Mine War on Blackberry Creek; An Interview with a Female Coal Mining on the Strike and Mine Conditions

Yes. Along with here you know there's a here and they called on where we were before either. Without a Face. We will do whatever it takes to defend ourselves and we will return. Here. And you. Know we have a lot of good.

That you know already. There will be some more shortly I have got straight that. Batter or Greg drank some of the nerve medicine. Well did you know as soon as you yourself what you got show he did have a front wall front wall. Well you know. There's been a little hard I would. Go out of. Their town after a quarter inch it down. Yeah. I mean we're laying in the floor. So save their laugh they would heal right. I think frankly I want to go home with me. They haven't played.

Or. Struck at him from downstate was standing in front of Judy and he said the boy is part of his her clothes. I didn't have a word to say. Everybody was so confident that the sighing and cooled down we were all relatively safe again that they had guns and drugs recorded. Do you think did I mean not nice you know. But he taught me one way or another. We can't help but believe that the plane that went through here we think belonged to a man to work with. We feel like maybe the family had some of this. I. Can't prove it. That's your opinion. There are men on this big announcement threatening phone calls and lashed out saying phone calls or US could come from what looks like a war. Yes I do. Yeah it is just what you hear.

Oh it does nothing if you come up with no other name I can think. That's why I have a weeks back at least one more battle with God. OK. OK. Just. Tell me about what happened to you. Well that now you know everybody had gotten careless and just sort of got over being afraid and everything and we was all just. You know all standing around.

We spend 40 hours over the our story so it was a lot of guys land down asleep and I and me and one other feller was he was sort of. In front of me in the building and I was standing on the outside the building. I had my hand on the door face and it was the door was open but I had my hand on it you know now I was down are talking to him and we was talking about. Really and truly been any fellow I've been in that me get the job you know I had a good job opportunity. I wasn't on work all that night I was going to work to shift the homes are built to my job interview. And. He said you have your tardo lie down I asked and I said well I will promise me you'll be a fright. And he said no more of a guy workers come in next morning and when he said that I asked if the front of that door. And I stepped back. And I asked as I was doing all this talking and I saw a blue man go up the road or not pay any attention to that and I found out saying earlier

that I stepped back from the door and said after I left him and I said Jim you promise me now you'll stay away so I can go over and lay down rest and just as I said that the Blue Man come back down the road. And I was getting ready to step back from the door again. When he shot. I heard two shots right at first and I got one of the first shots. You know and into this hand here. Hit me to the floor and I set them into the floor grabbed my hand and I was you know and I started running and scattering going every which way because he was a part. There was no guns in the building was nothing on our. Land and everything. And you know if I had a stepped in front of that door just as I mean it was like snow if you think that I was raised from the door when shots rang out I would have got live in my body. You know wrestler. What was your reaction when I. Read. What was your reaction when you

you know well I think all you had. Yeah the I couldn't believe it right at first I got shot you know and I I mean when I first got shot it was just like you know that was the feeling of it belittled in my hands like a real hard base thing you know groups Scharffen or like. That as I was laying on the floor of our and I was hollering at them boys. That I was shot you know I think your other shots go on I mean it was like it was a shoot up storm out there you know I was all kind of salt on that don't know who was shooting and I don't know what has come from the final this shot of. The one I was laying out a ball in and out. While I've got shot my show. And I started to retarded tails if I got shot my show because of kindness to heart and into my shoulder I could fill. And then I often come out with my interview and then I might have said family oh my man I'm not going to go to you know give a job interview. Oh good job was that it was for coma. Coma.

That's what I got. When I was scared. And I'll tell you on the way to the hospital all the way to the hospital. If it hadn't been for Tim and Peaches is two guys one guy got I'm Tim and I feel. Like. I tend to weigh ins. Cars. And all the while I mean I was in a lot of time from the time I. Got shot till the time I got to hand it down I was in our hands by. The. Same walk on the wild with our peaches was traveling real fast. Tim was real scared for he was going to return with I will get killed you know. And him said to me I said Judy so much you can handle it your toe your call ladder you can handle this you know let him get you down. And I just I mean that will further my heart the more it hurt the stronger our God you know. And I knew that by this time and hang on are the lack of my God all I. Know. And that every time I get scared I want to go into a panic. You know I could get here and him tell me you're tough you can handle this so much of the

helpless. The pain. It was it was bad I want to know him well if we hit. You know I was want to drive slow because the slower they went the last time I felt called. To listen but still. So what happened here. What does it look like. Well. I don't do a lot of exercise on. These right here are from. Early movies like a movie. You know they're not immobile. I can move them but I can't raise these two. And there's a lot of tingling and numbness right in here. You know and these two. I well they my family pretty good in this in our here but this one here is real stiff. I have trouble with it a lot about trying to get it to me and I was like the doctor said to be a month before I would even be able to use the sliced Where did the boy go if it went right in here. It was not about right in here and right here. He didn't go through the bottom.

