Baldwin-Felts
Encyclopedia
The Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency was a private detective agency in the United States
.
Baldwin, the senior member of the firm, was a native of Tazewell County, Virginia. An avid reader of detective novels in his youth, Baldwin was a small storekeeper in his early days. He then studied dentistry, but left that profession in order to become a detective. He began his career in 1884 with the Eureka Detective Agency in Charleston, West Virginia. After founding the Baldwin Detective Agency, he then moved to Roanoke, Virginia, to oversee security operations in the Norfolk & Western Railway’s coalfield district, later being appointed chief special agent (a position he held until his retirement in 1930).
Thomas Lafayette Felts was a native of Galax, Virginia, who was educated as a lawyer and was a member of the Virginia Bar Association. In 1900, he joined the Baldwin Detective Agency as a partner who could provide legal advice to the firm. In 1910, the name of the agency was changed to the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency, headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia
.
Originally, the company provided investigative services to railroads for train robberies
and other crimes. Little is known about this chapter in the history of Baldwin–Felts, but it is known that the company provided guards for railway and mine payrolls, as well as to accompany coal trains into the coalfields. The company investigated train wrecks, robberies and thefts. By the early 1900s, the agency had also undertaken detective work for both federal and state government agencies.
The agency became known for crime-busting after it successfully tracked down members of the Allen family wanted in a shootout in 1912 at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia, that left the judge, the sheriff, the prosecutor, a juror and a witness dead or dying. Though two of the Allens fled the state, the Baldwin–Felts detectives (led by Thomas Felts) managed to locate and arrest all of the fugitives within six months.
By 1913, railroad crimes and associated banditry had decreased and Baldwin–Felts turned to other fields, in particular private security forces for mining companies. At the time, public law enforcement and the maintenance of order in labor-management disputes was often left to company owners. Baldwin–Felts supplied guards and detectives that were used by the mining industry to suppress strikes, to collect intelligence on unions, to prevent labor organizers from entering company grounds and even to evict workers living in company-owned housing who had joined a union, gone on strike or failed to pay rent. This work soon brought the agency into conflict with labor and unions. Baldwin–Felts is today best known for its violent confrontations with labor union members in such places as the Pocohantas Coal Field region of West Virginia, the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912
in West Virginia, and in Ludlow, Colorado
in southern Colorado. Among union members, Baldwin–Felts agents were regarded as hired thugs. A former attorney general of West Virginia, Howard B. Lee, who knew both Baldwin and Felts, recalled that the men were the "two most feared and hated men in the mountains."
Both Baldwin and Felts were also involved in banking and Baldwin later served as president and member of the board of directors of several banks. Felts was later elected to two terms as a Virginia state senator.
known as either the Matewan Massacre or the Battle of Matewan
. Three townspeople were also killed, including Matewan Mayor Cabell Testerman. Following the events in Matewan, Baldwin–Felts gunmen, including undercover agent
C.E. Lively (Charles Everett Lively), assassinated
Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield
and his friend Ed Chambers on the steps of the McDowell County Courthouse in Welch, West Virginia
, retribution for the killing of Albert and Lee Felts. Lively (1887–1977) and the others claimed self-defense and were acquitted. Albert and Lee Felts were buried in Galax, Virginia
after the battle in what is now the Felts Memorial Cemetery. Their funeral was attended by over 3,000 people.
and his family who were involved in a courtroom shootout in Hillsville, Virginia
in Carroll County during which five people died and seven were wounded, including the Commonwealth's Attorney (prosecutor), William Foster, the Sheriff, Lewis F. Webb, and the presiding judge, Thornton Lemmon Massie. The event captured nationwide attention from March 13-April 15, 1912, when the ocean liner
sank.
At the time, Virginia law required the local Sheriff to head the criminal investigation and pursue those suspected of committing the killings. In the case of the Sheriff's death, no provision for succession had been provided for in the law, and the Sheriff's deputies lost all their legal powers until the next election. Faced with this dilemma, Virginia Governor William Hodges Mann
sent a telegram to the Baldwin–Felts agency to apprehend the fugitives:
The detectives cut a wide swathe through Carroll County, Virginia
in their quest. A wounded Floyd Allen was personally arrested at his hotel by Thomas L. Felts. Most of the Allens and their relations were arrested by a posse of Baldwin–Felts detectives who chased down the fugitives in a relentless search, carried out regardless of weather conditions. Nevertheless, two of the men—Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards—escaped to Des Moines, Iowa
. An informant—Maude Iroller—tipped the agency as to the men's whereabouts, and the fugitives were arrested and brought back to Carroll County before the end of the year.
