Newspaper Articles McDowell Co. WV 1901 Articles abstracted and compiled from Huntington Advertiser by Cyndi Reynolds and Brandon Woolum McDowell Excerpts submitted by June White Feb 3, 1902 Dan H. Harman, Jr., and Dr. Daniels both of Welch, McDowell County were in the company of a number of friends in a club near the central part of town, when "suddenly a dispute arose between them." Mr. Harman drew a knife and made a move toward the Doctor, who then drew his revolver and fired two warning shots over Harman's head. The Doctor, who was described as an exemplary physician" alleged that they were purely to frighten Harman to cause him to cease his aggressiveness." Unfortunately, Harman would not be dissuaded and continued slashing at Daniels, who then "shot to kill." The bullet pierced the temple of Mr. Harman, causing death instantly. Both parties were described as "exremely popular" and apparently knew each oher well. Immediately after the shooting, Dr. Daniels surrendered himself to the sheriff. The deceased was described as a"conspicuous figure" in Huntington and "quite wealthy, having only recently sold a tract of timber and coal lands on the Norfolk & Western railroad for three hundred thousand dollars. He had once been sheriff of McDowell and was later a deputy US marshal. ************************************************************ Bluefield Daily Telegraph February 26, 1901 MURDER AT ENNIS YOUNG CARENTER SHOT THROUGH THE HEART BY UNKNOWN COLORED MAN Meager details have reached this city of an u gly matter near Ennis Sunday night. Unfortunately we were unable to learn the names of the principals of the tragedy. The story related to the Telegraph was substantially the following: A young white man, a native of Pulaski County and employed as a carpenter by the Lick Branch Coal and Coke Company, visited Pocahontas on Sunday. He returned to Ennis on No. 8 that night, and upon alighting from the train was followed by a burly colored man. When he reached a secluded spot, several shots were heard, and when parties who were attracted by the mornng shooting reached the scene, they found the body of the carpenter [whose identity is not yet known.]. **************************************************** Bluefield Daily Telegraph Februaary 28, 1901 BALDWIN'S DETECTIVES LOOKING FOR LICK BRANCH MURDERER The Roanoke Times says the police of that city have been requested to look out for a low heavy-set ginger-cake Negro named Jack Hariston, who committed a murder at Lick Branch. Has a small dark mustache, wore sack coat, brown slouch hat. Broad face. Eyes set back in the head. About 35 years old. Hariston's crime was the killing of a young carpenter at the Lick Branch works, at Ennis, on Sunday night, an account of which appeeared in Tuesday's Telegraph. So far, no trace of the man has been found. It is said thaat the case has been placed in the hands of the Baldwin Detective Agency. It is suggested that Hariston will go to his home, which is in Ridgeway, Va. ***************************************************** March 3, 1902 The wife of Estel Thomas, foreman of a Tug River Lumber Company mill and her three-year-old child were sleeping in their home in the Dry Fork of Tug River, when the stream flooded the house with three feet of water. They were still inside, when "a huge drift came by, striking the structure which forced it from its foundation and over the bank." It was reported that the woman cried piteously for help as the structure floated down by the town of Davy" and that hundreds of people stood lining the banks, helplessly watching as the house struck the railroad bridge and sank from view. ********************************************* March 14, 1902 Because the smallpox epidemic in McDowell and Mercer counties was growing worse, several men were being quarantined near Welch, where they reportedly grew tired of confinement, "broke through the lines and escaped into the hills." After puruing the men about three miles, guards met up with the infected men and a gunbattle ensued. J. M. Pickle, of Welch was seriously wounded in the fray and the guards were forced to retreat. ****************************************************** March 15, 1902 Mr. Joseph Fink and his bride were walking to the train station in Keystone, McDowell County, to begin their honeymoon. They were accompanied by a man who was described as a "colored man," carrying some of their baggage. Suddenly another man appeared and drew his gun, demanding that Mr. Fink turn over all his valuables. Before Fink could decide what to do, the man who had been seen with him opened fire on the the robber, who fired back before leaving the scene. Mr. and Mrs. Fink were unharmed, but the man who defended them was killed. The Finks decided to postpone their wedding trip to assist in