V. B. Griffith
(transcriber may have made spelling and punctuation changes)
V. B. GRIFFITH,
a witness of lawful age, being duly sworn -
Q: Where do you live?
A: At Madison in Boone County, W. Va.
Q: What official position do you hold in Boone County?
A: I am sheriff of the county.
Q: Were you in Boone county on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of September last?
A: Yes.
Q: Were you there when the Federal troops came in?
A: Yes.
Q: When was that?
A: It was on Friday, Sept. 2nd.
Q: Did you meet any of the officers of the U.S. Army at that time?
A: Yes.
Q: Where did you meet them?
A: At the depot or station at first.
Q: Did you later have a conference with any of them?
A: Yes.
Q: With whom did you have this conference?
A: With Captain Wilson and some others with him.
Q: Where was this conference held?
A: At the office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
Q: Who is the Prosecuting Attorney?
A: H. W. B. Miller.
Q: Who else were present on this occasion?
A: Assistant-Prosecuting Attorney Hagar.
Q: Is that the gentleman over there?
A: Yes.
Q: Was there anyone else present?
A: Later Mr. Blizzard came in with three or four other men.
Q: What Blizzard do you mean?
A: William Blizzard.
Q: Do you mean the defendant here?
A: Yes.
Q: Did the defendant, Mr. Blizzard make any statement in that occasion to the Army officers in your presence?
A: Yes.
Q: Tell the jury what he said on that occasion.
Objection by Mr. Townsend.
THE COURT Was any inducement held out, or any threat made, about making this statement?
A: No, sir.
Q: The statement was made voluntarily?
A: Yes.
Objection overruled.
Q: Please answer the question.
A: He made a statement to the Captain that he had been out on all the firing lines that day and that his men, or our men, for he used it both ways -
Objection.
Objection overruled.
Exception taken.
Q: Complete your answer. Have you stated to the jury all that he said on that occasion?
A: No.
Q: Then tell the jury the rest of it.
A: He said to the Captain, after he had stated that he had been on all the firing lines that day, that if he would go with him, his men would surrender to him.
Q: What time of day was this?
9:30 or 10 at night.
Q: About how many troops were in the town of Madison at that time?
A: I am not sure. It was the first train load that came in. As well as I remember, it was something like 150.
Q: Do you know how the defendant, Blizzard, got to Madison on that occasion?
A: No.
Q: Did you see him arrive?
A: No.
Q: Who were those other men that were with Blizzard? at the time he made the statement to the Captain that you have just mentioned?
A: I don't remember all their names. As well as I recollect Fowler and Porter were there and I don't remember the others.
Q: Do you know whether or not Fowler and Porter were connected to the United Mine Workers?
A: Mr. Blizzard said so.
Q: Where were you on Friday, the 25 or 26th day of August, when there was a meeting at Danville?
A: I was in Huntington.
Q: When did you leave Huntington for Blair?
A: On Monday following that.
Q: Was that the 29th?
A: Yes.
Q: After you reached Madison on the 29th, tell the jury whether you saw any armed men passing back and forth toward Logan?
A: Yes, I did.
Q: Can you give us any estimate of the number of men you saw going through there?
A: The number I saw on trains and in automobiles would be something like three or four thousand. They went through on trains at different times.
Q: How long did they continue to come in there in that manner?
A: They continued to come until the troops came in.
Q: What character of arms were they carrying or taking through?
A: They had high-powers.
Q: High power what?
A: High-power rifles.
Q: Did you see any other character of equipment for warfare?
A: I saw in one or two cars what I took to be some kind of a machine gun, but I was not closer [than] the street.
Q: What effort, if any, did you make to disperse these armed men?
A: Nothing more than to call up the Governor
Q: Why did you call on the Governor?
A: Because they were too many in number for me to do otherwise.
Q: How many deputies have you in Boone county?
A: I have five field deputies.
Q: While these men were going through, did you hear any statement made by them as to their purpose, or where they were going?
A: I heard some of them say they were going to Mingo, and other said they were going to Logan county.
Q: Did you hear any statement as to what they intended to do when they go to Mingo county?
A: Said they were going to organize Mingo County.
Q: Did you hear any statement made of or concerning martial law that was then in existence in Mingo county?
A: No.
Q: Did you say that Mr. Hagar was present at this conference, when Mr. Blizzard made this statement to Captain Wilson. What official position did he hold in Boone county?
A: Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.
CROSS EXAMINATION BY MR. TOWNSEND.
Q: Fix the day, if you can, that you had this conference at Madison in the Prosecuting attorney's office.
A: It was on Friday evening, I think Sept. 2nd.
Q: What time in the evening was it?
A: I think sometime between nine and ten o'clock, but I could not be sure.
Q: Had the conference been arranged after Capt. Wilson came in with the troops?
A: Yes.
Q: How did he happen to get in touch with you?
A: I was at the depot.
Q: Did you meet him at the station?
A: Yes.
Q: Had you seen Blizzard before he came to the conference?
A: I saw someone that said Blizzard was there.
Q: Do you know where Blizzard came from at that time?
A: No.
Q: When you went to the Prosecuting Attorney's office, who was there Who arranged that conference?
A: It was arranged between the Prosecuting Attorney, Captain Wilson and myself.
Q: As a matter of fact did not Mr. Blizzard get off the same train that Captain Wilson did? Is that your recollection?
A: No.
Q: He went up to the water tank below Madison, got on the train with Captain Wilson, and got off the train with Capt. Wilson at Madison -- is that not correct?
A: He may have gotten off the train, but I did not see him.
