"Dare You Fail Us Now?"

Please check out my latest blog post - "Dare You Fail Us Now?"


(I'm in the process of fully integrating this blog with the project's home site - minewar.org. You can check out the progress of this transition at minewar.info. All new blog posts will originate there but I'll continue cross-posting to this site.)

Family History

Recently I had the good fortune to connect with Dominic "Bert" Bertinetti. His family's connection to the Illinois Mine War is truly remarkable.

Bert's grandmother is Emma Cumerlatto, a mine war martyr who was shot on her porch in Kincaid, IL on January 3, 1933. No one was ever punished for the murder.

Her funeral was attended by thousands and the procession extended miles from Taylorville to Kincaid. Women's Auxiliary President, Agnes Burnes Wiecke offered an inspired eulogy although she was frequently interrupted by the military aircraft buzzing the solemn event below.

Emma Cumerlatto Family - Emma is pictured on the right. Her daughter
and Dominic's mother, Mary is the young girl in the lower center of this
photograph which was taken about 1915. (courtesy of Dominic Bertinetti).

Bert's father is Dominic Bertinetti. He was the victim of a drive-by shooting at PMA headquarters in Springfield, IL on Easter Sunday, April 21, 1935. Although PMA leader, Edris Mabie was killed, fortunately Bertinetti survived the attack . The car's occupants included UMWA District 12 President Ray Edmundson. However, Edmundson and his accomplices were never tried because a coroner’s inquest returned an open verdict and failed to fix blame for the murder.

Remarkably, Bertinetti is also the nephew of Robert Shingleton. Shingleton was arrested and convicted of murder along with four other men after the accidental shooting of 12 year old Laverne Miller. Shingleton and a peer were members of the UMWA while the three others were members of the Progressive Miners. Popularly referred to as “The DuQuoin Boys,” former PMA newspaper editor Gerry Allard led a nation-wide campaign to win their release. In a rare instance of cooperation, the UMWA and PMA worked collaboratively to secure their freedom, along with a number of social justice advocates. Those included Roger Baldwin, Upton Sinclair, John Dos Passos and Suzanne LaFollette.

A pardon was signed by Illinois Governor Stelle on Xmas Eve, 1940

Cherry Mine Disaster at the Abraham Lincoln Library

Here's part one of a ten-part YouTube video series on the 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster. This panel discussion was hosted by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum on January 26, 2010.

The tragedy resulted in the loss of 259 lives. And as is often the case, those deaths provided the necessary impetus for new safety regulations in the mines.

Here's the link to another site on the disaster. It includes an impressive collection of photos including this one.

The Cherry Mine Disaster is an important event to remember this Labor Day and for many to come.

Road To Hell

This past week marks the 78th anniversary of the events which incited the Illinois Mine War.

United Mine Workers District 12 had been on strike in Illinois since April, 1932. On August 6, 1932, a referendum was held to determine whether its members would accept the coal operators proposal - a decline in wages from $6.10/day to $5.00/day. Four days later the ballots were stolen.

UMWA rallies West Frankfort miners during the strike.

The Nation magazine reported:

"…before the votes could be counted, and in fact while the ballot boxes were being transported…to the district headquarters of the United Mine Workers where they were to be opened and the votes tallied, the boxes were stolen by two armed men.

John L. Lewis, international president, promptly declared that an emergency existed and that under his emergency powers he would have to order the new contract to take effect immediately.

Obviously, nothing was said in the Lewis announcement concerning the fact that ownership of the automobile in which the two thugs were riding had been traced to Fox Hughes, vice-president of the Illinois district of the United Mine Workers and one of Lewis’s henchmen. It is not surprising that a new revolt against the Lewis-Walker leadership is spreading among the Illinois miners, who are continuing the strike despite Lewis’ order."

The Nation, August 24, 1932

This bit of burlesque characterized the feelings of many of Illinois miners at that time:

John L. Lewis blew the whistle;
John H. Walker rang the bell;
Fox Hughes stole the ballots,
and the miners wages went to hell.

"It Was A Night To Remember."

The Colonial Theater in Gillespie, IL was often used as a community meeting hall when large numbers needed to assemble.

During the UMWA strike in the spring of 1932, UMWA District 12 President, John Walker came to Gillespie to argue for the wage reductions supported by John L. Lewis and the mine owners.

Photo courtesy of Jill Secoy

Western Illinois University Professor Emeritus, Victor Hicken attended the meeting:

"I was only about 10 and I went there with my mother.

He [John Walker] got about ten minutes into his speech and all of sudden you had these people getting up. And it seems to me that the first fellow to get up was a Scot by the name of Easton. And he tore into Walker. And when he sat down somebody else got up and tore into Walker.

And right in the middle of this, I was sitting there – a hunk of plaster from the ceiling came right down and landed on my lap – just missed my head. It scared the living daylights out of me. But that didn’t interrupt anything.

I mean from that time on Walker I don’t think ever finished his speech. He had to walk off if I remember correctly, he didn’t finish his speech.

It was a night to remember."

This meeting was characteristic of the inability of the UMWA leadership to win rank and file support for the reduced wage. After losing two contract elections, Lewis seized power by declaring an emergency to impose the new contract. Lewis' actions precipitated violence and bloodshed for years to come.

Superior #4 ~ Wilsonville

Here's a photo of Superior #4 in Wilsonville, IL. This was the site of the famous Wilsonville Sitdown Strike. Click here to learn more about the strike and to see a contemporary photo of the site.

Photo provided courtesy of Wayne Hinton

Hand Crafted From Coal

John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers of America from 1920 - 1960 is still revered among many retired coal miners.

This Lewis bust was sculpted from a lump of coal by Mid-West Crafts in Pikeville, KY. It was provided courtesy of the Christian County Coal Mine Museum.