The Herrin Massacre of 1922: Blood and Coal in the Heart of America - Paperbackby Greg Bailey (Author) In 1922, a coal miner strike spread across the United States, swallowing the heavily unionized mining town of Herrin, Illinois. When the owner of the town's local mine hired non union workers to break the strike, violent conflict broke out between the strikebreakers and unionized miners, who were all heavily armed. When strikebreakers surrendered and were promised safe passage home, the unionized miners began executing them