Jack Battuello Memoir #1 - University of Illinois Springfield

Sack Battuello 5 9
car go by wi.th three or four fellows in it two or three times. 'I, got
curious and I went to the window waiting for it and sure as hell it
was Ray Edmunds. Now it gets to be mtdnight and we haven't got our
guns. Our guns are in a Goddamn car down the street down by the hall.
We hadn't gotten to thc union meeting because they kept us from getting
out, and we don'^ know llow to get out of there. So I asked that Creek
if he'd let us stay upstairs--he had some room upstairs, not rented,
just his own--"No. " "Would you loan us your: gun?" "No, I' He wouldn't
loan us a gun. He said, "I'm going to close up at 12: 30." "well,
if we walk out there we'rc dead. Be's going to kill us. here's no
doabt about it. He's going to shoot us down like rats." So Pat Anbury
said, "What are you going to do?" And 1 said, "Well, what the hell
can we do?" He said, "Well, you better think about it, we got: to
move out of here pretty soon."
So S called the police and 1 told them who I was and where wc were
at and we were being intimidated by thc United Mine Workers, didn't
say kill, and we wanted protection down to our cars and out of town.
The police came down and he said, "You walk on the sidewalks and I'll
drive along the street with you." And we got in our cars (laughs)
and stayed there just long enough and we didn't have any ideas where
these other guys were at, now. They saw the policeman. And we got
in that car and got to Pinckneyvillc.
Now Joe Perell--I've got to describe him. He worked with the Teamsters,
he's vice-president down there, he just retired. Worked for them for
thirty years. And we p0.t to Pinckneyvillc and 1 said, "Why dan't we
stop here and get a blow of fresh air." And so he stopped the car.
Pat's in the back end and 1'm up front with Joe and Joe was driving.
We stopped there and we crossed our leg and drew a great deep breath
and Joe reac-hed over gingerly and pulled his pistol out with two
fingers and raised it up cautiously and very carefulSy and he said,
"Imagine what we've been in. " He said, "How do you shoot this damn
thing?" (laughter) I said, "What a Goddamn army I had tonight. A
son-of-a-bitch that can't shoot a pistol! He's got a and don't
know how to shoot it ." (laughter)
4. Kay Edmunds was Uni,ted Mine Workers?
A. President, District President.
Q. President. Of District 12?
A. An international disrrict.
Q. That's the whole state, right?
A. An international board member.
Q. Well, he made a habit of hunting for you guys?
Jack Battuello Memoir -- Archives, University of Illinois at Springfield