Sid Hatfield

Sid Hatfield
Hatfield c. 1920
Born
William Sidney Hatfield

May 15, 1891 or 1893
DiedAugust 1, 1921 (aged 28 or 30)
Cause of deathGunshot wound
NationalityAmerican
Other namesSmilin' Sid
OccupationPolice Chief of Matewan, West Virginia
Years active1919–1921
Known forParticipating in the Battle of Matewan
Spouse
Jessie Lee Maynard
(m. 1920)

William Sidney Hatfield (May 15, 1891 or 1893[1] – August 1, 1921), was a West Virginia law enforcement officer noted for his involvement in bitter labor disputes, on the side of labor, during the Coal Wars of the early 20th century.

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.[2] He was indicted on murder charges stemming from the conflict and was shot on the courthouse steps by Baldwin-Felts detectives.

  1. ^ The 1893 date is usually given, and appears on his gravestone. However, according to the 1900 Census for Pike Co., KY, 0104 Magisterial District 5, Blackberry Precinct, he was born in 1891, and his sister Martha Alice in 1893.
  2. ^ West Virginia "The History of An American State"