It went through here about here. And I only got shot one time email all tales like I shot whilst I got shot once. And one hand I was a lot of blood on the other hand. I got. Shot last. OK. Let's go back what would cause you to go picket line first. While. I was. You know we're going to Sharon Dale and I light assault. And then I out of the man's back up and stead of go about a contractor putting us back to work. I put a bunch of. Other man to work steps toward you know our places and left us at home with no income because amount of homonid went out you know I didn't have any employment or anything. And that was our job today with Tyco. And I felt like I needed to be on my picket Latifah to get my rights back. As well as the other man. You know I wasn't far for me to sit home with those guys that I learn

fight for my rights and then fight my job but when I you know go. We all should stand in our together fight together for. It is different for a woman. It would be more difficult for you to tell what's in there. Once a woman. Gets coal mining experience. Then it is hard for a woman to. Go to a grocery store or department store. The first look you have to put To be honest if you put your effort. I'm sorry you know. Time to do trying trying and you may go back to coma. I know you want to go back because of the money you know because you get better at it and I don't want to take the time to try it. And. I'm not

young anymore like I was like 16 17 19 or 20 and a lot of. College girls. Everything I've Ever Done I'm not you know it's been a man's life. I worked for Kentucky West Virginia guys were from Andrew and I run a garden never try to drill or not help shoot the shots and fights and then I worked in a coma scaling the horn and. And I don't have any experience outside of that. You know. But it's hard and another time you lock you go to the nonunion mines. And nonunion mines it's not hard. If you get past the man's wife you know you know you may get a job. You know if you if if she'll let him. Most times as a problem you have another time is that I don't have to Hardee's I don't want to holler and you know they found out some kind that I got some excuse they all

have to you know to get that job assuring Dale the man of heart maybe he was my first superintendent. How was his night and. I didn't even know sure until existed when I got a job. But he apologized to me when you call me with our town over there. But they wasn't all viable if I want to thank you. He said the reason why he was hard and women was because his lawyer said I had a heart. So many women. Our lives might be in trouble. And I am. I had a good work record in the US and I've worked for him before and I was one of the reasons I like Hartman. I got it over with. So you know. Well. What did you feel. On. The job that I was scared I didn't want to go into

the coma. Oh I remember there was a union truck and it took me up there and. I didn't want to go in there. When I went back home like aftermath and I was found out my man I'll go back at him. But I went back in there and I want to tell you it is a most interesting work that you can do. And I love the challenge of being able to do something you know I know and it want to be. I want to be the biggest you know I try to outwork me and I couldn't stand it when a woman or a special woman. You know get to be bitter Midlands and ally. I like learning about equipment around equipment. So what kind of job. Well I worked first start out and then I got to build brandishes a lot to read.

Every time I'm on it you know. And finally I got to Ruth about her job and then I got a job writing this new. And then. Also I ran the motor. I was about the best job ever hand. I think it's a job and for. What. Tell me what you think about this right. Well I get discouraged given up. You know. If I see a slant. On people given their. Past life their slack and they only help. But if they're in on our family I think they got stick together. I got a family got me everything my due to face on about it with a license to my right.

You know. Don't just I mean if you if you mean it if you don't mean and I'll say. This and be strong don't don't get that. Really stuck by you a moment. There other than yourself. Yes. I want. When I want to. Your husband gets a man he knows what a little horn is I use a union mounts. And you take it for granted it see you you know. To me but out a lot most about when I was at him the most proudest I've been able to run equipment stuff not because I was because I was just something I took for granted you know. I mean I was like you know I mean I trained. You know you didn't do that unless it was Saif. You know then what I did wrong person was Tom which they'll say yeah. And I just you know like my year fives. And.

And. Fines I'll. Nevers. And then everybody. Really. Afros and everybody else. And that was I was.