In 1920, many area miners joined the UMWA. On May 19, 13 Baldwin-Felts agents evicted union miners from Stone Coal Company houses. As the agents prepared to entrain, an argument between Police Chief Sid Hatfield, Mayor C.C. Testerman, and the agents began. Shots rang out, killing the mayor, 2 miners, and 7 agents. The event began a period of WV coalfield violence.