Interview with Clayton Turner, August 19, 1987

Interview Summary

Clayton Turner describes his involvement with the roving pickets' movement in the 1960s. He states that the movement began in Harlan Country and then spread northward into Perry and Letcher counties. He became involved with the Roving Pickets after moving from Lynch, Kentucky to Perry County, Kentucky. Turner maintains that the roving pickets' movement was a union-sponsored activity.

Turner also discusses the Roving Pickets' Washington trip in 1963. A bus filled with miners traveled to Washington to see the president. Unfortunately they were unable to meet with him, but they did speak with several key members of Congress and other federal officials. Turner believes that it was this trip that brought some relief to the people of Perry County. Food and clothing were donated to miners, and federal work programs such as the Unemployed Fathers Program ("Happy Pappy") began shortly after the Washington trip.

Turner also talks about the violence associated with the roving pickets' movement. Although he was sent to prison for his part in a conspiracy to dynamite a railroad bridge in Perry County, he maintains that not all the violence during that time period can be attributed to the Roving Pickets. He states that coal operators often blew up coal tipples and mining machinery to collect insurance and to turn public opinion against the pickets.

Other topics Turner discusses include the treatment of the Roving Pickets by law enforcement officials and Charlie Combs, the High Sheriff of Perry County. It seems that in addition to being sheriff, Combs was also a coal operator. Turner claims that Combs was particularly brutal in his dealings with the Roving Pickets. He remembers an incident when Combs arrested a man because his brother was a Roving Picket, and another time when Combs and his deputies opened fire on two men who were hunting near a coal mine.

Interview Keyword

Berman Gibson Charlie Combs prison Roving Pickets United Mine Workers of America violence

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Coal miners Coal mines and mining Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--History Turner, Clayton Turner, Clayton--Interviews

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.