In 1920, area miners went on strike to gain recognition of UMWA. On May 19 of that year, twelve Baldwin-Felts Agency guards came from Bluefield to evict the miners from company houses. As the guards left town, they argued with town police chief Sid Hatfield and Mayor Testerman. Shooting of undetermined origins resulted in the deaths of two coal miners, seven agents, and the mayor. None of the 19 men indicted were convicted.