Early Ball

MM: You were indicted or just going to be a witness? EB: I was indicted. I was the "generalissimo' of that army one night. They told them that I knew every crook and turn in that mountain. The miners were told that, and it was put to me [to lead them] or else. Of course, I was going to save Early. I was in it against my will. I was an ex-Army man. I knew how to fight them. I put guards out all over the country, stayed up all night and going around like "Old Cornstalk" telling my men to be brave. I had 1,000 men lined up to take the Gap the next day at daylight. We had a six-inch cannon that shot explosive balls, and [machine gunner] "Davy Crockett" had moved in a knob there and cleared it, had run everything off.

Judge Chambers told me he had fought in the Argonne Forest, but, said that was a living hell on earth when "Davy Crockett" opened up with his machine gun. When the soldiers came in here they wanted to know who was running the machine gun. They were told "Davy Crockett", but that's what they call him. I never did know his name.

MM: You were set up to lead them over the mountain?

EB: I was the commander-in-chief for one night, and the next day before we got ready to go Big Lewis White came in. He lived around here at Ottawa and was a high-powered man in the union. He told them that soldiers were coming in up both the Guyan Valley and Coal River, and they would take over and do the right thing. He told them to go into the mountains and tell the men to come in. Big Lewis White came there and told them to come out of the mountains, and not buck the soldiers, that they would do the right thing about it. I never heard anything that done me as much good as that did in my life.

MM: Do you think you could have broken through the top of the Crooked Creek Gap?

EB: A thousand men could have went through either side of it. You could take soldiers that have to go, they go in. I say this, if they ever got into Logan they would have went through the Crooked Creek Gap, but still it never got a write-up in the papers or anything.

There were people there getting the news, from the Gazette and Daily Mail. They would get it off [Petrel] O'Dell and myself and go back and print something else. We got this man off to himself and told him, "You fellows come over here inspecting this and are going back writing it up in the paper not what it is. You're going to write it up like it is or we're going to beat you to death when you come back here." I said "You just take your choice. If you write up a lie like you've been doing, we'll whip you." it came out in the paper the next day just like it was.

MM: What were they going to do once they got across the mountain?

EB: They were going on into Mingo County and turn some prisoners loose they had over there.

MM: They were going to take the union on into Logan and Mingo?

EB: Yes, they were going to be joined by other union men when they crossed the mountain. That's where they were headed for, but they had to go through Logan. Chafin had decided to stop them on Blair Mountain.

MM: If they made it over the mountain here do you think they could have been able to make it through Logan County?

EB: I don't know whether they would or not. Don Chafin was a powerful strong man, and he had the operator's money. I know that. When I went up to Charles 'Town as a witess, they had summoned me, and I told them all I knew would be in favor of the miners. I said I would tell the truth. I said that's evidence in favor of them, and that's what I would have to tell on the witness stand. Well, they took me up there and kept me three or four weeks and some fellow had the miners' money, and don't you think we didn't spend it. He dished it out to us as we wanted it, and we spent it while we were in Charles Town.