Hellraisers Journal: From The Nation: “Marching Through West Virginia”-Redneck Miners’ Army Mingo Bound

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

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday September 15, 1921
“Marching Through West Virginia” by Heber Blankenhorn

From The Nation of September 14, 1921:

Marching Through West Virginia

By HEBER BLANKENHORN

I

IF—as the war correspondents used to begin—you will place your left hand on the map of West Virginia, with the edge of the palm along the Kanawha River at Charleston, the down-pointing thumb will lie along the road southwest into Logan and Mingo counties, and the outstretched fingers will represent the valleys whence the miners collected for the march along the thumb-line. That region has filled the country’s newspapers with communiques, dealing with contending “armies,” “lines” held along Spruce Fork Ridge, intrenchments, machine-gun nests, bombing planes, so many dead for the day, so many wounded.

Miners March Map Marmet to Mingo, NY Dly Ns p8, Aug 27, 1921

Marmet is ten miles from the State capital at the mouth of Lens Creek Valley. On the afternoon of August 22 a cordon of 100 armed men is stretched across the dirt road, the mine railroad, and the creek, barring out officers of the law, reporters, all inquirers. Inside lies the “trouble.” The miners have been mobilizing for four days. A snooping airplane has just been driven off with hundreds of shots. Accident and a chance acquaintance let me in.

The men, a glance shows, are mountaineers, in blue overalls or parts of khaki uniform, carrying rifles as casually as picks or sticks. They are typical. The whole village seems to be out, except the children, women, and old men. They show the usual mining-town mixture of cordiality and suspicion to strangers. But the mining-camp air of loneliness and lethargy is gone. Lens Creek Valley is electric and bustling. They mention the towns they come from, dozens of names, in the New River region, in Fayette County, in counties far to the north. All are union men, some railroaders. After a mile we reach camp. Hundreds are moving out of it—toward Logan. Over half are youths, a quarter are Negroes, another quarter seem to be heads of families, sober looking, sober speaking. Camp is being broken to a point four miles further on. Trucks of provisions, meat, groceries, canned goods move up past us.

This time we’re sure going through to Mingo,” the boys say.

Them Baldwin-Feltses [company detectives] has got to go. They gotta stop shooting miners down there. Keeney turned us back the last time, him and that last Governor. Maybe Keeney was right that time. This new Governor got elected on a promise to take these Baldwin-Feltses out. If nobody else can budge them thugs, we’re the boys that can. This time we go through with it.

“What started you?”

This thing’s been brewing a long while. Then two of our people gets shot down on the courthouse steps—you heard of Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers? The Governor gives them a safe conduct; they leave their guns behind and get killed in front of their wives. It was a trap.

“But that was several weeks ago.”

Well, it takes a while for word to get ’round. Then they let his murderer, that Baldwin-Felts, Lively, out on bond-free-with a hundred miners in jail in Mingo on no charges at all—just martial law. Well, we heard from up the river that everybody was coming here. We knew what for. When we found lots had no guns we sent back to get them.

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Hellraisers Journal: News from Battle of Blair Mountain: 400 Miners Surrender to U.S. Troops; Reporter Shot, Sticks on Job

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

Hellraisers Journal – Monday September 5, 1921
West Virginia’s Mine War Wanes as Miners Surrender to U.S. Troops

From the New York Tribune of September 4, 1921:

Battle of Blair Mountain, 400 Miners Surrender, Boyden Sparkes Article, NY Tb p1, Sept 4, 1921

Battle of Blair Mountain, Boyden Sparkes Shot Twice, NY Tb p1, Sept 4, 1921

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: News from Battle of Blair Mountain: 400 Miners Surrender to U.S. Troops; Reporter Shot, Sticks on Job”

Hellraisers Journal: Fight Resumes on the Tug; Regulars Push Up to Scene of Battle on Spruce Fork Ridge at Blair Mountain

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

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday September 4, 1921
West Virginia – Regulars Pushing Up to Scene of Battle at Blair Mountain

From The West Virginian of September 3, 1921:

Battle of Blair Mountain, HdLn Fight on Tug, Spruce Fork Ridge Quiet, WVgn p1, Sept 3, 1921

Battle of Blair Mountain, Regulars on Way to Scene, WVgn p1, Sept 3, 1921

Battle of Blair Mountain, Fight on Tug KY Border, WVgn p1, Sept 3, 1921

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Fight Resumes on the Tug; Regulars Push Up to Scene of Battle on Spruce Fork Ridge at Blair Mountain”