identifying the killer, should he be caught. At the time the story went to press, police were "making every effort to capture the murderer and would-be robber." ******************************************* March 19, 1902 Winston Gravely and Jenks Houston were working on a grade near Coopers on the N & W,when a blast they had set failed to go off. As they attempted to move the blast with a drill,it exploded "with terrific force." Gravely died instantly, "literally torn to pieces." Houston's wounds were so severe he was not expected to live." ******************************************************** March 19, 1902 U. S. Steel Corp. announced they would open 50 new mines along the Tug River alone. N & W lines were to be double tracked the entire distance to accommodate increased coal traffic. ************************************************ March 19, 1902 Dr. Hatfield, the son of Devil Anse Hatfield, was visiting Huntington. It seems his father had killed "four fine large bears" over the winter, stories of which the Doctor delighted in relating to anyone who would listen. Dr. Hatfield was described as one of the most prominent physicians of the Tug River country, "a clever gentleman, popular in his home community" and "no bad shot himself when it comes to a Winchester." ********************************************** March 26, 1902 Negotiations for the purchase of the coal lands and mining rights owned by the Pocahontas Collieries Company in Southwest VA, which were begun soon after the N & W secured the Flat Top coal lands, had reached a point where it was believed that a deal seemed assured. E. W. Clark & Co., formerly the SWVA Improvement Co., was the original owner of the Pocahontas land sold to the Flat Top Association, subject to certain 100 lease holds. N & W. was believed to be the proposed buyer. ****************************************************** Reprinted from McDowell Recorder in Bluefield Daily Telegraph June 15, 1901 BEATEN AND ROBBED BLUEFIELD PEDDLER AND JEWELER WAYLAID BY FOOTPADS We learn from the McDowell Recorder that a peddler and jeweler, whose home is in Bluefield,about 10 o'clock one night this week, started walking down the North Fork to the home of a friend living between Elk Ridge coke ovens and the Junction. He was warned of the danger of going out alone in that vicinity, but expressing himself as not afraid, he started down the creek. The next morning he was found by some parties in a battered up condition and told the following story, which, no doubt, is true in detail: After passing down the railroad some distance he encountered a Negro, whom he says he could not identify now, and the fellow dropped a gun on him and proceeded to go through his clothes. Making some show of resistance, the fellow struck him a terrific blow over the head with his gun, rendering him senseless. When he recovered, he found that all his money, about $86, was gone and a fine gold watch and chain had also been taken from his person. He says it was too dark to more than see than his assailant was a big, husky fellow. ************************************************ June 27, 1902 A log train on the Panther Lumber Company's tram road in McDowell County was wrecked yesterday and one man was killed and several injured, one whom was a Huntington man, Rich Davis, who left here several months ago to work in the timber camps. On a car loaded with saw logs, around which a heavy chain was bound to keep the logs from rolling off, were Andy Estep, Davis, and others. While coming down the mountain, the logs swagged outward and the chain came in contact with a projecting rock which severed it allowing the logs to roll off and the men with them. Estep's skull was crushed, collar bone and left arm were shattered. Davis was also badly injured and the others were just slightly hurt. **************************************************** Bluefield Daily Telegraph July 9, 1901 WRESTLING MATCH TURNS DEADLY Two men working at the Dry Fork plant of W. M. Ritter while on a visit to Iaeger last Saturday staarted a wrestling match in perfect good humor which resulted in one of them losing his life and the other becoming a fugitive from justice. The names of the men are Will McFadden and Chas. Bullion. McFadden was worsted in the wrestling match by Bullion, and it so enraged him that he drew a revolver and shot at Bullion five times, each one of he shots taking effect. Bullion lived until Sunday noon. McFadden was arrested and on Saturday night while he guard was asleep he escaped and has not been recaptured. ********************************************* Bluefield Daily Telegraph July 11, 1901 William McFadden, Who Killed Charles Bullion, In Jail at Welch William McFadden, who shot and killed Charles Bulllion at Iaeger last Saturday, as was reported in