A Good Shadow

A series of conflicts in the early 20th century known as the West Virginia mine wars helped shape the foundation of the relationship between labor and capital as it exists today. To many, these events are abstract ideas involving noble workers and greedy capitalists. The real story is more complicated, as propaganda and the passage of time has warped history. Like many historical events, mythology takes over and replaces the authentic experiences of those who were there. Real people...
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A series of conflicts in the early 20th century known as the West Virginia mine wars helped shape the foundation of the relationship between labor and capital as it exists today. To many, these events are abstract ideas involving noble workers and greedy capitalists. The real story is more complicated, as propaganda and the passage of time has warped history. Like many historical events, mythology takes over and replaces the authentic experiences of those who were there. Real people found themselves caught in the middle of a power, financial, and political struggle between coal operators and labor union bosses. Union miners were pitted against non-union miners and private and public law enforcement were paid to take sides. Union leaders effectively created a proxy war where good men died for a cause that was inflamed through exaggerations and falsehoods. This story is brought to life through the eyes of John Cecil Craig, a World War I veteran who worked as an undercover agent for the controversial Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency during the most significant events of the mine wars. He made thirty-plus recordings in his elder years that describe these conflicts in detail, along with other hair-raising experiences. Coupled with extensive research, these engagements come to life with detail and clarity, and challenge some of the past presumptions of what many thought to be settled history. This chronicle of John Craig¿s life captivates readers as they get to know him from childhood through his senior years.