In 1913-1914, Baldwin–Felts agents were involved in another coal field struggle in Las Animas County in Colorado, known as the Ludlow, Colorado
coal strike. Agency detectives were employed in squads to harass striking workers, even using an armored car with a mounted machine gun
(called the Death Special by the miners). During the strike, a particularly violent confrontation erupted between private militia hired by mine owners and striking workers, now known as the Ludlow Massacre
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Formation of the agency
The agency was founded in the early 1890s by William Gibbony Baldwin as the Baldwin Detective Agency.Baldwin, the senior member of the firm, was a native of Tazewell County, Virginia. An avid reader of detective novels in his youth, Baldwin was a small storekeeper in his early days. He then studied dentistry, but left that profession in order to become a detective. He began his career in 1884 with the Eureka Detective Agency in Charleston, West Virginia. After founding the Baldwin Detective Agency, he then moved to Roanoke, Virginia, to oversee security operations in the Norfolk & Western Railway’s coalfield district, later being appointed chief special agent (a position he held until his retirement in 1930).
Thomas Lafayette Felts was a native of Galax, Virginia, who was educated as a lawyer and was a member of the Virginia Bar Association. In 1900, he joined the Baldwin Detective Agency as a partner who could provide legal advice to the firm. In 1910, the name of the agency was changed to the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency, headquartered in Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
.
Originally, the company provided investigative services to railroads for train robberies
Train robbery
Train robbery is a type of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables being carried aboard trains.-History:Train robberies were more common in the past than today, and often occurred in the American Old West. Trains carrying payroll shipments were a major target...
and other crimes. Little is known about this chapter in the history of Baldwin–Felts, but it is known that the company provided guards for railway and mine payrolls, as well as to accompany coal trains into the coalfields. The company investigated train wrecks, robberies and thefts. By the early 1900s, the agency had also undertaken detective work for both federal and state government agencies.
The agency became known for crime-busting after it successfully tracked down members of the Allen family wanted in a shootout in 1912 at the Carroll County Courthouse in Hillsville, Virginia, that left the judge, the sheriff, the prosecutor, a juror and a witness dead or dying. Though two of the Allens fled the state, the Baldwin–Felts detectives (led by Thomas Felts) managed to locate and arrest all of the fugitives within six months.
By 1913, railroad crimes and associated banditry had decreased and Baldwin–Felts turned to other fields, in particular private security forces for mining companies. At the time, public law enforcement and the maintenance of order in labor-management disputes was often left to company owners. Baldwin–Felts supplied guards and detectives that were used by the mining industry to suppress strikes, to collect intelligence on unions, to prevent labor organizers from entering company grounds and even to evict workers living in company-owned housing who had joined a union, gone on strike or failed to pay rent. This work soon brought the agency into conflict with labor and unions. Baldwin–Felts is today best known for its violent confrontations with labor union members in such places as the Pocohantas Coal Field region of West Virginia, the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912
Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912
The Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912 was a confrontation between striking coal miners and coal operators in Kanawha County, West Virginia, centered around the area enclosed by two streams, Paint Creek and Cabin Creek....
in West Virginia, and in Ludlow, Colorado
Ludlow, Colorado
Ludlow is a ghost town in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. It was famous as the site of the Ludlow Massacre in 1914. The town site is nestled at the entrance to a canyon in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is located along the western side of Interstate 25...
in southern Colorado. Among union members, Baldwin–Felts agents were regarded as hired thugs. A former attorney general of West Virginia, Howard B. Lee, who knew both Baldwin and Felts, recalled that the men were the "two most feared and hated men in the mountains."
Both Baldwin and Felts were also involved in banking and Baldwin later served as president and member of the board of directors of several banks. Felts was later elected to two terms as a Virginia state senator.
Matewan Massacre
Seven Baldwin–Felts detectives, including Thomas Felts' brothers Albert and Lee, were killed in Matewan on May 19, 1920, during a shootoutShootout
A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups. A shootout often, but not necessarily, pits law enforcement against criminal elements; it could also involve two groups outside of law enforcement, such as rival gangs. A shootout in a military context A shootout is a gun battle between armed groups....
known as either the Matewan Massacre or the Battle of Matewan
Battle of Matewan
The Battle of Matewan was a shootout in the town of Matewan, West Virginia in Mingo County on May 19, 1920 between local miners and the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency....
. Three townspeople were also killed, including Matewan Mayor Cabell Testerman. Following the events in Matewan, Baldwin–Felts gunmen, including undercover agent
Labor spies
Labor spies are persons recruited or employed for the purpose of gathering intelligence, committing sabotage, sowing dissent, or engaging in other similar activities, typically within the context of an employer/labor organization relationship....
C.E. Lively (Charles Everett Lively), assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield
Sid Hatfield
William Sidney "Sid" Hatfield , was Police Chief of Matewan, West Virginia during the Battle of Matewan, a shootout that followed a series of evictions carried out by detectives from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency....
and his friend Ed Chambers on the steps of the McDowell County Courthouse in Welch, West Virginia
Welch, West Virginia
Welch is a city located in McDowell County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The population was 2,406 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1893, it is the county seat of McDowell County.-History:...