Q: Then the conference was arranged between Captain Wilson and Mr. Blizzard on the train before he got off -- is that your information?
A: No.
Q: You mean to say he could have come in on the train. I do not mean that he came all the way - he got on at the water tank. The train stops at the water tank, does it not?
A: It stops near the switch below there somewhere
Q: Who did you say was at this meeting?
A: Myself, the Prosecuting Attorney, Captain Wilson and some other officers, Mr. Hagar, Mr. Blizzard, and three or four others came in later.
Q: Then there was at this conference Mr. Blizzard, Captain Wilson, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Porter and yourself and several others?
A: I think his name is Porter, but I am not sure.
Q: How did the conversation state at the time Mr. Blizzard came in?
A: I really don't know
Q: As a matter of fact, did not Mr. Blizzard open the conversation there?
A: We had had some conversation there before he came in.
Q: After he came in he asked for permission to make a statement. And that statement was to the effect that he had been to Blair that day and he told Captain Wilson that his men would surrender as soon as he got there, and that he had been sent there at the instance of Gen Bandholtz. Don't you remember this?
Objection.
Objection overruled.
Q: Don't you remember this?
A: I don't remember it that way.
Q: How do you remember it?
A: I don't remember his saying he had been at Blair. He said he had been on all the firing lines that day and that his men would surrender as soon as the troops got there.
Q: How did he happen to be there on that occasion?
A: I don't know.
Q: Did he say how he happened to be there?
A: I don't remember that he did.
Q: But you don't undertake to say that he did not say this?
A: I don't remember hearing him say
Q: After this meeting was arranged, you sent for Mr. Blizzard, did you not?
A: I did not
Q: Did not someone go for Mr. Blizzard?
A: No.
Q: Did he just walk in unannounced?
A: No. Capt. Wilson left someone at the door and he came in and said Mr. Blizzard wanted to come into the conference; that he wanted to be admitted.
Q: How was the conference arranged in the first place?
A: The Captain suggested that the Prosecuting Attorney and I go with him somewhere and have a talk, and the Prosecuting attorney suggested our going to his office, and we went down there.
Q: You don't know why Mr. Blizzard came down there, do you?
A: I do not.
Q: Did not Capt. Wilson tell you that he had previously talked with Blizzard, and that they had talked the situation over?
A: I don't remember his saying anything about Mr. Blizzard.
Q: And the first you saw of Mr. Blizzard was when he came into the conference, was it not?
A: He said he had met Mr. Blizzard when he came in.
Q: Did he say where he had met him?
A: No.
Q: Captain Wilson came in on that train that evening, did he not?
A: Yes.
Q: And you met him at the train?
A: Yes, just after he got off the train.
Q: And went to the Prosecuting Attorney's office with him?
A: Yes.
Q: So he must have met Mr. Blizzard either after he got to Madison or on the train, must he not?
Objection.
Objection overruled.
A: He could have met him at the station before I met Captain Wilson
Q: You did not see him just as he got off the train, did you?
A: No.
Q: But you said you met him at the train, did you not?
A: I did meet him, but he got off on the opposite side from the station.
Q: Now Sheriff did you hear Capt. Wilson talk to anyone on the telephone at that time?
A: Yes, sir I think he called up one of the Colonels.
Q: Did you hear him talk to General Banholtz?
A: No, it was a Colonel at St. Albans.
Q: Colonel - who?
A: I don't recall whether it was Col Martin or not. It was one of the Colonels.
Q: Did the Capt. tell the party who he was in conference with?
A: He said he had been talking to Mr. Blizzard and gave him this information.
Q: Did you hear what was said to Capt. Wilson at that time?
A: I did not.
Q: Did Capt. Wilson make any statement after he finished talking over the telephone?
A: Yes, sir he made some statement but I don't know what it was.
Q: Did he say, I have talked to General Banholtz?
A: He did not.
Q: Didn't he say that Mr. Blizzard was there, and after he talked over the telephone didn't he tell Mr. Blizzard that he wanted him to stay with him that night so he could go back up where the miners were the next morning?
A: I didn't get that question.
Q: I will ask it over? After Capt Wilson got through talking over the telephone didn't he say to Blizzard, "You stay with me, the General has told me to keep you with me and go back up where the miners are tomorrow morning".
A: I don't remember any statement like that, he never said anything about the General.
Q: Did he make that statement in regard to anyone else?
A: I don't remember that he made any statement about wanting him to go up there tomorrow morning.
Q: Do you know what time Capt. Wilson left there the next morning?
A: I do not. It was on -
Q: How is that?
A: I did not.
Q: Where were you the next morning?
A: I was at Madison.
Q: What time did you get up?
A: About six o'clock.
Q: Were you there when the troops left?
A: No I understand they left about four or five o'clock.
Q: Did you see Blizzard the next morning?
A: I did not.
Q: Did you see Capt. Wilson?
A: I did not.
Q: Do you have any information whether or not Blizzard left with him?
A: I did not.
Q: You said that Blizzard said to the Captain that he was on the firing line and that all the men would surrender to him if Blizzard would go back up there and tell them, is this about what you said?
A: No, I did not make that statement.
Q: What did you say, what did Blizzard say at that time?
A: He said to the Captain that he had been on the firing line that day and had seen his men, and that if he would go up there the minute the Federal troops went up they would surrender to them.
Q: That's all of the conversation you remember that took place there?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: You do not remember anything else that was said, thats right is it not?
A: No more than what I said.
Q: How long were you in that conference?
A: I supposed about forty-five minutes.
Q: And you don't remember anything else but what you have stated?
A: I guess we were in the office about that long.