Eyewitness Account of the Mulkeytown March

Last year I was lucky enough to interview Sam Sabattini, a former resident of Bulpitt, IL as well as former member of the Progressive Miners of America. As a teenager Sabatinni participated in a number of union actions and witnessed mine war violence first-hand.


Following the fradulent contract referendum, west central Illinois miners organized a mass march to southern Illinois to join with their union brothers in the south.

On August 25, 1932, the Decatur Herald & Review reported: "Handbills urging union miners in this section to cease work and meet members of the army of miners from central and northern Illinois were dropped from an airplane over the coal fields and towns of Franklin county Thursday morning.

The text of the handbills: 'Miners of southern Illinois: "All out today. "Meet your 25,000 union brothers at the Franklin county line. "They have come to aid you to put an end to the gunman rule and terrorism which is being used to force you to work under a wage scale you have twice rejected. The miners of the whole district are with you. Down your tools today. Policy Committee, District No. 12. U.M.W.A.'"

Sabattini recalls: "The parade started in Christian County and they were gonna go down to West Frankfort and show the United Mine Workers a show of strength.

Well, between Du Quoin and Christopher there’s a little town called Mulkeytown, okay?

And the highway or the road between East Du Quoin and Mulkeytown was raised up because there was a drainage ditch on each side. Well, there was about 100 – or over 100 cars that were formulated from Springfield and they would pick up 10 or 15 cars as they went along.

The United Mine Workers down there let them get across the levy and then they opened up, not to kill. But I was riding in a car, a Model A Ford Wilshire with a fellow by the name of Red Rape and the United Mine Workers just shot into the door with pellets, not buckshot. But most every car that was there had bullet holes in the side door and Red turned that Model A around on the levy and away we went for home.

That was a harrowing experience. I was tickled to death to get the hell out of there."