, retribution for the killing of Albert and Lee Felts. Lively (1887–1977) and the others claimed self-defense and were acquitted. Albert and Lee Felts were buried in Galax, Virginia
Galax, Virginia
Galax is an independent city in the southwestern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is bounded to the northeast by Carroll County and to the southwest by Grayson County. The population was 7,042 as of 2010...
after the battle in what is now the Felts Memorial Cemetery. Their funeral was attended by over 3,000 people.
Other activities
The agency's most famous fugitive pursuit was the capture of Floyd AllenFloyd Allen
Floyd Allen was an American landowner and patriarch of the Allen clan of Carroll County, Virginia. He was convicted and executed for murder in 1913 after a sensational courthouse shootout that left a judge, prosecutor, sheriff, and two others dead, although doubt has been expressed about the...
and his family who were involved in a courtroom shootout in Hillsville, Virginia
Hillsville, Virginia
Hillsville is a town in Carroll County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carroll County.-Geography:Hillsville is located at ....
in Carroll County during which five people died and seven were wounded, including the Commonwealth's Attorney (prosecutor), William Foster, the Sheriff, Lewis F. Webb, and the presiding judge, Thornton Lemmon Massie. The event captured nationwide attention from March 13-April 15, 1912, when the ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
sank.
At the time, Virginia law required the local Sheriff to head the criminal investigation and pursue those suspected of committing the killings. In the case of the Sheriff's death, no provision for succession had been provided for in the law, and the Sheriff's deputies lost all their legal powers until the next election. Faced with this dilemma, Virginia Governor William Hodges Mann
William Hodges Mann
William Hodges Mann was an American Democratic politician. Mann was the 46th Governor of Virginia from 1910 to 1914. He attended Brownsburg Academy.-Political career:Brown became Deputy Clerk of Nottoway County, Virginia...
sent a telegram to the Baldwin–Felts agency to apprehend the fugitives:
Send troops to the County of Carroll at once. Mob violence, the court. Commonwealth's Attorney, Sheriff, some jurors and others shot on the conviction of Floyd Allen for a felony. Sheriff and Commonwealth's Attorney dead, court serious. Look after this now.
The detectives cut a wide swathe through Carroll County, Virginia
Carroll County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,245 people, 12,186 households, and 8,786 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile . There were 14,680 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
in their quest. A wounded Floyd Allen was personally arrested at his hotel by Thomas L. Felts. Most of the Allens and their relations were arrested by a posse of Baldwin–Felts detectives who chased down the fugitives in a relentless search, carried out regardless of weather conditions. Nevertheless, two of the men—Sidna Allen and Wesley Edwards—escaped to Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
. An informant—Maude Iroller—tipped the agency as to the men's whereabouts, and the fugitives were arrested and brought back to Carroll County before the end of the year.
In 1913-1914, Baldwin–Felts agents were involved in another coal field struggle in Las Animas County in Colorado, known as the Ludlow, Colorado
Ludlow, Colorado
Ludlow is a ghost town in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. It was famous as the site of the Ludlow Massacre in 1914. The town site is nestled at the entrance to a canyon in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is located along the western side of Interstate 25...
coal strike. Agency detectives were employed in squads to harass striking workers, even using an armored car with a mounted machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
(called the Death Special by the miners). During the strike, a particularly violent confrontation erupted between private militia hired by mine owners and striking workers, now known as the Ludlow Massacre
Ludlow massacre
The Ludlow Massacre was an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914....
.
Fate of the agency
Baldwin died in 1936 at age 75 and Felts a year later at age 69. In 1937, four months before his death, Thomas Felts formally dissolved the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency. By that time, strikebreaking work had declined. State and federal legislation outlawing the use of private detectives for the purpose of spying on or harassing workers, along with shifting public opinion, had made such detectives less useful to management in labor disputes. After the agency closed its doors, most of the company's files were destroyed or lost. The largest collection of extant files is housed at the Eastern regional Coal Archives in Bluefield, West Virginia.See also
- Anti-union violenceAnti-union violenceAnti-union violence may take the form of bullying of or aggression against union organisers or sympathisers in the workplace, or outside the workplace. It may happen at the instigation of management, may be committed by agents hired or recruited by management, or by government bodies or others...
- Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912The Paint Creek-Cabin Creek strike of 1912 was a confrontation between striking coal miners and coal operators in Kanawha County, West Virginia, centered around the area enclosed by two streams, Paint Creek and Cabin Creek....
- Ludlow MassacreLudlow massacreThe Ludlow Massacre was an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado on April 20, 1914....
- MatewanMatewanMatewan is an American drama film written and directed by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal mine-workers' strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia....
- Pinkerton National Detective AgencyPinkerton National Detective AgencyThe Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired...