Jack Battuello Memoir #1 - University of Illinois Springfield

Jack Battuello
reports of the tellers, that the referendum was going against John
Lewis. The wage reduction was being defeated and we suspect, as a
matter of fact we know, that someone by the authority of the United
Minr Workers, stole those ballots. We petitioned, the Illinois
miners immedia.tely petitioned, for another referendum, John Lewis
denied that referendum from another balloting and declared an emergency,
declared the $5.00 a day in effect; whereupon we seceded from
the United Mine Workers.
Q. What was the date of the time when you seceded from the United
Mine Workers?
A. I can't give you the specific date now, I don't have my records
here.
Q. The year?
A. Approximately 1930.
Q. Would you describe TO us please, what had taken placc following
this action on the part of the Illinois miners?
A. We formcd an ad hoc committee immediately following the declaration
of secession--prior to the formulation of the constitution and
the official naming of the organization-and this committee then
decided to canvass the state by marches, by demonstrations, leaf-
Zeteering and other methods, to get the support of the other miners
in the state of Illinois. This resulted in, later on, vhat has
become known as the Mulkey,town march. It consisted of a caravan of
about, well, the caravan was at least thirty to forty.mi1.e~ 1.ong.
And we proceeded with this caravan, en route to Franldin County which
had not yet given its vocal support to the Progressive Miners or to
the struggle against John Lewis. As Frank Fries has already stated,
that march was stopped at a little town by the name a£ Swanee and
searched by the officers of the state and county, and when they did
not find any weapons, even as much as a knife in that entire caravan,
they permitted us to proceed on ,to the county. When we were ambushed
at the location of the Mulkeytown River and hence has it become known
as fhe Mulkeytown march. We failed in that instance of entering the
County and persuading the miners of Benton and Franklin and Harrisburg
and all of those coal-producing towns. But later on, of course, by
different methods, we did penetrate the county and we held secret
meetings in those vicinities. But we never did get: the miners in the
southern part of Illinois to come out in full support of our stsugglc
in the formulation of the Progressive Miners.
Q. What were the casualties that were sustained by your people in
this march?
A. Well, there was many, many, many injuries, many wounded. Every
car in ,the caravan was literally destroyed with ball bats. Of course
Jack Battuello Memoir -- Archives, University of Illinois at Springfield