Hellraisers Journal: Striking Miner, Alex Breedlove, Shot Down in Cold Blood with Hands in the Air and a Prayer on His Lips

Quote Fred Mooney, Mingo Co Gunthugs, UMWJ p15, Dec 1, 1920 —————

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday June 19, 1921
Lick Creek Tent Colony, Mingo County – The Death Alex Breedlove

June 18, 1921, Affidavits of James Williams and Willie Hodge:

STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, County of Mingo, to wit:

James Williams, being duly sworn upon his oath, says that he is a resident of the Lick Creek tent colony and that he was there on the 14th day of June, 1921, when the same was raided by State police and their confederates and deputy sheriff, and when Alex Breedlove was murdered; that he was about 30 feet from Breedlove when he was shot and saw James Bowles, State policeman, shoot him; Bowles was about 6 or 7 feet from Breedlove, and Breedlove had his hands up above his head at the time he was shot; Bowles said to Breedlove, “Hold up your hands, God damn you, and if you have got anything to say, say it fast,” and Breedlove said, “Lord, have mercy,” and instantly the gun fired and Breedlove fell. They were standing facing each other and Breedlove just above him on the hill.

At the same time Victor Blackburn, a special State police, was shooting at Garfield More, who was behind a tree, the same tree that Breedlove had just been behind, and after Bowles had called Breedlove to come out from behind the tree and put up his hands and come to him and he had done so and then was shot, Bowles immediately turned his gun on Garfield Moore, but did not have time to fire until he was shot in the back by another State police who was lying flat down on the ground straight down the hill below Policeman Bowles; that at the crack of his rifle a half dozen or more women who were there screamed out, “Look out, man, you are shooting your own men,” and ask him to get away from there; that he would get them all killed.

Affiant thereupon said to the man who had shot Bowles, “Yes; you done shot this man up here now,” and at that he said to affiant, “You are a damn liar, you damn black———-, you get away from there.” And thereupon the said police who had shot Police Bowles fainted and was carried off the ground by Willie Ball and carried under a bridge across Lick Creek. He remained under this bridge 30 or 40 minutes, with a lot of union miners who had taken shelter under said bridge.

JAMES WILLIAMS.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this the 18th day of June, 1921.

THOMAS WEST, Notary Public.

Willie Hodge, being duly sworn, says that he was present when Alex Breed love was shot and that the statement made about his shooting by James Williams is correct.

WILLIE HODGE.

Sworn to before me this the 18th day of June, 1921.

THOMAS WEST, Notary Public.

[Photograph and emphasis added.]