 Indeed, an important part of the Somerset County coal strike played out in the courtroom of Somerset County Judge John Berkey, where mine owners sometimes, but not always, prevailed under Judge Berkey’s often even-handed rulings.Hapgood, as the strike continued, then made sure that the plight of Somerset County miners remained front-page news across the United States.From the strike's beginning, Hapgood, Brophy, Gregory and other union leaders understood the powerful role public opinion could play; the men engaged in what, even by today’s best practices, would be seen as a sophisticated public relations program.