The criminal prosecutions resulting from the riot which occurred in the Lead Belt are being staged in the circuit court at Farmington this week. Messrs. B. H. Boyer and F. A. Benham have been retained by the lead companies to assist in the prosecution. Messrs. O. L. Munger of Piedmont, Arthur Brewster of Ironton and W. E. Coffer of Flat River are representing the defendants. The cases are being vigorously contested. The charges against the men are carrying concealed weapons, flourishing deadly weapons in an angry, rude and threatening manner, inciting riots, etc. Many of the men now in jail or out on bond must answer to several counts.
The disposition of the trials is dragging wearily and to the layman it appears that much valuable time is being wasted in useless haggling. So far only one case a day has been disposed of. At that rate it will undoubtedly require several weeks and perhaps months, to rid the docket of the riot cases.
Chas. Lloyd of Elvins was the first man to face the jury. He was charged with carrying concealed weapons. The jury was out only a short time when they returned a verdict declaring him guilty anf fixing his punishment at a fine of $100.
John Overall, also of Elvins was tried Tuesday on two counts, carrying concealed weapons and flourishing a dangerous and deadly weapon. This case occupied the attention of the court all day Tuesday and Tuesday night up until 11:30 o'clock. The case was given to the jury about 9 P.M. It took them nearly three hours to reach a decision. Overall was declared guilty on both counts and was fined $200. The State still has two or three counts stored up against him. Overall was elected leader of the men when they started to deport the foreigners on Saturday morning, July 14. He had been making his home in Elvins for about a year prior to the time the riot occurred. He is a native of Tennessee.
Claude Brewington of Flat River, charged with flourishing a deadly weapon, was tried Tuesday. The jury assessed his punishment at a fine of $100. There are two or three counts against him still to be heard. The testimony showed that on the day of the riot he was armed with a shot gun and assisted in guarding the foreigners at the Rivermines depot until trains arrived to take them out of the district.
There is still quite a number of men, charged with being implicated in the riot who have been unable to furnish bond. These men have now been in jail four months. They are mostly young fellows in the early twenties. Few, if any of them have funds, and unless clemency is extended to them, will have to lay out their fines in jail. Ignorance of the law is responsible for the plight of many of these boys. In some strange manner they became convinced that they were acting within the law in driving out the foreigners, so long as they did not resort to violence. That they were not molested in any manner by those whose duty it was to try and stop them on the day of the riot, strengthened this opinion until it became with most of them, a positive conviction.
In all of the cases tried thus far the evidence against the men has been so positive that it became the duty of the jury to return verdicts of guilty. If the evidence in the cases yet to be heard is equally as strong it would appear that a great deal of expense could be spared not only to the State but to the boys themselves, by entering pleas of guilty and throwing themselves on the mercy of the court.
The expense to the county as a result of these trials will run into thousands of dollars.