The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-07-30

wELLSBURG, W. Va, July 26.-
The Brooke County authorities have
faxed confession on which to rail-
road miners to long prison terms.
All the newspapers in the mining
region have published with scream
ing healines that Sheriff Irwin Char
mock of Brooke County has obtained
confession from Mike Mare, presi-
dent Of the National Miners Union
local at McKinleyyille saying that at
local meeting held the night be-
fore 80 of these miners started as a
fraternal delegation to SteubenviIe,
Ohio, hunger march, they decided
and discussed methods of shooting
scabs.
While the miners we're on the
march and near Wellsburg they were
rounded up and thrown in the jail
there, on the grounds that shoot
ing had taken place after they left
McKinleyville. Everybody agrees
that the marching miners could not
possibly have done any Of the shoot
ing themselves.
But the Brooke County authorities
on July % sent out news that Mare
had signed a formal confession that
| they plotted the shooting. The au-
thorities named individuals among
those arrested as directly implicated
by the confession The whole story
was elaborate, detailed and circum-
stantial. Even the remarks sup
posed to have been made at the
meeting were quoted. But, strangely
enough, the supposedly written and
signed confession was never pro-
| duced.
Attorneys for the Internationa.
Labor Defense interviewed Mare ant
the other prisoners in Wellshurg jail
today, and found that the whole
story is deliberate, brazen, strike
breaking lie, issued through tht
papers by the Brooke County au'
thorities, Of whom the sheriff seems
to be most guilty. There never wa.
any signed statement There never
was any such discussion of shooting
in the McKinleyville local. Tit
meeting of the McKinleyville loca
of the N. M. U. at which the shoot
ing was supposed to have taker
place devoted its entire time to hear.
ing reports from returned delegates
to the National Miners Conference
held in Pittsburgh, to discussion o.
the Program of Unity and Action
adopted there and discussion o.
plans for putting it into effect.
The 30 men arrested were crowded
into a hot, suffocating jail meant tt
hold about IT, 1t was worse thar
the legendary "Black Hole of Cal
cutta." Men gasped for breath anC
stripped the clothes from their bod.
les. Finally most of them were lie
out and Is held on the Redman
Act, law passed in 1868 to preven
lynching. The act has never beer
used against lynchers, was a deaf
letter until suddenly dug up, busted
off and now utilized to send striking
miners to prison for "inciting tc
riot" banding and confederating,
etc.
When the I. L. D. attorneys inter.
viewed the prosecutor, Charles Viii
kins, this fellow called in not onI.
the sheriff, Charnock; the captain
of police, j. R. Brockus, but thu
managers of the mines around, anc
made it regular conference.
IT am going to absolutely prohibi
picketing in this county," said thu
sheriff.
The sheriff has actually gont
through with this threat. Yesterday
he ordered picketing stopped. Cap,
tain Brockus went to $50 pickets a
McKinleyville Mine of the STANDARD
Mining Co. and served notice OF
them verbally that picketing was nov
illegal" The sheriff's office ha
stated through the Wheeling news
papers that there will not even b,
proclamation against picketing; tn