The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-21
KEENEY GOES TO
TRIAL IN COUNTY
OPERATORS 0 W n
Venue Change Denied
to Miners Defense

FAYETTEVILLE, w. Va, Feb. 20.
Frank Keeney, president, District
II, United Mine Workers Of Amer
lea, is on trial here charged with
the murder in connection with the
so-called armed march of miners in
the summer of 1921. The original
plan of the prosecution was to try
William Blizzard again, District II
subdistrict president, whom they
have failed to convict in the two pre-
vious trials. The reason for the
change, according to the prosecution,
is because already two terms Of
court have passed since Keeney was
indicted.
McKell Owns County.
The defense moved for a change
of venue The motion was based on
the belief of the miners lawyers that
William McKell, multi-millionaire
non-union coal king and avowed
enemy Of organized labor, dominated
the life and thought of Fayette
county. McKell owns $4,000 acres
of coal lands and is said to have
$4,000 more under lease. Railroads
and banks are also listed as his prop
erty. Ten thousand men are in his
employ. His control Of the local
republican party is absolute. His
field marshall is Osenton, demo-
crat and a national committeeman.
Osenton's sway of the democrats
equals McKell's republican influence.
The change of venue was denied.
The Prosecutors.
In the courthouse here on Lin
coins birthday Frank Keeney made
the following charges to show that
the operators are the "state":
Sitting there at the prosecuting
attorneys table is Charles w. Osen-
ton, chief counsel, William McKell
coal interests, representing the
state: with him is Alfred Belcher,
hired by the Logan County Coal
Operators Association. There be-
side Belcher sits Emmett Keadle,
employee of Don Chain, sheriff of
Logan county; at least until a few
months ago he was drawing his
pay from the Logan coal operators.
At the same table is ]. E. Thur
man, millionaire coal operator of
Logan county; s. A. Scott, presi-
dent, New River Coal Operators
Association; M. L. Garvey, Mary
land New River Assn. Standing
near the portals of the courthouse
is William Gray, a Logan thug,
who has been implicated in several
disorders in Logan and Kanawha
counties. And with Gray is James
Scott. James Scott is the paymas-
ter employed by the Logan coal
operators. He is the man that
went to the witness stand in Lewis
burg, where Blizzard was tried
several months ago, and admitted
he paid state witnesses money to
testify against Blizzard.
Steel Trust Stronghold.
"In Mcdowell county the steel
corporation has several large opera
tons. In Logan county the same
organization has large holdings. Thru
interlocking directorates the steel
corporation and the Pennsylvania
railroad control more than 40 per
cent of the mines in the southern
fields.
"The steel corporation" said Keen
ey, "hopes to dominate the coal mar
kets Of the nation by making West
Virginia fields nonunion. That is why
the fight is so bitter. 1t is not that
the coal operators think I inspired
the miners uprising in 1921. They
know that is ridiculous; that was
doing everything in my power to
turn the men homeward.
"They have set out to crush the
United Mine Workers, and am sim
ply Incidental"