Convict Slope
The Old Slope in Alex was originally the Convict Slope. Prisoners from local jails were worked mercilessly, often to death. A cemetary was located near the mine that prisoners were buried in, in order to avoid the public's dissaproval. The prisoners worked under horrible conditions that included whippings if they didn't meet their quota, sleeping on straw mattresses, and malnutrition.
The convicts eventually protested for better working conditions and conducted a sit in within the mine. Legend says they killed and ate the mule that pulled coal out of the mine in order to survive. The pit bosses soaked burlap sacks in oil and lit them on fire inside the entrance of the mine. After being smoked out, they were all beaten terribly.
The townspeople discovered the atrocities that were being committed at the mine. The Gazette, a local newspaper, sent a reporter to investigate the operation and a scandal broke loose. The govenor that was in office at the time took most of the blame for the entire incident and was actively campaigned against. He lost the re-election in a landslide.