Under Ground: part 81

Chapter 43 continues

The story so far: The miners' wives have a face-off with the deputies.

The next day, they did it again. The usual male strikers were there, in groups of three. But off to the side, several onlookers had arrived. A few had cameras around their necks. This time, as they picketed in front of the mine, four motorcars carrying replacement laborers approached the mine entrance. Adeline Sherek blew the whistle and all the men drew nearer to the line. Sheriff Turner was driving the first car. He stopped the car about fifty feet away from the women who were still assembled in a large circle. "I suggest, ladies, that you move your picnic elsewhere. I'd hate for something bad to happen to such fine ladies."

"Four lines!" Adeline said. "Form four lines." The women formed four separate lines blocking the entrance.

"I'm warning you," Sheriff Turner said. "I will step on the gas!"

"Try it." Lily said.

He did. Sheriff Turner stepped on the gas pedal and charged the line with his car. Three women went flying. They hit the dashboard and rolled onto the ground. The strikers who had been watching from a short distance came forward. Old Joe was one. "Disperse! Disperse!" he yelled.

Sheriff Turner had broken through, but the other three cars had not.

The sheriff stopped. "What are you waiting for?" he yelled to the next driver. "Charge!"

The driver looked at the women and back at the sheriff. He was still trying to make up his mind when the man with the camera approached. "Greetings, sir. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Quincy Johnson, reporter for the Duluth Labor News. Am I to understand that you intend to maim and possibly kill a bunch of defenseless women and children?"

"Well, no sir. That ain't my intent. Sheriff gave me twenty bucks to give these boys a lift. That's all I signed up for."

"Mind if I take your picture?" He put the camera to his face, looked through the lens, and snapped.

"Stay still now. It will turn out much clearer."

"Stop that! There must be a law against taking a guy's picture when he don't want it taken."

"There isn't," the reporter said. "But there is a law against assault and murder."

The driver looked back at the sheriff. Then he put the car in reverse slightly, careful not to hit the third car. He turned the car around and left the mine. The women cheered. When the reporter started taking photos of the driver of the third car and fourth car, they did the same thing. Six replacement workers made it into the mine that day, but eighteen did not. The women went back the next day, and the next, during different shifts at the mine.