The State of Martial Law in West Virginia

On May 19, 1921, the governor declared a state of martial law in West Virginia. He put major Thomas B Davis of the National Guard in charge of finally suppressing the strikers. And he immediately uses his powers to create a law and order community made up of 250 volunteers. These were mostly wealthier men from Mingo County business owners and landed gentry,. who would just be given rifles by the state and the legal authority to violently suppress their poor working class foes.