Romeo Craigo
(transcriber may have made spelling and punctuation changes)
ROMEO CRAIGO
Direct Examination
By Mr. Ossenton
Q: Tell the jury your name.
A: Romeo Craigo.
Q: How old are you?
A: 23
Q: Where do you live?
A: Smithers, Fayette County.
Q: What do you work at?
A: In the mines.
Q: Coal mines?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: How long have you been working in and about coal mines?
A: Ever since I was 14 years old, 9 years.
Q: Were you living at or near Smithers during the miners' march?
A: I was.
Q: Were you at Marmet? while these men were assembled at that time?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: How many times were you there?
A: Once.
Q: Did you later join the marching miners?
A: I did.
Q: Where did you start from?
A: Smithers.
Q: Well, tell the jury how you left on that occasion and how you happened to leave.
A: On the night of Tuesday, Aug. 30th, I had been out car-riding with a young lady and was taking her home about 8:30 and was stopped out Cannelton Hollow by some man and they demanded the car, when they saw I had a girl, they let me take her home with the understanding I was to come back. I took her home and stayed about an hour and a half and then I went back and was stopped again and they wanted the car and I told them it was in bad shape and not fit to run. They finally agreed to let me take it home with the understanding that I would come on back. They wanted me because I could run a car. I took the car home and came on back out and got on the car I was to go on. We left Smithers about 12:30 at night.
Q: How did you leave?
A: Down the river.
Q: Did you ride or walk?
A: We rode.
Q: What in?
A: A truck.
Q: How many men were in the truck?
A: Me and the driver and one other man.
Q: What did you have in this truck?
A: Provisions.
Q: Were there any other trucks there?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: What did they contain?
A: Men.
Q: Were they armed?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: What were they armed with?
A: Each man had a rifle, I don't know the make.
Q: Is Smithers on the north or south side of the Kanawha River, or do you know?
A: I don't know.
Q: Where is the town of Montgomery, on which side of the river?
A: Opposite side of the river.
Q: Where did you cross the river?
A: At Cedar Grove.
Q: How far is it from Smithers to Cedar Grove?
A: Five or 6 miles.
Q: What creek comes in at Cedar Grove?
A: Campbell's creek, I think.
Q: Kelley's creek or Campbell's creek?
A: I don't know.
Q: How did you get across the river at Cedar Grove?
A: On a ferry boat.
Q: How did you travel there?
A: We were still on this truck.
Q: Do you know where the town of Eastbank [East Bank] is?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Did you pass through it that night?
A: Yes, sir, part of it.
Q: Where did you go down the river?
A: Down to a place called Lens creek.
Q: When you got to Lens Creek, in what direction did you go then, up or down Lens Creek?
A: I don't know.
Q: Did you leave the main road?
A: I don't know, it was after night.
Q: Do you remember any towns you passed the next day?
A: No, I do not.
Q: Where did you stop first after you left that night?
A: Lens Creek, at the mouth of Lens Creek.
Q: Where did you go from there?
A: Up to Marmet I think that was what they called it.
Q: And where did you go from there?
A: Right on through the hollow.
Q: Where did you go from there?
A: Into Jeffrey.
Q: Where did you stop?
A: At a school house about four miles up Jeffrey hollow.
Q: What was the name of this schoolhouse, if you know?
A: I don't know.
Q: When you got up there, what time was it, day or night?
A: About 8 o'clock in the evening.
Q: After you stopped what did you do with the provisions?
A: Took them to the schoolhouse and put them in the yard.
Q: Did you see any armed men at Jeffrey?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Did you get anything to eat?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Where did you get it?
A: At a big rough building there on the side of the road.
Q: Did you stay there that night?
A: No, sir.
Q: What did you do?
A: Went on up the hollow.
Q: Then what did you do?
A: We stayed all night at the schoolhouse.
Q: What happened the next morning?
A: Me and 3 other fellows carried provisions to the men on the point.
Q: When had the men gone on the hill with reference to the time you got there?
A: The night before.
Q: How far was it to the point where you carried the provisions?
A: About a mile and a quarter.
Q: What did you do then?
A: They had breakfast and then we started to hiking.
Q: Were you armed?
A: Yes, sir, I had a 30-30 Remington rifle.
Q: Where did you get it?
A: The man that had one eye gave it to me.
Q: How many men started with you?
A: 60 or 70
Q: Do you know Ed. Reynolds?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Did you see him there?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Who was in command?
A: Ed. Reynolds and Lewis White.
Q: Where were you going?
A: Heading for the battle front.
Q: Tell the jury what happened.
A: We hiked all that day and between 4 and 5 o'clock we came down to a point where the woods had been cut off for a survey and when we started across that they opened fire on us.
Q: What happened to you?
A: I was shot.
Q: Where were you wounded?
A: In the left leg above the knee.
Q: What effect did the bullet have on you when it struck you?
A: It knocked me down.
Q: What did they do with you?
A: The drug me up and put me behind a big tree.
Q: Then what did they do with you?
A: They took me to Jeffrey.
Q: What became of your rifle?
A: I don't know, that is where I lost it.
Q: Then what did they do with you?
A: The doctor washed my leg off and tied a bandage on it.
Q: What was done with you then?
A: I was taken to the Coal Valley hospital.
Q: How long were you in the hospital?
A: 10 or 11 days.
Q: Did you see anyone else on the mountain that morning that you knew beside Lewis White and Ed. Reynolds?
A. I did.
Q: Who were they?
A: I only knew the full name of one of them, that was Jim White.
Q: Did you know the name of the men that rode from Smithers to Jeffrey with you on the truck?
A: I just knew their first names.
Q: Did you know the names of any of the other army men that went with you?
A: I didn't know them personally, some of them they called Bill, or Pete or John or anything that came handy.
Q: Did you hear the men up there on the mountain say anything about what they were going to do?
A: Yes, sir, they said they were after the thugs in Logan Co.
Q: Did you hear them say anything about Mingo?
A: No, sir.
Q: Did you have any ammunition?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: How many shells did you have?
A: I don't know exactly, I had 2 pockets full.
Q: Who gave you the shells?
A: The same man that gave me the gun.
Q: Do you know the day of the week on which you were shot?
A: Yes, sir, Thursday, Sept. 1st.
Q: On your road over there or after you arrived, did you hear anything about the president's proclamation?
A: No, Sir.
Q: What did you wear around your neck?
A: I had a red handkerchief.
Q: Who gave you that?
A: It was my own.
Q: Do you know what you wore that for?
A: Yes, sir, to distinguish me from the men on the other side.
Q: Did you have a pass word?
A: Yes, sir, we did.
Q: What was it?
A: We come creeping.
Q: What did the other men in your party wear about their necks?
A: Something red.
Q: Did you see any prisoners taken while you were there?
A: No, sir.
Q: When you got up on this mountain how far did you travel before you were shot?
A: It was a long ways around, I should judge five or six miles.
Q: Whereabouts were you with reference to the top of the mountain?
A: We were o[n] top of the mountain.
Q: Did you see any other armed men in that section while you were there besides your own party of miners?
A: I saw no one.
Q: Did you see any of the men from Logan County side before you were shot?
A: No, sir.
Q: Was that the first time you were ever over there?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Did you do any shooting?
A: I never got to fire a shot.
Q: Why?
A: I was shot first, I guess.
Q: Are you a member of the United Mine Workers Organization?
A: I am not.
Q: Were you at that time in August or September?
A: No, sir.
Q: You didn't go along in August?
A: No, sir.
Q: Did you hear any of the men speaking about the name of this hollow that went up from Jeffreys?
A: It was called Hewitts creek.