Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-18
NINE VICTIMS DIE
IN STRIKERS ROW
IN WEST VIRGINIA
fSheriff Is Included Among
Victims in Disorder Crow
ing Out of Coal Strike
Situation

OllQo llOIl
WHEELING, w. Va, July IL
Sheriff H. H. Duvall and eight 9th
er persons were killed and no less
than twenty-five others wounded in
fight at the Standard mine OF
the Richland Coal company, two
miles from Wellsburg, w. Va, this
:. morning, according to a telephone
message from the correspondent Of
.the Wheeling News at Wellsburg.
The mine, which has been working
on an open shop basis, was reported
to have been attacked by a large
party of men from over the Penn
sylvania line. After the fight they
burned the tipple.
The police clerk said that Brooke
scounty deputy named Mozingo was
brought to Wellsburg shortly after
was in a serious condition. This
deputy, he said, reported that the
sheriff heard trouble was brewing at
the Richland mine and he rushed
there with his deputies. They sta
toned themselves about the mine
property.
At 5 a. m. body of marching men
appeared from the direction of
Avella, Pa, and the clerk said his
reports indicated the men opened
fire, drove back the officers and set
fire to the tipple, in which some
deputies had taken refuge. The
sheriff's son, he said, was in the
tipple and it was believed these Of
ficers had been burned. Five hours
after the fighting started the situa'
ton was quiet, the clerk said.
Nine of the men, supposed to be
striking miners from Pennsylvania,
who attacked the standard mine ten
miles from here early this morning
have been arrested and are in Jail
here, and three of them who were
injured have been taken to hos
pital in Wheeling, according to in
formation at the mayors office in
Wellsburg, w. Va.
Describes Fight
Deputy sheriffs, aided by state
police are reported securing the sur
rounding country for members OF
the attacking party.
T. H. Duvall, who was with his
father at the mine when the fight
took place, accompanied the body
of his father to their home here.
"Thers have been rumors for some
time that the mine was to be at
tackled because it had been operat
ing non union" said Mr.. Duvall,
"and last night we heard the at
tack was to be made soon. The
sheriff had a detail of men at the
Of othel here in Wellsburg and we
went out to the mine last night.
The report was that big crowd of
men were on their way from over
the state line in Pennsylvania and
after we reached the mine the sher-
tiff placed guards around the prop
erty.
Nothing happened until about
dayhreak when firing began from
the top of the III above the mine
opening. We replied to the fire
and the sheriff ordered the men to
move up the hill. They responded,
firing as they went. The sheriff
reached the top before he was kill
ed. | saw him a few minutes be-
fore and he was hurrying after a
lall party of the mob. I suppose
he was killed shortly after that be-
cause I found hi body there when
l came up.
Had Abundant Ammunition
"The mob seemed to be armed
with all kinds of guns and had
abunt Mt ammunition, because they
kept shooting even after we had
broken their line and they were
running over the hill.
"Some of them evidently got in
behind us because they exploded a
charge of dynamite under the tip
pie and it was blown up. l think
it caught fire and was burned to
49, ground, although I don't know.
None of us paid much attention to
it. We were busy trying to breal,
up that mob.
81 don't know how many of the
en- who attacked US were killed
There were 4at least eight, for
am sure that 1 saw many bodies
There may be others out in the
woods through which they ran when
we went after them up the hill.
| know a lot of them were wounded
b1t of course, = will take some
time to get the exact number as
the less seriously wounded were
helped away by their friends.
IL ~ nut ave been 800 OF
40 in the mob. while Sheriff Du
vail had not moro than about TWEEN
~ men with him. The tipple ant
the village of Cliftondale are in {
hollow and the mine opening il
on the hillside not far from the top
The mob gathered in the brush a,
the top, and opened fire on the
tiDple. AS soon as the shooting be
con u-o started right IN the hill