Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1925-02-18
STATE DECLINES TO PROSE
CUTE FURTHER; ALL CASES
DROPPED
Is Felonies, Misdemeanors Affect
ing Hundred Defendants, Wiped OFF

A nolle striking from the docket of
/ Circuit Court here, 13 felony and 2
misdemeanor indictments against APP
proximately 100 union miners and
their leaders from Logan county and
the adjoining section, all arising from
the famed EARNED march cases
against Logan county in August and
September 1921, was entered by
1 Judge ]. M. Woods Tuesday last, on
motion of the State which indicated
! it did not desire to prosecute the
cases further. The order was one of
the last official actions of Judge
Woods,--who presided during the
series of trials held here and whose
court came in for national notice by
reason of the Importance of the eases
and the rulings therein-before he
adjourned the term, which will be his
| last sitting in Jefferson county in
view of his retirement from the
Bench March 1.
The State was represented by
Prosecuting Attorney John T. Por-
1 terrified, of Jefferson county, and Col.
/ Forrest W. Brown. The defense was
represented by Attorney James M.
Mason. All this counsel was associa-
ted with the cases during the trials
/ here.
The action wipes clean the local
docket of all EARNED march" cases.
/ The nolle was not unexpected. 1t
has been generally understood outside
of court that the State was through
with the cases, and awaited only a
formal nolle on the record.
The indictments were so heavy
here that several were written only
in blank, the names being grouped
together, in one case the names COW
ering typewriter pages. More than
100 individuals were included in some
of the indictments, which We're made
general in order to cover all those
whose names were known.
The cases came to Jefferson county
under change of venue from Logan
county They were formally trans
ferred in 1922 and the trials opened
in April of that year. Hearings con-
tinued intermittenly until practically
the close Of the year During that
time William Blizzard, of st. Adams,
youthful sub-district president, was
first tried and acquitted of treason;
then followed the separate trials of
the Reverend j. E. Wilburn and his
son on murder charges, both of whom
were convicted and sentenced to
terms in the penitentiary, and these
terms they are serving now. The
last trial here was that of Walter
Allen on a treason charge. He was
convicted and sentenced, but he noted
an appeal and during the tendency
of this he fled the state and so far
has not been recaptured. An effort
is being made now by the State to
recover on the $4,000 bond given by
u. G. Young, of Charleston.
The case against G.. Frank Keeney.
president of the union miners, on
conspiracy charge was transferred to
Berkeley Springs, but a nolle was
entered there on motion of the State
when two of the chief prosecuting
witnesses were kidnapped" accord
ing to the charge of the State
Later the case of William Blizzard
on conspiracy charge was moved to
Greenbrier county, and the jury
there disagreed.
The miner cases here gave Charles
Town one of it's greatest thrills. They
brought to the town a host of visi-
ors.-defendants, counsel, visitors,
which for time threatened to tax
the ability of the community to take
care of them: but Charles Town
found nlent vof room in the end and
the visitors went away after the trials
singing loudly of the hospitality en-
ioyed here.