Jack Battuello Memoir #1 - University of Illinois Springfield

Jack Battuello 4 3
years. And in one of the awards she got a two dollar and fifty Cent
gold piece among cups and ribbons--we got all that. But one day
during the strike I found that $2.50 gold piece and I used it to buy
gas and oil to haul that fish from the Illinois River to feed the
community. 1 didn't tell her about it and one day she searched frantically
and became hysterical. because she knew where she had put it
and it wasn't there, And I let her believe the kids stole that damn
thing for years. (laughter) I let her believe that those kids pilfered
that damn $2.50 gold piece. Finally one day 1 confessed. But 1 said,
"Tillie, it was for a good cause, don't worry." Bread cast on the
water . . .
Q. Were you afraid-of running into violence on your march?
A. Something I never had, fear, when I was younger. I would have
it now, but T didn't then.
Q. The thought never crossed your mind.
A. I've been faced with death about 50,000 times, wall, 50 times at
least. 1 mean imminent death. They looked for me with guns several
times, you know. And in picket lines there was shooting and bayonets.
1 had the audacity in Taylorville, [inaudible] and my wife was in
jail, too, you know, Wc all went to jail, hell, we went to jail.
But when we marched on Tayl.orvil.l.e, they declared marshal law and
not more than three people cou1.d congregate. If they did, they
arrested you and they threw you in the courthouse, They had no place
to p,ut you, so they put: you in the courthouse, They had the jail
filled. But: anyhow, the militia was tear gassing us and had their
bayonets you know; kepc pushing forward and pushing US back. And
there was a young fellow right next to me who was pushing me back and
in all that gas you can't breathe and you can't see--boy ir's an awful
damn mess, it's nauseating--and I said to him, "I wonder what your
father would think if he knew you were doing this to us? Do you know
that we're asking only for bread, nor justice, just bread? You ought
to be ashamed of yourself. Why don't you give me rhat damn rifle?"
He gave me that damn rifle and you know he handed me that rifle and
his corporal arrested him and took him out of the line. Yep.
Q. But you never thought that you might be met with violence tn
Franklin County or along the way?
A. Well, there was some suspicion that we might be. There was some
suspic5on but our feeling that the march and the numbers and the
causes which we represented would overwhelm--supersede--that threat
of violence. We somehow were naive to the point that we believed
maybe the balance of power would flow to our side because of our cause.
Tt di.dnl.t happen--it didn't happen.
Q. Did you stop along the way?
Jack Battuello Memoir -- Archives, University of Illinois at Springfield