Who was the sheriff in Matewan?
Sid Hatfield
Sid Hatfield was the Sheriff of Matewan, West Virginia from 1919 until his death in 1921. This photograph of Hatfield was taken circa 1920. One of the most infamous events of the West Virginia mine wars was a deadly shoot-out in the mining town of Matewan in Mingo County.
Who is sheriff of Mingo County?
Sheriff Joe Smith
Sheriff Joe Smith, Sgt C Endicott, Sgt N Mines, and Detective R Fitch arrested Lucas Kennedy on the following warrants.
What happened at Matewan?
May 19, 1920: Matewan Massacre When the United Mine Workers (UMW) stepped up its campaign to organize Logan, Mingo, and McDowell counties, coal operators retaliated by hiring private detectives to quash all union activity. Miners who joined the UMW were fired and thrown out of their company-owned houses.
What was the name of the Matewan police chief whose murder sparked the events that led to the Battle of Blair Mountain?
Chief Sid Hatfield
They often helped evict striking miners from company housing — an act that in 1920 led to the Matewan massacre when Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield tried to intervene. The shootout resulted in the deaths of Matewan’s mayor, two miners and seven detectives.
Was Matewan a true story?
A powerful and well-crafted film based on a true story. Eric Foner describes the film as follows in Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies, edited by Mark Carnes: Matewan tells the story of a bitter 1920 strike in the coal mines of southern West Virginia.
How many people died in Matewan?
The gunfight in downtown Matewan on May 19, 1920, had all the elements of a high-noon showdown: on one side, the heroes, a pro-union sheriff and mayor; on the other, the dastardly henchmen of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency. Within 15 minutes, ten people were dead—seven detectives, two miners and the mayor.
What happened in Matewan West Virginia?
The Battle of Matewan (also known as the Matewan massacre) was a shootout in the town of Matewan in Mingo County and the Pocahontas Coalfield mining district, in southern West Virginia. It occurred on May 19, 1920 between local coal miners and their allies and the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency.