W. M. LePage testimony
(transcriber may have made spelling and punctuation changes)
W. M. LePAGE, a witness of lawful age, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: Questions by Mr. OSSINGTON.
Q. Have you been sworn as a witness in this case?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Tell the jury your name?
A. W. M. LePage.
Q. How old are you
A. Forty four.
Q. Where do you reside?
A. Soverign, West Virginia.
Q. What county is that in?
A. Logan.
Q. Were you residing at Soverign in Logan county in the latter days of September and the early part of September, 1921?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Do you recall where you was on the 1st or 2nd of September, last year?
A. No, I don't just know the dates.
Q. Do you recall the day that there was a meeting at the ball park at Danville, of the miners?
A. I wasn't up there when that happened at al.
Q. Do you recall the day?
A. I think it was on Thursday, as near as I recollect.
Q. Do you know the defendant, William Blizzard?
A. I have met him, yes sir.
Q. Were you in Logan county during the latter part of August and the first of September - where were you?
A. Well, no, I was out, been out on a touring trip and when Mr. Keeney - of course, I just read this - I didn't see it myself.) Mr. Keeney, and I believe, Mr. Mooney went up and turned the miners back, if I recollect right, that was - I came into Charleston on Friday, and on Saturday morning, I went over to hear a couple of ladies that were going to speak, and where was a placard posted up there saying it was postponed. And that was on Saturday. The miners were all in town where they had all been turned back by Mr. Keeney and Mr. Mooney, as well as I recollect, I talked to lots of them and they said they were all going home -
Q. I am not speaking about that - I am trying to fix the date?
A. I went up on Saturday?
Q. Up where?
A. I drove up Lens Creek, clear through Peytona - on the route these miners had taken.
Q. Where did you go to finally?
A. Soverign.
Q. Did you see the defendant after that day in Logan county? After the day you came from Charleston?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Where?
A. I met him between Clothier and Blair.
Q. In what direction were you driving?
A. I was going toward Clothier.
Q. Is Clothier below Blair?
A. Yes sir, down the river from Blair.
Q. What direction was he traveling with reference to Blair?
A. He was going in the direction of Blair.
Q. How was he traveling?
A. As well as I recollect, he was in a Ford car.
Q. Anyone in the car with him?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How many?
A. I think there was four in the car.
Q. From the point where you met him, how far is it from that point to Blair?
A. I don't just recollect.
Q. About, give your best judgement?
A. I don't know, I just know it was between Blair and Clothier.
Q. Have you any ideas as to the distance between Blair and Clothier?
A. It is ten miles.
Q. How far did you meet him from Clothier?
A. I wouldn't say.
Q. Give your best judgement?
A. I don't have any recollection of where I met him, so I couldn't.
Q. What were you doing at that time - how were you traveling?
A. I was in a car.
Q. Have anyone in the car with you?
A. Some women.
Q. What were you doing at that time, what was your business?
A. I was hauling some women down to Clothier.
Q. Why were you hauling them down there?
A. Because they wanted to go.
Q. Do you know what they were going for?
A. Well, yes, they were afraid.
Q. Was there shooting going on at that time?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How many trips did you make bringing women out of that section?
A. I don't know, I made three or four.
Q. You were summoned here by the defense in this case, were you not?
A. Yes sir.
Q. You returned, I believe you said from Charleston on Saturday?
A. No sir, I returned, I came up the river on Sunday.
Q. What day was it you saw Blizzard with references to that Sunday?
A. I think it was the next Friday.
Q. Were you in Logan County when the Federal troops came in?
A. Yes sir.
CROSS EXAMINATION, questions by Mr. Townsend.
Q. You were in Charleston on Saturday?
A.Yes sir.
Q. Last there on Saturday?
A. No, I left there Sunday morning.
Q. Did you go direct to your home?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Was that in August? Was it a Sunday in August?
A. I am not just sure of the date. It was the day after the miners was turned back on Friday or Thursday. They were all back in Charleston On Saturday. Then I came up on Sunday morning, but I don't know the date.
Q. Assuming that Mr. Mooney and Mr. Keeney were in Madison on the 26th, then you left Charleston on the 28th, that would be correct, wouldn't it?
A. Well, if I just knew what day they were up there. I read that in the paper.
Q. I say, assuming they were there on the 26th, then you left Charleston on Sunday morning, the 28th?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Drove through to your home?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Over the route these miners were purported to have traveled?
A. The exact route that they did travel.
Q. When did you see Blizzard then.
A. I didn't see him until the next week. It was on Friday.
Q. Then that would be September 2nd, would it not?
A. I suppose it would.
Q. Were you going up the creek or coming down the creek when you met him?
A. Coming down.
Q. And he was going up?
A. Yes sir.
Q. He was traveling in what sort of an automobile?
A. As I recollect, it was a Ford car.
Q. Who was with him?
A. I don't know.
Q. Do you know what Blizzard was doing up there?
A. No sir, only what I heard. I heard he was up there.
Q. What was your information what he was doing there?
Objection
Sustained
Q. Did you talk to Blizzard upon that occasion?
A. No sir, not much.
Q. Did you talk with him at all?
A. No sir, I just spoke to him as we passed.
Q. Have you talked with any of the people who were in that assembly up there at that time?
A. Oh, yes.
Q. Did you know that Blizzard was coming there upon that occasion?
A. No sir, I didn't know he was coming.
Q. You didn't have any information about him coming there?
A. Not at that time.
Q. Did you have any information before that time that he was coming.
A. No sir.
Q. Did you have any information or any understanding before or after you met Mr. Blizzard going up which information you obtained from the miners as to his mission?
Objection.
Sustained.
Exception.
Q. What is your business up there?
A. I have charge of the mines.
Q. Mine foreman?
A. Well, I am superintendent.
Q. What company?
A. Soverign Coal Company.
Q. Were you in this crowd up there at any time?
A. I was at home, and all of that while I was going up and down the river.
Q. You were among them?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Talk to them?
A. I didn't do any talking to people along the road, much.
Q. You were asked by the State if the defence did not have you summoned in this case, you were not summoned on behalf of Mr. Blizzard were you?
A. Oh, no. The defendants had me here.
Q. You didn't mean to leave that impression with the jury?
A. No, I was summoned for other people, not for Mr. Blizzard.
Q. You weren't summoned for anybody on trial at this time?
A. No.
RE DIRECT EXAMINATION, questions by Mr. OSSINGTON
Q. Did you talk to the attorneys for the defendant in this case before today?
A. I asked them to get me off.
Q. What did they say with reference to letting you off?
A. They said if the other parties were willing, they wouldn't object.
Q. Did they talk to you about what you know about the case?
A. Yes, they asked me what I know.
RE CROSS EXAMINATION, questions by Mr. TOWNSEND
Q. Who talked to you?
A. I talked to Mr. - I don't know what the gentleman's name is, and asked him to get off.
Q. Mr. VanFleet?
A. Mr. Van Fleet.
Q. You testified that you were bringing some women and children down the creek?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Where were you bringing them from?
A. Soverign and Blair, both.
Q. Where were you taking them to?
A. Clothier.
Q. Did you tell the jury why you were taking them down there?
A. Yes sir.
Q. What was the reason?
A. I told them I was taking them down there because they wanted to go. The real reason was it was too dangerous up there.
Q. What made it dangerous up there?
A. Bullets firing.
Q. Where were these bullets coming from?
A. Off the mountain.
Q. Who was firing them?
A. I didn't see.
Q. Who was up in the mountain?
A. Miners on one side and people from Logan on the other and McDowell.
Q. The bullets they were afraid of, where would these bullets come from?
A. They were coming from the top of the mountain, I suppose.
Q. The line on the other side of the mountain, the deputies you are speaking of, they are facing Blair, were they not?
Objection.
Overruled.
Q. That is true, isn't it?
A. That would be my opinion.
Q. Those were the bullets that they were afraid of. Wasn't the bullets of the miners, but the bullets coming from the other side.
A. Yes sir.
Q. Do you know any other reason why they were afraid they were coming into Blair and Soverign.
Q. Who was coming into Blair and Soverign?
A. The other side.
Q. What do you mean by 'the other side?'
A. I mean the people from Logan and McDowell county, there people that were congregating over there.
Q. Did you see any bombs up there - did you see any air planes flying over?
A. Oh yes.
Q. Did they drop any bombs?
A. I saw one dropped. I didn't see it. It was dropped very close to me, sort of gassy, just a gas bomb.
Q. Did it explode?
A. yes it exploded, but it didn't make any noise, because I didn't know it until after it hit, just fumes sort of, where it had turned the grass, one thing or other.
Q. That was just a gas bomb?
A. That is what I would call it.
Q. Gave forth fumes?
A. Yes sir.
Q. Where did that come from?
A. Air plane.
Q. Airplane in the possession of whom?
A. I don't know.
Q. The miners didn't have any airplanes, did they?
A. Not that I know of.
Q. Did you see them come from the other side of the mountain, over that way?
A. They just simply circled over.
Q. They always circled back toward the other side of the mountain, didn't they?
A. Yes sir.
RE DIRECT EXAMINATION, questions by Mr. OSSINGTON
Q. Do you know whether or not the Federal Government had airplanes there?
A. That was my understanding they had some, too, yes sir.
RE CROSS EXAMINATION, questions by Mr. TOWNSEND
Q. The Federal Government didn't drop any bombs in there, did they?
A. I don't know who did it.
And further said deponent saith not.