the Telegraph at the time, has been captured and lodged in jail at Welch. He waived preliminary examination and was held without bail for indictment by the grand jury. A pathetic scene was witnessed at the Welch jail yesterday, when McFadden's young wife came from Iaeger to visit him. She brought with her their twin babies, who are less than four weeks old, and their little two year old daughter. Mrs. McFadden is not strong enough to do any kind of work, and yet the family had lived up to he full extent of McFadden's earnings, and when he was arrested, the young wife found hat she had only enough provisions in he house to feed her and her chldren for a few days, and was practically without money. **************************************************** October 16, 1902 William Radford was arrested in the Palace Saloon on Ninth Avenue about five o'clock Tuesday afternoon by Lieutenant David and Officer Ross on the charge of killing a man several months ago. . . Radford's arrest was upon information given the police by Officer Fed Myers of Williamson who is here attending court and who knows Radford. After seeing him here Monday notified the police. The officer from Williamson says that Radford went to Welch several months ago and opened up a blind tiger on the street. Whiskey was sold openly, and almost everyone in town knew that he was selling whiskey without a license. A warrant for Radford's arrest was sworn out, but before it could be served, Radford was informed of the name of the man who had caused the warrant to be sworn out. He immediately started out on a hunt for the man and finding him on the street shot him dead and then dared anyone to arrest or follow him. He walked out of town and has not been seen since until his presence was discovered here by the officer from Williamson. Radford, who was charged with having killed a man in McDowell County several months ago. . .has been confined to the city jail, awaiting word from the authorities in Welch. . .[and] has been turned over to the Federal authorities to be tried in the United States court on the charge of selling whiskey without license. Radford has been transferred from the city to the county jail and if the necessary witnesses can be produced his trial will come up at this term of Federal Court here. If Radford's case is not tried at this term of court, he will be held on the charge of selling whiskey without a license until the next term of Federal court or until an indictment is made against him for killing the man at Welch. Radford claims that he killed the victim Frank Ervin in self-defense, but Officer Meyers of Williamson, who is well acquainted with the case, says that Ervin was shot down in cold blood because he had a warrant issued for Radford's arrest. . . If Radford is convicted on the charge of selling the whiskey without a license, he will serve his sentence for that offense and then be turned over to the authorities on the charge of killing Ervin. ************************************************* December 14, 1901 Governor White appointed Samuel S. Cooper of Keystone, McDowell County, to be district mine inspector for the district composed of McDowell, Mercer, Logan, Mingo and "other counties in that section of the coal belt." Mr. Cooper takes the place of W. Preece, who lost his ife in the effort to determine the causes of the disaster at the Baby mine some weeks earlier. ********************************************************* December 17, 1902 The following large coal companies have been granted charters: Vaughan Coal and Coke Company of Welch, McDowell County, to conduct a general coal mining business. Capital, $50,000. Incorporators: J. L. Vaughan, Roanoke, Virginia; E. H. Sudduth, D. J. F. Strother, S. J. Johnson and S. A Strother, Welch. Wenoah Coal and Coke Company of Bluefield, to conduct a general coal mining business. Capital,$150,000. Incorporators: K. E. Harmon and J. C. Lonn, Pulaski City, Virginia; O. C. Jenkins, Bluefield; D. H. Barger, Shawsville, Virginia; A. W. Reynolds, Princeton. ********************************************************* December 23, 1902 One of the most extensive coal land deals ever known in this section of the state is now in progress with fair prospect that it will be consummated in a short time. C. Crane & Co., the big Cincinnati timber firm, who have such extensive interests in southern West Virginia, have received an offer of a syndicate of eastern capitalists of several millions of dollars for the coal under the lands in this section. C. Crane & Co. probably owns one hundred thousand acres of the finest coal lands in the state. It is understood that the price offered is six millions of dollars. Officials of the company declare that the offer will have to be increased before they will part with their holdings.