1. Don Chafin was the sheriff of Logan County, West Virginia, and a commander in the Battle of Blair Mountain.
29 Facts About Don Chafin
1. 2.
Don Chafin assembled a force of thousands of local townspeople, sheriff's deputies, and national guardsmen.
3.
In 1924, Don Chafin was arrested in connection with moonshining and sentenced to two years in federal prison, of which he served 10 months.
4.
Don Chafin was born on June 26,1887, near the town of Kermit in present-day Mingo County, West Virginia, the sixth of eleven children.
5.
Don Chafin attended the Mountain State Business College, before teaching at the Dingress School in Mingo County.
6.
In 1905, Don Chafin married Mary Mounts, with whom he eventually had 10 children, eight of whom survived to adulthood.
7.
Three years later, in 1908, Don Chafin was appointed the tax assessor of Logan County.
8.
In 1912, Don Chafin was elected sheriff of Logan County for the first time, and in 1920 he was elected county clerk as well.
9.
Don Chafin's authority extended so far into every aspect of public life that he reportedly controlled every judge and jury in the county.
10.
The operators directly paid the salary of at least forty of Don Chafin's deputies, ensuring control over the department and favorable treatment.
11.
The bribes from the mine owners did indeed result in favors from Don Chafin; Don Chafin stationed one of his deputies at every railway station in Logan County to "guard against union organizers".
12.
Don Chafin established a record of violent and unpleasant confrontations with union officials outside of Logan County.
13.
Don Chafin walked the two blocks to Logan General Hospital with a bullet lodged in his chest two inches from his heart.
14.
Don Chafin declared "No armed mob will cross Logan County", and prepared to stop the miners as they crossed Blair Mountain.
15.
Don Chafin established large weapons caches, including a stockpile of machine guns, and erected breastworks on the slopes of Blair Mountain.
16.
Don Chafin reorganized and enlarged his forces, and volunteers from around the state arrived to join his army.
17.
The Governor of West Virginia, Ephraim Morgan, helped Don Chafin recruit men to join his forces, and sent an unofficial national guard unit to join him.
18.
That same day, Don Chafin equipped his biplanes with pipe bombs and tear gas, which they dropped on the miners, though they inflicted no serious casualties.
19.
Regardless of his role in the events, Don Chafin remained sheriff after the battle and began to round up and arrest a number of the leaders of the miners.
20.
Don Chafin became involved in a number of illegal ventures, including a moonshining operation.
21.
Don Chafin became increasingly important within the West Virginia Democratic party, due to his celebrity status after the battle.
22.
Don Chafin was frequently present in the state capitol, and attended the 1924 Democratic National Convention as a member of the West Virginia delegation.
23.
Don Chafin was tried and convicted of violation of the Volstead Act at the federal courthouse in Huntington, West Virginia, on October 14,1924.
24.
Don Chafin was given the maximum sentence of two years in prison, and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.
25.
Don Chafin appealed the verdict, but it was upheld in April 1925, and he was sent to the federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
26.
Don Chafin served 10 months of his sentence before being paroled back to Logan County in August 1926.
27.
In 1936, Don Chafin moved to Huntington, where he purchased a number of properties including the Guaranty Bank, on top of which he built a penthouse as his home.
28.
Don Chafin lived in semi-retirement there for the rest of his life.
29.
Don Chafin suffered several heart attacks in his later life, and eventually died on August 9,1954, in a Huntington hospital after a surgical procedure.