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Hellraisers Journal – Thursday September 22, 1921
Williamson, West Virginia – Hung Jury in Trial of Matewan Defendants
From the Baltimore Sun of September 21, 1921:
Tag: Reese Chambers
Hellraisers Journal: Williamson, West Virginia-Girl Relatives Testify Against Defendants at Matewan Murder Trial
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Hellraisers Journal – Friday February 18, 1921
Williamson, West Virginia – Daughter of Defendant Testifies for State
From the Baltimore Sun of February 13, 1921:
By John W. Owens.
Staff Correspondent of The Sun.Williamson, W. Va., Feb. 12.-The taking of testimony for the prosecution in the trial of Sid Hatfield and others for the Matewan killings was started finally today, after weeks of fighting over preliminaries and was sufficiently dramatic to warrant the lurid predictions that have been made since the indictments were returned and to justify what has been written about the feudist spirit of the people of these hills.
AGAINST OWN FATHER.
[And Brother]When court adjourned, shortly before noon, the daughter of one of the men on trial for murder [and sister of another] was on the stand for the prosecution, smilingly giving testimony which the prosecution hopes to pass as a foundation for its contention that Albert Felts and six other Baldwin-Felts detectives were killed at Matewan on May 19 as the result of deliberate and premeditated murder plans. The girl witness had been preceded by another girl, her cousin, and the niece of the girl’s father, whose testimony was offered to the same end.
Hellraisers Journal: Sid Hatfield, Matewan Police Chief, and 19 Citizens on Trial in Mingo County for Killing of Gunthugs
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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday January 26, 1921
Williamson, West Virginia – Trial of Sid Hatfield and 19 Matewan Men Set to Start
From Indiana’s Logansport Pharos-Tribune of January 25, 1921:
TWENTY MEN GOING ON TRIAL FOR THE KILLING
OF MINE GUARDS AT MATEWAN
—–FRIENDS AND FOES MEET IN WILLIAMSON, W. VA.,
AS POLICE CHIEF AND 19 CITIZENS FACE COURT
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(N. E. A. Staff Special.)
WILLIAMSON, W. Va., Jan. 26.-Friend and foe rub elbows here, as miners and Baldwin-Felt guards assemble for the trial of Sid Hatfield, chief of police at Matewan, and 19 of his fellow citizens charged with killing seven Baldwins in a street battle.
Five Baldwin-Felts detectives engaged in the same battle will be tried under change of venue at Lewisburg, Greenbrier county, in April.
Hellraisers Journal: From the New York Liberator: “The Wars of West Virginia” by Robert Minor, Part IV of IV
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Hellraisers Journal – Thursday August 5, 1920
Robert Minor on the Battle at Matewan Between Citizens and Gunthugs
From the New York Liberator of August 1920:
IV of IV
About half past five in the afternoon, Chief Hatfield was standing around when a boy runs in, saying, “The thugs is come to town!”
Sid Hatfield walked out quick to the back street and there was Albert and Lee Felts and C. B. Cunningham, the gunman that was known for being quick on the draw. And standing back of them was ten Baldwin-Felts men. Then there was a dummy that had been hanging around town all day without any gun and not letting on he was a Baldwin-Felts man.
Sid walked up to Albert Felts and says, “I’ve got a warrant for you.”
Albert sort of grinned and says, “I’ll return the compliment; I’ve got a warrant for you.” All of the thugs kind of shuffled around on one foot and then the other, and pretty soon Sid was surrounded. Sid looked around and seen there was no friends near, only Isaac Brewer, the town policeman, was standing quiet.
Albert Felts says to Sid, “We’ll take you up to Bluefield on the train that’s due in seven minutes.” Sid says nothing and just smiles. And Albert says, “We’ll ride on the Pullman, Sid,” and walks Sid over to near the place where the end of the train will stop, and says, “Is this where the Pullman stops?” and Sid said “Yes.”
Sid knew it wasn’t no Pullman ride they planned for him, but that they wanted to be near the end of the train to jump on when they got through with him. The train only stops a minute.
They stood around waiting, and Sid kind of edged back towards the town-side of the street, near the back door of Chambers’ hardware store. Albert Felts and Cunningham the gunman kept close to, Sid, while Lee Felts and the ten other gunmen was standing back a little piece, nearer the railroad track. Albert says again that the train will be in in seven minutes and they would take the Pullman.
Hellraisers Journal: Sid Hatfield and Nine Others Arrested at Matewan, Taken to Williamson, and Charged with Murder
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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday May 26, 1920
Matewan, West Virginia – Chief of Police Sid Hatfield Arrested
From The Wheeling Intelligencer of May 25, 1920:
MATEWAN, W. Va., May 24.-Sid Hatfield, chief of police of Matewan, Mingo county, and nine others were arrested today and taken to Williamson, where they were arraigned before Judge James Damron of the circuit court, charged with the murder of L. C. Felts and other Baldwin-Felts detectives in the recent Matewan riots.
They waived examination and were released on bond in the sum of $3,000 each.
Among the men arrested with Hatfield were: Reese Chambers, Clare Overstreet, Charle Kiser, Douglas Mounts, [Ed] Chambers, Ezra Fry, Billy Bowmen and two others.
The men were taken to Williamson by Jackson Arnold, chief of the state department of public safety, and other members of the state constabulary.
Other arrests are expected, as fifteen warrants have been issued for miners. Warrants have also been issued for the four surviving detectives who are alleged to have participated in the battle.
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[Emphasis added.]
