Author: Janet Raye

Hellraisers Journal: Horror Once More at Switchback, West Virginia, as Second Explosion Ravages Lick Branch Mine

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mother Jones, Pray for dead, Ab Chp 6, 1925

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday January 14, 1909
Switchback, West Virginia – Second Disaster in Two Weeks Devastates Hamlet

From The Fairmont West Virginian of January 12, 1909:

Lick Branch Mine Disaster 2, W Vgn p1, Jan 12, 1909

WELCH, W. Va., Jan. 12.-One hundred miners were caught to-day in a second explosion in the Lick Branch Collieries. Hardly had the crape been taken from the door of many humble little homes than the explosions which now promises to be more direful than the one two weeks ago in which half a hundred lives were lost occurred and brought additional sorrow. Fathers and brothers of some of those killed in the last explosion are known to have been in the mine at 8:30 this morning when the second explosion occurred. The explosion occurred just half an hour after the full quota of men for the day shift had gone to work. It is known that 250 miners were on duty at the time. The details are meagre.

———-

[Emphasis added.]

From The Fairmont West Virginian of January 14, 1909:

Lick Branch Mine Disaster 2, W Vgn p1, Jan 14, 1909

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Hellraisers Journal: Thomas H. West, Labor Poet, on Soldiers Gone Scabbing against the Kansas City Street Car Strikers

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Any soldier who is guilty
Can be called a “Labor Hun.”
-Thomas H. West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Monday January 13, 1919
Kansas City Labor Poet on Soldiers, in Uniform, Serving as Scabs

Thomas H. West, in his latest poem for working men and women, tells the sad story of soldiers gone scabbing against the street car strikers of Kansas City. The poem is entitled “Uniforms Disgraced” and was first published by the Labor Herald of Kansas City, Missouri.

From the Leavenworth Labor Chronicle of January 10, 1919:

KC Streetcar Strike, Poem by TH West, Lv KS Lbr Chc p4, Jan 10, 1919

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for December 1908; Found in Springfield, Illinois, Speaking to UMW Locals

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Quote Mother Jones, Spgfld IL Jr, Dec 20, 1908

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday January 12, 1909
-Mother Jones News Round-Up for December 1908
Found with Locals of U. M. W. in Springfield, Illinois

Mother Jones, Dnv Pst p2, July 19, 1908

During the month of December 1908, we found Mother Jones in Springfield, Illinois, where it was reported by the December 17th edition of the Illinois State Register that:

“Mother” Jones, a noted leader among the miners’ organization of the country, addressed the Springfield sub-district quarterly meeting [U. M. W.] at Arion hall yesterday afternoon [December 16th], and in consequence the meeting was very largely attended. “Mother” Jones is engaged in soliciting assistance for Mexican workingmen who are engaged in a struggle against the despotism of the Mexican government, and who, when their plans became apparent to that government escaped to the United States, their extradition now being sought. The efforts of “Mother” Jones has the endorsement of the Illinois executive board of the United Mine Workers of America [John H. Walker, President], and it is her intention to make a tour of the state visiting the miners’ locals in behalf of these men.

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Hellraisers Journal: Staff Writer for Appeal to Reason Interviews Mexican Revolutionaries in Los Angeles Jail

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Freedom Ricardo Flores Magon, Speech re Prisoners of Texas, May 31, 1914~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Monday January 11, 1909
Los Angeles, California – Against All Odds, Shoaf Meets with Mexican Patriots

From the Appeal to Reason of January 9, 1909:

Mex Rev, Shoaf Interviews in LA Jail, Dec 30, 1908, AtR p1, Jan 9, 1909

[by George H. Shoaf]

Los Angeles, Dec. 30.

