The Washington herald., 1922-07-18
FOUR KNOWN DEAD.
Strikers Slay and Burn;
Sheriff Killed Trying
To Halt Attack.
MILITIA READY
AT CHARLESTON
State Police at Scene of
Bloody Skirmish at
CliftOnville.

wELLSBURG. w. Va, July IL
sheriffs from adjacent counties have
arrived at Cliftonville. scene Of the
mine battle which cost at least
four lives today.
While feeling was tense through
out the trouble area, authorities
were hopeful that further violence
could be averted. Quit was re-
stored during :he day. State mil
itia was being held in readiness at
Charleston, should another battle
threaten.
Approaches to Cliftonville were
under guard, while additional dead
and wounded were being sought In
the hills. Newspapermen from sur
rounding cities reported they were
stopped by men with rifles when
they attempted To 60 to the scene
of the battle.
Tried TO Halt March.
-Four bodies are in the morgue
here, Sheriff H. II. Duvall, of Brooks
County: Frank Mileth, striker;
man named Crook, also striker.
and Stanizzo Baldino.
The body of the sheriff was
brought here by his son. T: H. Du-
vail. who SAID he saw the bodies
of ten miners being taken from the
hills surrounding the property OF
the Richland Coal Company. where
the battle occurred.
The battle followed a march OF
several hundred miners from AVella'
Pa. to Cliftonville, where they
were Joined by other miners from
| Ohio and West Virginia Firing
started when the sheriff and his
men attempted to halt the march
| Of the miners. Trouble had oeeh
brewing for some tim. because OF
| efforts to operate mines with nom
union workers, and shots mad oeen
exchanged between deputies ana
strikers before Monday.
Mine Guam. Outnumbered.
The mine guards were outnum-
bered forty to one. and sought shet-
| ter in buildings. from which thsy
noured a telling fire into the ranks
| OF the strikers. Preceding the oattle'
a charge of dynamite was fired in
tent colony of miners, and rockets
were said to have been fired from
Virginia City.
The strikers arrived on the hllls
surrounding Cliftonville about in
the morning. Sheriff Duvall placed
=. his deputies at vantage point ana
Denuty Sheriff Irwin MacInge started
forward to meet the marchers, but
was dropped by a shot in the mouth.
Then the miners are said to have
| poured down into the valley from
two directions. forcing the deputies
to shelter.
The coal tipple was saturated with
oil and burned, flames eating their
way up the incline and attacking the
head house.
After the fighting hrd died out the
miners returned to the hills.
Duvall, son of the slain sheriff, said
miners on the hill started the firing.
II believe the miners must have
had a cannon" he said, because
great holes were torn in company
houses.
While the shooting was in prog
ress, a dynamite charge was exploded
at the mine. Then the tipple was
fired, practically destroying mine
number three.
I'VE were outnumbered about fifty
to one. Three hillsides surrounding
the mine property were black with
men, and there was a steady fire
from all Sides.
~ Men Arrested.
At $50 o'clock tonight forty-two
men had been arrested by State po-
lice and deputies as participants in
the rioting. OF this number TWEEN
ty-four were lodged in the Brooke
County Jail here, fifteen were lodged
in the Ohio County Jail at Wheeling.
and three are under guard in Wheel
ing hospitals
Acting Sheriff Thomas Duvall, son
of Sheriff H. H. Duvall, stated this
evening that charges of murder
would be preferred against all the
prisoners within the next twenty
four hours. Sheriff Duvall also
wired Gov. Morgan that he had the
situation well in hand.
Prosecuting Attorney wilkins. OF
Brooke County however, wired the
governor that the situation was de-
plorable
1t was learned that the rioting
had been featured with a modern
Paul Revere" One of the miners
employed at the Richland- Marshall
mine. seeing the fight-frenzied horde
approaching. jumped on a horse and
|, hurried to the village, spreading the
alarm and requesting the women
and children to,stay in their homes.
The women and children took mat
tresses from their beds and laid
them on the floors of their bed
chambers, crawling under them Tor
. | nrotection from the bullets.