BATES spoke hotly, "Do you want to pick a fight?" I said to him "Make a move and see what will happen." I had my gun in my hand.  RALSTON left and told me afterwards that he thought there was going to be a killing and that he did not want to be a witness.  BATES and myself faced each other, looking hard at each other and waiting for a move.  BATES turned around and walked away.  Six months after that one of the miners came to me and asked permission from me to let BATES go into the mine to talk to a miner on some business, and I gave him my consent.  This was the last I ever heard of him.

I have always tried not to get into an argument with my fellow men.  In the position that I held it was difficult to carry this out without lowering my ability to handle the miners in those rough and wild days.  No matter how much I resolved to prevent dangerous positions, they would come up quickly and I was forced to carry them through.  One morning, at the entrance to the mine, a middle aged man applied for work as a miner.  I told him I could give him a place in the mine.  He did not want a house.  He was a single man.  He gave me his name as WILSON.  He was tall and dashing looking with a red necktie and wore his hat, which had a large brim, on one side of his head, giving him a bold appearance.  One evening, I was passing his boarding house.  We sat down together and talked of things around Jellico.  He told me he could hypnotize anyone.  I asked him to hypnotize me.  He said he would not and he would not give me any reason why.  I noticed he kept looking around quickly as if he were nervous.  Miners worked one-half time.

After he had been here a few months it was necessary to divide cars in the mine equally among the miners as the miners worked on a tonnage basis.  Miners working at night would have their cars placed conveniently near to load them.  This man, WILSON, would take two to three cars and load them, depriving the miner who was entitled to them.  The mule driver came to me one evening as he came out of the mine and said that he placed a number of cars for the night shift.  I told the men that worked near there not to load any of them as they were for the night men.  After I got a short distance away I could hear some one pushing cars around.  I think it was that man WILSON.  Then he said that man is dangerous.  He carried a gun at all times.  Don't tell him that I told you, or he will get me.  In about two hours WILSON came out of the mine.  I told him about taking the placed cars and that he need not come back to work tomorrow as I would see that he would get none to load.  I also told him that this was the third time that he had taken cars belonging to others.  He wanted to know who told me.  I said no matter who told me.  You must obey the rules of the mine the same as the others.  I could see he was getting angry.  As he turned away from me he hissed out a vile name.

We were now only a few feet apart.  I repeated to him what he had called me.  As he backed away slowly he had his hand in his side coat pocket.  I was on my guard, knowing that he would shoot if he could beat me to it.  He had drawn his gun half way out of his pocket.  I told him not to move any further or one of us would be a dead man.  I had my gun ready.  We were now only a few yards away from each other.  He was now cursing and in a rage.  He took off his mining cap and threw it down and stamped upon it, but did not try to use his gun.  All this time I stood still with my gun in readiness.  Once he stooped low with his hand on his gun and looked fiercely at me.  I was most sure he was trying to get me off my guard or that I would leave.  This I determined not to do.  I would face and beat him on the draw.  He picked up his cap and lamp and shoved his gun back in his pocket and went down the incline to his boarding house which was only a few yards off the road which I had to pass every evening going from my work.

Several men who had seen the affair told me not to go that way as he would shoot as I walked past, through the door or window.  I felt stubborn and told them that I would not go any other way.  When the time came for me to leave the mine with my pistol in my hand and when I came opposite the door it opened a few inches and I could see he was peering at me, but I did not see any gun.  There was a window facing the direction I was going.  I thought that he might use it to shoot from.  I walked side ways with my pistol in my hand by my side and passed without any further trouble.  That evening several men told me to be on my guard, that he would surely try you again.  He is the kind of a man that is not satisfied with the way things went off.

The next morning as I rode up the incline in the mine car and as I got out of the car I looked toward the mine and saw WILSON with a long coat on.  I could see the bulk of two large revolvers in his pockets.  As I walked toward him I was determined not to say anything to him.  I had to pass the blacksmith shop door on my way.  I decided to tell the two men there to witness what was going to take place this morning. WILSON was outside looking for more trouble and that I would not start it.  I walked out of the shop and stood with my back against the building with my gun in my hand.  I was less than sixty feet from him.  As it was early morning many miners stood around expecting to see the shooting take place.  We stood facing each other for about five minutes.  WILSON turned and walked over to the check board and got his brass numbers.  He went over to the incline and went down.  That was the last I ever saw of him.  I am most sure he expected me to order him away from the mine.  This I would not do if it prevented the shooting.