Shadow Kingdom: Coal Survivor

Episode 4 – "A Ticking Clock"

Release Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Niccolo Minoni (Crooked Media & Campside Media)

Episode Overview

This gripping fourth episode chronicles the tense final weeks of Jock Yablonski's campaign to challenge Tony Boyle for the presidency of the United Mine Workers (UMW) in 1969. Listeners are plunged into the chaos and paranoia surrounding the election, the obstacles the Yablonskis faced, and the immediate aftermath as suspicions of brazen election fraud mount. As the holidays approach, so does danger: the plot to murder Jock accelerates in parallel with his refusal to concede. Throughout, host Niccolo Minoni weaves together intimate family moments, union intrigue, and the ticking countdown to an infamous New Year’s Eve.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Battle to Find Out Where the Vote Will Happen

• Challenge: Tony Boyle’s camp withholds basic election information (02:11).
  • Chip Yablonski: “We weren't told where the election was going to be held.” (02:11)
  • Without a list of union locals, Jock’s campaign cannot know where to send observers or canvass.
• Charlotte’s Role: Chip’s sister, a social worker, steps in as creative partner.
  • Chip: “She's someone that would drape a napkin around her arm like a f... mimicking things. She's just a delight.” (03:31)
  • Together, they cobble together a list by cross-referencing almanacs, public records, and cold calling union locals as “reporters.”
  • By Election Day, they have only a quarter of polling sites pinned down, but enough to deploy observers (04:30).

2. Election Day – Chaos, Courage, and Corruption

• Atmosphere: December 9, 1969, is marked by hope and anxiety. Jock and miners across the nation cast ballots for the first time in a real union election in half a century (10:47).
• Monitors in Action: Chip and Charlotte’s observers face hostility and intimidation.
  • Election Observer: “There was one guy... used force to keep us from observing anything... Threatened to kill me during the day.” (15:54)
• Initial Hope, Followed by Shock:
  • Early informal counts from observers show Jock ahead (13:33).
    • Election Observer: “I've got 169 for Yablonski, 112 for Boyle.” (13:33)
  • Official union tallies then come in—Tony Boyle dominates, the results not matching independent numbers. Union-controlled numbers distort or erase Jock’s wins. (13:54–14:32)
  • Tony Boyle: “We have met their challenge in a free and open election and we won.” (15:01)

3. Mounting Evidence of Election Fraud

• Impossible Tallies: In some areas, Tony receives 100% of the votes, or there are more votes than voters.
  • Chip Yablonski: “You gotta figure that... if you put a dog on the ticket, the dog is going to get three or five votes. And those tallies just didn't make any sense...” (16:44)
  • Observers report that places they monitored did not match official results. In Tony’s home district, results are reported before polls close. (17:28–17:35)
• Jock's Realization:
  • Chip Yablonski: “This is the most corrupt goddamn election in the history of the labor movement.” (18:32)
• Turning the Defeat into Determination:
  • Jock refuses to concede. He plans to push for a new election, taking up the fight with renewed rage.
  • News update: “Jablonski has refused to concede... says he doesn't believe everything reported from the UMW election headquarters in Washington.” (20:03)

4. Defiance and Danger: Jock Pokes the Bear

• Rally at Sophia, WV (December 14): Jock addresses hundreds, calling out Tony and the union for betraying the miners.
  • Jock’s defiant speech signals he’s not backing down (21:16–21:37).
  • Jock’s promise: “He said he was going to put all those sons of bitches in jail.” (22:30)
• The Assassination Plot Reignites:
  • Paul Gilley, the would-be killer, receives a new order: “The murder’s back on. Do it quickly, by New Year’s Day. No mistakes this time, or else.” (22:55)
  • The Yablonskis, meanwhile, try to enjoy a family Christmas—unaware of the peril closing in (24:09–24:44).
• Growing Paranoia: Chip notices guns and floodlights at his parents’ normally peaceful home.
  • Chip: “I saw two guns in their bedroom and I saw a street light... It was shocking.” (27:49)

5. The Killers Assemble – A Countdown to Midnight

• Paul Gilley pulls in unreliable accomplices, Claude Veele and the menacing Buddy Martin (30:46–31:35).
  • Paul: “Martin was evil. Consummately evil and cunning.” (31:14)
• As New Year’s Eve approaches, Paul wipes the ammunition, completing preparations for the deadly task (33:43).
  • Paul: “We parked up, way up on the hill... you could get a plain view of the house. Anything going around the driveways so you could see everything.” (34:32)
• Jock, Margaret, and their daughter Charlotte settle in, not knowing that three men wait outside, counting down to midnight (34:51–36:00).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Union’s Secrecy (02:11):
  Chip Yablonski: “We weren't told where the election was going to be held.”

• Election Day Desperation (12:08):
  Chip Yablonski: “We were getting reports from observers all over the place.”

• Observing the Fraud (15:54):
  Election Observer: “There was one guy... used force to keep us from observing anything. Would not let us talk to anyone. Threatened to kill me...”

• On the Absurdity of Results (16:44):
  Chip Yablonski: “You gotta figure that in any election, you know, if you put a dog on the ticket, the dog is going to get three or five votes. And those tallies just didn't make any sense at all.”

• On Corruption (18:32):
  Chip Yablonski: “This is the most corrupt goddamn election in the history of the labor movement.”

• Refusal to Surrender (20:03):
  News report: “Jablonski... has refused to concede defeat despite the claim of a smashing reelection victory by Tony Boyle.”

• Rallying the Miners (21:16):
  Jock’s speech (paraphrased): “The coal miners... are damn sick and tired of having a national president... in bed with the coal operator.”

• Vowing Justice (22:30):
  Chip Yablonski (recalling Jock): “He said he was going to put all those sons of bitches in jail.”

• Slow Burn at Home (27:49):
  Chip: “I saw two guns in their bedroom and I saw a street light... It was shocking.”

• On Buddy Martin (31:14):
  Paul Gilley or Interviewee: “Veely is more of a lethargic criminal... whereas Martin is that bad seed type of criminal—was evil, consummately evil and cunning.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Election Obstruction & Creativity: 02:11–05:59
• Election Day; Observers Face Barriers: 10:47–14:32
• Revelation of Fraud, Aftermath: 14:32–18:40
• Jock’s Rally and Defiant Speech: 20:03–22:34
• Yablonskis’ Christmas Gathering: 24:09–27:07
• The Killers’ Plot Reignites: 30:46–36:00

Tone and Style

The episode balances urgency, suspense, and intimacy. Family recollections soften the narrative, even as the conspiracy closes in. Jock and Chip’s voices are earnest, occasionally sardonic, and laced with the pain and pride of those who dared to fight the system. The storytelling builds a ticking, dramatic tension, ending on the ominous eve of tragedy—a “countdown” both literal and symbolic.

For listeners:
This episode is a masterclass in weaving together personal and political history, as the quest for justice transforms into impending tragedy. It’s a powerful exploration of how a corrupt system resists change—and the personal cost for those who challenge it.