Full Text of the Excerpt

JACQUELYN HALL:

Is this you at the time of the strike, do you think? You've got a gun?

ROBERT COLE:

No, that wasn't at the time of the strike. Now these two boys here, one of them is a second cousin of mine and the other is a boyfriend that he rode around with all the time. That was took at a church. Now see that pair of steps there? That was took at the church house. Wasn't made at the time of the strike, though. I think I was deputy sheriff when that was taken.

JACQUELYN HALL:

You became deputy sheriff? When was that?

ROBERT COLE:

That was right shortly after the strike. I became a deputy under Moreland. After he went out of office—he was out two years, maybe longer, I don't just remember how long he was out—a fellow by the name of Tom Nave was elected sheriff, and I was under him four years.

JACQUELYN HALL:

Sheriff Moreland was pretty much for the strike wasn't he?

ROBERT COLE:

Yes, he was. He was a whole lot for it. He was in sympathy. He come down on the highway when the shooting took place. He searched me twice, and never did find my gun. I had one. And they had this militia down there, you see, of soldier boys. And a man pointed me out and said, "That's the man who got the gun." That's why he searched me a second time. And I talked hateful to that soldier, told him he was so smart, he had stuff on his hip, to get up and use it. He never got up.

JACQUELYN HALL:

I should say.

ROBERT COLE:

They brought some soldiers to the court house. Had one on each side of the door with their guns crossed over. When I went up to the door they wasn't going to let me in. I pushed them back and went on in. I said this is a county, public building. You've got no business standing here. And I went on in. when they got in there they wasn't going to let them out. I came back out and they never said yep to me, nary a one of them.