Old newspaper articles tell of Battle of Blair Mountain

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By Dwight Williamson

Photo of Dwight Williamson, authorA look at local history reveals that Logan County has been in the national headlines numerous times for various reasons. From the Civil War burning of the Logan County Courthouse to the Hatfield-McCoy feud of the late 1800s and throughout all of the 20th century, something of national interest has always percolated in good ol’ Logan.

While political scandals have earmarked the pages of local history since the early 1900s, the month of September is more notable for something that occurred some 103 years ago this month — the Battle of Blair Mountain.

There have been several books and stories written about that affair. However, I thought I would give readers some information not likely printed before concerning what the Logan Banner in 1921 described as “an unlawful invasion” of Logan.

I find it interesting, as well as ironic, that the Sept. 2, 1921, headlines of The Logan Banner reads: “Three Dead, Four Missing, in Civil War Forced Upon Logan County.” The irony is the headline appeared on Labor Day, which originated in 1882. It’s fair to say nobody was celebrating the 1921 holiday that year in Logan. Here’s the Banner report from Sept. 2 of that year:

“In the fighting which has taken place between Logan county authorities and insurrection miners from Kanawha county to suppress miners’ unlawful invasion under arms of Logan county in a march to Mingo county with the purpose of making protest of the martial law now in effect there, many lives have been lost and quite a few prisoners taken.

“Three known dead of the county forces up till Friday noon are named as John Gore, John Cofago and Jim Munsie. Gore (a Logan deputy) was shot through the head after instructing his men not to fire on an advancing party which he thought were forces from Logan but proved to be from the ‘red necks’ line and in the battle that ensued, Gore was shot, and it was in the same fight that the other two lost their lives.”

The article further said Justice of the Peace Fulton Mitchell had been taken prisoner at the miner’s camp about a week prior and it was thought that he remained alive, along with his brother Lucian Mitchell, Les Stanley and Howard Young, who were captured at the same time.

“Several conflicting reports have been received as to the manner of the capture of these Logan county men,” the newspaper article reported.

The Banner further reported, “It is impossible to learn the number of miners killed, but it is estimated at over fifty, while the number now in jail in Logan is said to exceed fifty, besides a number of suspects as spies who have been placed in jail.”

It was also reported that one individual, a bricklayer, who had expressed his opinion of the situation was arrested and later shot and killed when he allegedly knocked jailer Oscar White to the jail floor in an attempt to get his keys. The man’s identity was not revealed, according to the article.

It was further reported that another man tried to get away from the Aracoma Hotel where he was being held pending delivery to the jail. “Owing to the crowded conditions of the streets with defenders of Logan it was not necessary to shoot after him and he was captured,” the story said.

Here’s more of the report from The Banner on Friday Sept. 2, which described the fighting as being “the worst on all sectors” just the day before. “Two men were reported as wounded from Logan’s forces, but not seriously, while many miners are known to have been killed in this spurt to capture Logan City.”

The Banner reported that trains were arriving daily to Logan from other counties and that “all are volunteers” and that “they no more than reach Logan than they demand that they be sent to the front lines.” The report further stated that “The support is greatly appreciated, and its citizens will never forget the parts played by Mingo, McDowell and the other neighboring counties who have so nobly responded to our call for help.”

Federal government forces were expected to arrive in Logan that afternoon, according to the story, which noted that the Aracoma Hotel lobby had been turned into an area for “a food supply station” and that women were preparing food for the men “coming in and going out” to fight in the battle.

“Women have once again shown their brave spirits as to manifest at the time this country was at war with Germany,” the article read. It was further noted that “cigars, cigarettes, bananas, and oranges are all available.”

A few days later, it was announced in The Banner that prisoners Fulton and Lucien Fulton, Les Stanley, as well as Howard Young, had been released after a week of custody near Coal River in Boone County.

“We were grilled pretty hard the first night, but after that we fared very well, considering we were prisoners,” Fulton Mitchell explained, adding that he and his companions had been handcuffed together.

The objective of the miners was two-fold, it was explained. One was to “get Don Chafin” and the other was to break down martial law in Mingo County.

The men were captured, according to the newspaper account, while they were eating dinner in a farmhouse on the Coal River side of the ridge in Logan County. Mitchell said that the women of the house had assured them that miners had not been “that far up the creek.” The men were told that they must leave their rifles on the porch to go inside and eat. Shortly thereafter, the house was surrounded by armed miners, who demanded their surrender.

A related story said that more than 100 cases of rifles awarded to the state of West Virginia by the War Department were in a shipment of other arms and ammunition being transferred by train to Logan.

“It is said that Sheriff Don Chafin has been congratulated by military men of long experience upon the thoroughness of his organization and the effective manner in which it has given account of itself even to the smallest detail,” wrote one reporter.

There have been many articles and several books written about the so-called Battle of Blair Mountain, and from all newspaper accounts, it appears that the residents and business people of Logan felt like the town was to be raided and ransacked by the approaching miners.

Despite all of the numerous nefarious activities that Sheriff Don Chafin allegedly was involved with in his lifetime, and along with the many titles that were bestowed upon him — King Of Logan County, etc., — one 1921 title seemed fitting at the time — “The Savior of the City.”

That, friends, is debatable.

Dwight Williamson is a former writer for the Logan Banner and a retired magistrate for Logan County.

*Published with the author’s permission.

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