Mrs. Bessie Smith
(transcriber may have made spelling and punctuation changes)
Witness - Mrs. Bessie Smith
DIRECT EXAMINATION
By Mr. Belcher
Q: What is your name?
A: Bessie Smith.
Q: Mrs Smith where do you live?
A: Jarretts Ford.
Q: In what County?
A: Kanawha.
Q: Where did you live during the month of August 1921?
A: Blakeley.
Q: How far is Blakeley from Charleston, W. Va.?
A: I don't know exactly how far it is.
Q: Where is Blakeley?
A: At the end of Blue Creek on the K & W.Va. road.
Q: Were you living at Blakely at the time of this armed assembly of miners at Marmet?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Did you see any armed men gathered at Blakeley?
A: Yes, sir, I did.
Q: Tell the jury what you saw in that connection?
A: There was two cars in there one evening, they had guns and were looking for guns, and later another car came in with men in it and they assembled there in front of my house and when they were assembled there John Blunt come up and says "Boys get ready" that there was a man there that was going to hang and that he had a rope.
Q: What did they do after that, what man did they mean?
A: They meant my husband for he throwed his hand towards our house.
Q: What did your husband do if anything.
A: He was in the house.
Q: What did he do?
A: I made him leave.
Q: Do you know why? they made this statement about your husband?
A: He said my husband was taking the bread out of the childrens mouths.
Objection.
Sustained.
Q: When was this Mrs Smith? that these armed men came to you house or assembled in front of your house?
A: I don't know the day, but it was while these men were at Marmet.
Objection.
Q: Did you hear Blunt make any other statement on that occasion?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: Do you know where the armed men were going at that time - did you hear them say?
A: No.
Q: Did you hear them say where was their purpose? Or make any statement as to where they were going?
A: Yes, they said they was going to Mingo.
Q: Blakeley is a mining town, is it not?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you know whether the United Mine Workers have a local there?
A: They did, when I lived there.
Q: Did you know any of these men who came in these three cars except John Blunt?
A: No, not the ones in the car
Q: Did any of the men at Blakeley join the men assembled there?
A: Yes, there were several with them in front of my house.
Q: Did you know them?
A: Yes.
Q: Were they union men?
A: Most of them were.
Q: What did you hear John Blunt say on that occasion about Mingo county?
Objection.
THE COURT:
How many men were there altogether?
A: I think between 25 and 50 at the time
Objection sustained.
Q: Where did the men go from there?
A: They said they were going to John Blunt's house.
Q: Did you see them later on leaving the town of Blakeley?
A: I saw them going down the road toward his house.
Q: Is that in the direction of Charleston?
A: It is down Blue creek.