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Battle of Matewan

SOLVED1920Matewan, West Virginia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On May 19, 1920, a violent confrontation known as the Battle of Matewan (or Matewan Massacre) occurred in the town of Matewan, Mingo County, West Virginia. The clash arose amid escalating labor tensions between coal miners attempting to organize with the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the Stone Mountain Coal Company, which employed the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency to evict miners' families from company-owned housing.

A contingent of Baldwin–Felts detectives arrived in Matewan by train that morning to carry out evictions at the Stone Mountain Coal Camp. After completing evictions and eating at the Urias Hotel, the detectives headed toward the train depot to leave town. They were intercepted by Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield, a supporter of the miners' unionization efforts, who claimed to hold arrest warrants for the detectives. Detective Albert Felts produced a warrant for Hatfield's arrest, which Mayor Cabell Testerman disputed as fraudulent. Unknown to the detectives, armed miners had surrounded the area from surrounding buildings.

Accounts differ on who fired first. One account says Albert Felts fired from his coat pocket, mortally wounding Mayor Testerman, then fired at Hatfield but instead killed miner Tot Tinsley. Hatfield then shot and killed Albert Felts. A broader gun battle followed. The dead included seven Baldwin–Felts detectives — among them Albert and Lee Felts, brothers of agency founder Tom Felts — along with Mayor Testerman (who died the next day of his wounds) and two miners, Tot Tinsley and Bob Mullins, both reportedly unarmed. Four bystanders were also wounded.

In the aftermath, West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell dispatched state police to secure the town. Hatfield married Testerman's widow, Jessie, twelve days after the shootout. Labor unrest continued, culminating in a further strike on July 1, 1920, and widespread violence. A trial of miners charged in the deaths of the seven agents ran from January 26 to March 19, 1921, ending in acquittals for all defendants. Tom Felts subsequently sent undercover operatives to build a case against Hatfield; after murder charges against Hatfield and 22 others were dismissed, Baldwin–Felts detectives shot and killed Hatfield and his deputy Ed Chambers on the courthouse steps in Welch, West Virginia, on August 1, 1921. The remaining defendants in related cases were also acquitted.

These events contributed to escalating labor conflict in the region, feeding into the later Battle of Blair Mountain. The Matewan Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1993. A West Virginia Division of Culture and History historic highway marker in Matewan commemorates the event, noting that none of the nineteen men indicted were convicted.

Key facts

Victims
Cabell Cornelius Testerman, John Wesley Ferguson, Emmitt Owen Powell, Robert "Bob" Mullins, Clarence McKinley "Tot" Tinsley, Albert Creed Felts, Ed Chambers, Charles Butchard Cunningham, Andrew Jackson Booher, Charles Troy Higgins, LeGrand Crockett "Lee" Felts
Date
1920
Location
Matewan, West Virginia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1895

    Town of Matewan founded.

  2. 1920-05

    Roughly 3,000 miners sign UMWA union cards in the spring organizing drive.

  3. 1920-05-19

    Gun battle in Matewan between Baldwin–Felts detectives and miners/town officials leaves seven detectives, Mayor Cabell Testerman, and two miners dead.

  4. 1920-05-20

    Mayor Cabell Testerman dies in hospital from gunshot wounds sustained the previous day.

  5. 1920-05-31

    Sid Hatfield marries Jessie Testerman, widow of Mayor Cabell Testerman, twelve days after the shootout.

  6. 1920-07-01

    Miners' union begins another strike; widespread violence including bombings and beatings follows.

  7. 1921-01-26

    Trial of miners charged in the deaths of the seven Baldwin–Felts agents begins.

  8. 1921-03-19

    Trial concludes; all defendants acquitted of all charges.

  9. 1921-08-01

    Baldwin–Felts detectives kill Sid Hatfield and his deputy Ed Chambers on the McDowell County courthouse steps in Welch, West Virginia.

  10. 1992-12

    The Urias Hotel, former Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency headquarters, destroyed by fire.

  11. 1993-04-27

    Matewan Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Best coverage

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People

  • Sid Hatfield

    ACQUITTED

    Matewan Chief of Police who confronted the detectives and shot Albert Felts; acquitted of all charges related to the killings, later assassinated by Baldwin–Felts detectives on August 1, 1921.

  • Cabell Cornelius Testerman

    VICTIM

    Mayor of Matewan, fatally wounded during the shootout and died the next day; supported the miners' union.

  • John Wesley Ferguson

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout, age 41.

  • Emmitt Owen Powell

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout, age 37.

  • Robert "Bob" Mullins

    VICTIM

    Unarmed miner killed during the gun battle; had just been fired for joining the union, age 53.

  • Clarence McKinley "Tot" Tinsley

    VICTIM

    Unarmed miner killed during the gun battle, age 19.

  • Albert Creed Felts

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout after allegedly firing the first shots, age 42.

  • Ed Chambers

    VICTIM

    Deputy of Sid Hatfield, killed alongside Hatfield by Baldwin–Felts detectives on the courthouse steps in Welch, West Virginia, on August 1, 1921.

  • Charles Butchard Cunningham

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout, age 45.

  • Andrew Jackson Booher

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout, age 44.

  • Charles Troy Higgins

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout, age 44.

  • LeGrand Crockett "Lee" Felts

    VICTIM

    Baldwin–Felts detective killed in the shootout, brother of agency founder Tom Felts, age 47.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Matewan, West Virginia

37.6231, -82.1664

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On May 19, 1920, a shootout in Matewan, West Virginia, between coal miners and their allies and Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency agents left ten men dead, including detective agency founders' relatives, Matewan's mayor, and two miners, marking a pivotal moment in the West Virginia coal wars.
Where did the crime happen?
Matewan, West Virginia.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in West Virginia

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICBattle of MatewanWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — npgallery.nps.govnpgallery.nps.gov · 2026-07-10
  3. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — nps.govnps.gov · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 11, 2026