On February 13, 1913, in the midst of the West Virginia Mine Wars, labor leader Mother Jones stood before a mass meeting in Smithers. She, along with two striking coal miners, were chosen to deliver a petition to Governor William Glasscock, demanding the restoration of civil liberties for miners and the withdrawal of state troops enforcing martial law. Instead of being heard, they were arrested and put on trial in a military court—the first such trial of civilians since the Civil War.
Just days earlier, on February 7, a train called the “Bull Moose Special,” operated by coal mine guards and led by coal operator Quin Morton, fired upon strikers in Holly Grove. One miner, Cesco Estep, was killed, and others were wounded. In response, miners struck back in Mucklow, leading to more bloodshed. The state’s response? Governor Glasscock declared martial law, sending in troops to crush the strike.
Mother Jones, already a fierce advocate for miners, took action. But her arrest upon presenting the miners’ petition to Governor Glasscock marked a turning point. Along with the other two striking miners, she was charged with conspiracy to kill a mine guard. Despite suffering from pneumonia, she was held under house arrest for three months. The shocking military trial of civilians drew national attention, prompting a congressional investigation into the strike.
By May 1913, under mounting pressure from the national press and Congress, Glasscock’s successor, Governor Henry Hatfield, ordered Jones’ release. But the fight was far from over. Jones continued her relentless advocacy, speaking out against child labor and supporting workers’ struggles across the country until her death in 1930.
Back then the Coal mines all the power they didn’t care about people it was about the money . sounds like 2025