SOCIALISTS and trade unionists with whom I talked relative to seeing the revolutionists, who were in jail “incommunicado,” declared emphatically that United States District Attorney Oscar Lawler would never let me see them. Only once in six months, they said, had the “incommunicado” rule been broken, and that was when Mrs. Librado Rivera was permitted to hold a few minutes’ conversation with her husband, in the presence of the jailer. Local newspaper men also who had been denied the usual privileges of the press in regard to interviewing prisoners stated that the matter of my seeing Magon and his comrades was entirely out of the question. Even Attorneys Harriman and Holstan, the only persons who were permitted to see the men, seriously doubted whether District Attorney Lawler would grant my request….

The surprise of the jailer, when the marshal ordered him to let me see Magon et al., can better be imagined than described, and when he learned that I was merely the correspondent of a Socialist paper-the Appeal to Reason-he nearly fell off his seat. Socialists are rare visitors at the county jail, except when they are locked up for some crime alleged to have been committed against the government, and I was the object of much curiosity on the part of the mailer and his assistants. So unusual was the order that even the jailer would not be convinced until he verified it by telephoning direct to the district attorney himself. I was invited into a room adjoining the jailer’s office, in which were a number of chairs and a table. Ten minutes later the door was thrown open and, accompanied by their guards, Magon, Villarreal and Rivera walked in…..

———-

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Hellraisers Journal: Save Our Mexican Comrades is Message from Mother Jones & Big Bill Haywood in Appeal to Reason

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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[The Mexican Patriots] appeal to us
from their prison cells.
We hear their cry and, by the eternal,
we are with them and the dogs of Diaz
shall not tear their flesh.
-J. A. Wayland

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday January 10, 1909
Big Bill Haywood & Mother Jones Rally Support for Mexican Patriots

From the Appeal to Reason of January 9, 1909:

Mex Rev, BBH Wants Action to Save, AtR p1, Jan 9, 1909

———-

CHAPTER OF HORRORS

THE Appeal is in the fight to thwart the conspiracy of the United States and Mexican governments to have the Mexican patriots now lying in jail at Los Angeles surrendered to the cannibal Diaz to be shot for treason. It is a burning disgrace that they are in jail at all. They are men and that is their crime in Mexico. The bloody butcheries of Diaz shocked and horrified them and they took up the cause of their mutilated and agonizing countrymen and hurled their defiance at the monster who posed as president. From that time to this they have been hunted like beasts. They have suffered everything and sacrificed every thing in the cause of freedom.

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: Floyd Dell on America’s Political Prisoners & Conscientious Objectors

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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While there is a soul in prison
I am not free.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday January 9, 1919
America’s Political Prisoners by Floyd Dell

From The Liberator of January 1919:

“What Are You Doing Out There?”

[by Floyd Dell]

The Liberator Jr Revolutionary Progress, Jan 1919

THIS magazine goes to two classes of readers: those who are in jail, and those who are out. This particular article is intended for the latter class. It is intended for those who wish to prove themselves friends of American freedom rather than those who have had it proved against them.

The relation between these two classes of people is embarrassingly like that in the old anecdote about Emerson and Thoreau. Thoreau refused to obey some law which he considered unjust, and was sent to jail. Emerson went to visit him. “What are you doing in here, Henry?” asked Emerson.

“What are you doing out there?” returned Thoreau grimly.

That is what the people who have gone to prison for the ideas in which we believe seem to be asking us now.

And the only self-respecting answer which we can give to this grim, silent challenge, is this: “We are working to get you out!”

That is our excuse, and we must see that it is a true one. We are voices to speak up for those whose voice has been silenced.

There are some silences that are more eloquent than speech. The newspapers were forbidden to print what ‘Gene Debs said in court; but his silence echoes around the earth in the heart of workingmen. They know what he was not allowed to tell them; and they feel that it is true.

It would be wrong to think of this as an opportunity to do something for Debs; it is rather our opportunity to make ourselves worthy of what he has done for us.

