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Today in History: May 19, West Virginia’s Matewan Massacre

Also on this date, President Warren G. Harding signed the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.

A historical sign tells the story of the Matewan Massacre, a union conflict
In this Tuesday, May 12, 2020, photo a historical sign stands outside a former post office in Matewan, W.Va. On May 19, 1920, a group of miners, who were led by a local police chief, and detectives hired by a coal company to evict unionizing miners from their homes were involved in a gun battle on the street. Ten people died in the Matewan Massacre. (AP Photo/John Raby)
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UPDATED:

Ten people were killed in a gun battle between coal miners, who were led by a local police chief, and a group of private security guards hired to evict them for joining a union in Matewan, West Virginia.

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