Somer-
set in his car I wet to an office TO see
an attorney, but before the lawyer ar
rived Burgess Sober or Somerset came In.
"They took Pete Mellon mad me to the
Public square and the Burgess said !:
There's tho bus to Johnstown. Oct
aboard II and don't come back re-
fused 10 20. told hte Burgess ] was
ecing to see the attorney and II the
Burgess didn't like II he could put me
in jail. which he did. While my buddy
went on to another town the chief OF
police, who's a good fellow, clapped me
into cell that held three. Under the
BURGESS instructions nc took me out
FOR luncheon The Burgess left town
himself, afte bordering that I be re-
leased at ! T.. W. Meanwhile the law
Yer came and said the whole thing was
Illegal so have started some kind OF
suit against the Burgess and It's coming
I'D in September.
stiIl Pursued.
We'll, got out OF jail at r. NJ and
went back TO Crcsson over Sunday on
the following Tuesday six or US, all
union organizers. went TO Boswell in
rending 20 see the miners on their way
fc work Ed Romeso. an organizer. a