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Hellraisers Journal: Ben Reitman Hosts an Evening at Chicago’s Dill Pickle Club: Speakers, Music, Poetry, Sandwiches

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Brethren of the Ancient Order of Dill Pickles,
I greet you…
Now let us get right down to business,
as the speakers are all on time.
-Ben Reitman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday January 8, 1919
Chicago, Illinois – An Evening at the Dill Pickle Club

From The Chicago Daily Tribune of January 6, 1919:

Dil Dill Pickle Club, by Maude Martin Evers, Chg Tb p5, Jan 6, 1919

DILL PICKLERS LOVE LIGHT,
BUT O YOU SOUP!
—–
So Psycho-Analysis Is Made
Slave to Lunch Counter.
—–

BY MAUDE MARTIN EVERS.

We of the Dill Pickle believe in everything. We are radicals, anarchists, pickpockets, second story men, and-thinkers. Anything to make the mind think! Some of us practice free love and some medicine. Most of us have gone through religion and tired of it-some of us have tired of our wives…

Up spake Ben Reitman, chairman, as he called to order the weekly meeting of the Dill Picklers at the Dill Pickle club rooms, 18 Tooker place.

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WE NEVER FORGET: Otto Schmidt who believed that “the working class should organize to better their conditions.”

Janet RayeWe Never Forget
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Quote Otto Schmidt IWW Martyr, New Sol, Jan 4, 1919~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WNF Otto Schmidt, IWW, Spokane WA, Dec 2, 1918
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Otto Frederick Schmidt, IWW Martyr
Who Lost His Life in Spokane, Washington, on December 2, 1918

IWW Label Emblem, BBH Drops of Blood, Oct 1919

On December 2, 1918 in a hospital in Spokane, Washington, Otto Frederick Schmidt, a 26-year-old IWW member, died of injuries sustained in the Walla Walla County Jail.

According to A. George Jensen, his cellmate, FW Schmidt “believed that the working class should organize to better their conditions. He was arrested for trying to make the world a fit place in which to live.”

Fellow Worker Schmidt had been arrested some ten months earlier and held for deportation in Spokane. He was later transferred to Walla Walla County Jail where he was found bleeding and unconscious after he and other IWWs were hosed down with icy water as punishment for protesting terrible conditions. He was then transferred to the Spokane County Jail for medical care and finally to the hospital where he died.

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Hellraisers Journal: Everett Trades Council Elects Delegate for Upcoming Chicago Tom Mooney Defense Conference

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday January 5, 1919
Everett, Washington – Trades Council to Send Delegate to Chicago

From the Everett Labor Journal of January 3, 1919:

EVERETT’S ORGANIZED LABOR ELECTS
DELEGATE TO CHICAGO
—–
Big Meeting of Trades Unionists Last Wednesday
Night at Red Men’s Wigwam.
—–

Tom Mooney, Chicago Conference, Union Advocate Cfvl KS p1, Dec 29, 1918

Wednesday, January 1, 1919.

The Council was called to order at the usual time by President Gulley.

The Trades Council, having invited the membership of the several trades unions in the city to meet with it a larger hall was necessary and the Red Men’s Hall was secured for the occasion.

Members of nearly all the unions were in attendance and a large meeting was the result.

There were present President Short and ex-President Marsh of the Washington State Federation of Labor, which added zest to the meeting.

Bro. Short addressed the meeting briefly, calling special attention to conditions existing in California growing out of the Mooney case and then discussed the subject of reconstruction. He said the nation had entered the war in a state of unpreparedness and had “made good” in helping to destroy autocracy, but was now confronted by as serious a problem in the reconstruction made necessary by changed conditions. This new problem would tax the deepest thought of the greatest minds in the country and its solution would require all the wisdom, and experience of the people. Relating to the proposed strike in defense of Mooney and his co-defendants he said it was ill-advised. It lacked organization as to its national significance. If there should be a strike it should be confined to the State of California where the trouble lay. Industrially and politically California was so strongly organized by the corporation employers of labor that united effort must be put forth to crush that opposition to the welfare of the workers.

California was the offender and to California should be applied |the drastic remedy implied by a general strike. If a nation-wide strike were necessary there must needs be nation-wide preparation for it if success in the use of this last weapon of labor’s defense be made successful…..

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