Muhlenberg County Kentucky
Mining
The Origin of the Possum-Hunting Movement
The following description of the uprising in western Kentucky is from the pen of Newell G. Alford, the engineer of the St. Bernard Mining Co. at Earlington, Ky.:
Coal mining in wester Kentucky for the past few months has been beset by dangers which call to mind the mysterious operations of the Ku-Klux Klan. Night riding by masked men was revived in Kentucky and Tennessee some eight years ago when the tobacco growers banded themselves together in a secret order for the purpose of exterminating the cultivation of the plant until a higher price might be secured for their crops. Farmers ignoring their warnings were visited at night by bands of masked men and whipped, the offender's buildings were often burned, while there were many instances here [in which] homes were riddled with bullets and men, women and children were shot to death. Former Governor Augustus E. Willson finally checked these outrages by putting state troops in charge of the situation.
Depredations of a similar character were committed in Muhlenberg County in the early part of last April. This time the night riders operated under the name of “Possum Hunters.” First a night fireman at the Gibraltar Mine near Central City was whipped by about 50 masked men under the shadow of night. Then an attempt was made to whip the store manager of the McHenry Coal Co. at Echols. This time the band was repulsed, four “Possum Hunters” being shot, while two were fatally wounded, their deaths being ascribed to quick pneumonia.
Movement Involves Five Counties
The field of activities has since expanded into Ohio, Hopkins, McLean and Butler Counties. Rochester, Beech Creek, Drakesboro, Cleaton, Bevier, Dawson Springs, Ilsley, Carbondale, White City, Daniel Boone and Nortonville have been raided and notice served that negro miners must leave the camps. The reply of the operators to these threats has in every instance, excepting that of Carbondale, been the retention of the colored men and an increase of the vigilance guard on duty at the various operations. Carbondale has furnished the setting for two raids and a death, a miner being killed when a house was perforated with bullets.
It is generally understood that the bond of secrecy among the “Possum Hunters” is extremely strong. They are initiated with a ceremony and the penalty for violation of their obligation is death.
Recent Acts of Violence
On the morning of Nov. 13, the body of Henry Allen, 30 years old, was found dangling to a limb just back of the Advance Coal Co.'s mine near Hillside in Muhlenberg C ounty. The body was clad in underclothes and the hands were tied behind it. Allen, an alleged leader of the Possum Hunters was under indictment at the time for banding together with others for the purpose of intimidation. It is assumed that his threatened violation of secrecy brought upon him the extreme penalty.
On the night of Nov. 14 a raid was made on the town of Island in McLean County and the tipple of the Consolidated Coal Co. was burned to the ground. This has been followed by a lull in night-riding activities.
Earlington, the coal center of Hopkins County, has been strongly committed to law and order for many years and is always ready to lend its strength for its enforcement. It is not true, however, that a block house was built and provisioned in this town. This precaution was taken at Carbondale, a small camp in the same county, isolated from the neighboring settlements. The sheriff of the county, Thomas Logan, has expressed himself as being able to prevent any further lawlessness and claims to have control of the situation in Hopkins County.
We have just received word that a coal tipple valued at $25,000, and owned by Shelby Gish, of Central City, Ky., was destroyed by fire by the “regulators” recently (862).
Citation: Coal Age. Vol. 6. Princeton: Maclean Hunter, 1914. Google Books. 6 Apr 2010. Web. 8 Dec 2015.
Related: Muhlenberg Pre-1950
Updated December 8, 2015