The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-05
Miners HALLS
BEAR WITNESS
TO CLASS WAR
West Virginia Diggers
Defended Homes
BY ART SHIELDS.

BRADY, w. Va, Sept. 4.-The
roofless, concrete block founda-
ton of the miners union hall,
burned down June 10, stands on
the slope of union hilltop as a
Iivid testimonial of the methods
of warfare Sam Brady uses
against the United Mine Work.
ers of America. 1t stands just
under the bigger brick building
dedicated at the great mass
meeting August 81, a year after
the ceremonies that opened the
first hall.
Bullet holes perforate the
outer casing of the concrete
blocks on the side looking to-
wards the company town. l
counted 10 such holes drilled
thru the sides Of the hollow
blocks, in addition to the marks
of numerous other bullets that
merely pitted the artificial
stone.
War Scars.
These war scars testify to the fur
ious bombardment that ragged from the
automatic rife nests in the water tank
on the company side Of the hill and in
a tall yellow building several hundred
yards away. They are the marks of
the shots that went wild. Hundreds
more passed thru the frame sides of
the main hall floor.
This hall the yellow dogs" were as
saulting with the ferocity that charac-
terized the airplane bomb raids of
Don Chains forces in the south
three years ago, was not an empty
nesting place. It was the temporary
home of two evicted families, who had
not yet found permanent quarters
Henry Howell's wife with six Chi
ldren; Mrs. Annie Gillespie, with two
children-and a squad of male defend
ers. The men were stationed there
because Of threats passed on from E.
E. Wilson, who rents company
houses, evicts strikers and takes per-
sonal charge of the Brady-Warner
guards when Sam Brady isn't on the
Job himself.
Miners Defended Homes.
The miners kept sentinel over their
hall since thug violence began with
the evictions May 18th. Then 80 days
later the attack came, shortly, before
midnight. A flash of light streaked
from the water tank 200 yards away
and a bullet whistled thru the build
ing. The men hurried the women and
children to the basement, later get
ting them out thru back way, and
took their stations.
More single shots followed and then
the bombardment began in earnest,
fusilades screaming from the water
tank and the yellow building. The
air was lighted by the flashes from
automatic rifemen core to reinforce
the regular Brady guards in the as
sault. Shots broke out more closely
as the gunner advanced Able to
catch glimpses of their foes the min
ers returned the fire and the gunner
retreated. For hours the firing con-
tinued Suddenly Andrew Huber, a
heavy-set, middle-aged miner went
down with two buckshot in his back,
Someone had sneaked up to the side
of the building. A sortie of miners
drove the assailant away. Huber re-
turned to the defense only slightly in
jured. He was winged again slightly
in the leg.
Sheriff with Gunner.
The miners were making good their
defense against the private thug army
when the State Of West Virginia came
to the gunmen's aid. A hello was heard
announcing that Sheriff Yost wanted
to talk to the defenders. He entered
the building. The men told of the at
tack and demanded that Yost arrest
the gunner. Instead the sheriff ar