It was strange to me why I decided to stay over at the mine for two days.  I came to Jellico early one morning and then I would go down to see Joe SELLERS, the engineer for the Proctor mine.  We were good friends and would have long talks together.  No doubt he was looking for me when the dynamite exploded.  Only parts of his body could be found.  I could only recognize part of his cheek by a few days' growth of his beard.  Other bodies were torn in the same manner.  I had decided Thursday evening to stay over and spend one Sunday at the mining camp.  There was no reason for me to stay.  I had not stayed over for two years.  It was strange why I did so this one time.

On September 15, 1907, for the third time I took charge of the Proctor Coal Mines.  These mines were connected with Jellico by a railroad 2 1/2 miles long, owned by the company mines in Kentucky near the border line between Kentucky and Tennessee.  The coal was delivered to the Southern and L. & N. at Jellico, Tennessee.  In the year 1896, when I first took charge of the mines, then a large mining camp, there were many rough men there.  Drinking and shooting on pay days were common.  The company gave me orders to discharge anyone for creating a disturbance in the mining camp.  They were more afraid of a discharge than they were of the law.  I also got rid of an organization known as the Knights of Labor.  A contract made yearly would expire the first of April in 1908.  I persuaded the company to meet their leaders in a general conference at Jellico every year in April with the other twelve operating mines.  I gave them as a reason that I had gotten along well with the organization and without much trouble at the East Tennessee mines and that I had many good miners that would sit down with you and reason out any differences that would arise.

I made this proposition to the Proctor president, Dr. GATLIFF.  He agreed to meet them at Sedger or in Jellico with the understanding that if they were unreasonable in their demands that I would help the company to fight it out.  After several days of arguments on both sides, we agreed to adjourn.  After several months of idleness, the mine operators held a meeting among themselves.  It was agreed not to have any further dealings with the Knights of Labor as an organization and also that any operator could try and operate his mine under the above conditions.  All knew that this would cause trouble and expense.  The time of the year was now approaching when the demand for coal was active.  With this understanding, the Proctor Coal Company posted notices up that the mine was going to operate without a union recognition.  The company hired guards after a few days and one miner went to work and then two more went to work.  I kept on persuading the men to go to work.  I went with them to the mine as there were many threats from the 19th District miners that some night they would get those who went to work.  Much shooting was done from the top of the mountain to the mine as the men went to work in the morning.  Bullets would strike the ground close to their feet.  The mines kept working and increasing the output.

I hired two men who were miners.  They were brothers, Phil and Dan QUIN from Pittsburg, Kentucky.  They said, "You are having some excitement here and we want to be in it."  They were two fine looking men.  Phil was a good pistol shooter.  One morning, as they were passing me on the road, I asked them where they were going.  They said to Jellico.  I tried to persuade them not to go as they would surely get into trouble.  Many threats had come from there to the Proctor men.  But they determined to go.  Late that night in a dark alley, Phil was shot dead.  He had no chance to defend himself.  Dan was hit over the head with a rifle.  Many thought he would die, but he recovered and was sent back to Pittsburg.

Another man by the name of BOWLING from Breathitt County, a miner, went to Jellico and visited a saloon.  When he stepped inside another man named SARGENT, who before the strike worked at Proctor, a union man, said to BOWLING, "You scab," and jumped at him with an open knife in his hand.  BOWLING quickly drew a heavy revolver from under his arm and shot SARGENT through the heart.  The ball went through him and killed another young man behind him.  Many other shootings took place.  There was a strong feeling of bitterness against Proctor men.  Many kept away from Jellico.  Others who were more determined, would not take a dare and would defy anyone to call them a name.  Often they would be shot at from a distance, but the ones who did the shooting always kept out of the way.