Category: Frank Little

Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little, Martyr for Solidarity, Laid to Rest in Butte; Thousands Honor Fallen Hero

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Frank Little Quote by Tom Rimmer

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday August 8, 1917
Butte, Montana – Thousands March to Honor Martyr Frank Little

Frank Little Funeral, At Grave, Lbr Def, Aug 1926, 2

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On Sunday August 5th there was held the largest funeral ever held in the city of Butte, and, perhaps, in the state of Montana. Thousands of mourners marched behind the casket carrying the remains of Frank Little, the valiant warrior who gave his life in freedom’s cause.

From The Anaconda Standard of August 6, 1917:

The voice of the mine owners could not refrain from sniping at the striking miners, their union (not affiliated with the I. W. W.), nor the union represented by Frank Little, the Industrial Workers of the World. Nevertheless, the report on FW Little’s funeral appears to be, for the most part, accurate.

LARGE FUNERAL NO DISORDER
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DEMONSTRATION AND A SPECTACLE
MARK FINAL TRIBUTE TO FRANK LITTLE
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MANY FRIENDS MARCH
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Women in the procession, which is made up of more than three thousand-Red sashes and other I. W. W. emblems displayed- Moving pictures are taken-Stars and Stripes shown for a while, then removed. No religious service-Brief remarks were made at the grave.

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Frank Little Funeral, Casket Duggans, Butte Aug 5, 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: Butte Strikers’ Bulletin Blames Company Gunthugs for Murder of Fellow Worker Frank Little

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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Hellraisers Journal, Saturday August 4, 1917
Butte, Montana – Strikers’ Bulletin Names Names

Frank Little Martyr, Truth Butte Tompkins, 1917, crpd

The Butte Bulletin, voice of the striking metal miners in that city, devoted its entire edition of August 2nd to the lynching of Fellow Worker Frank Little.

One article was entitled: “Frank Little Murdered by Gunmen, Companies in Desperation Resort to Deadly Violence.” William F. Dunn, editor, stated that there is “sufficient evidence to indicate the names of five men who took part, every one of whom is a company stool pigeon. Two of these men are in business, two are gunmen, and one is connected with law enforcement… Every man, woman, and child in this country knows that company agents perpetrated this foulest of all crimes.” The Bulletin went on to name names: “William Oates, Herman Gilles, Pete Beaudin, a rat named Middleton and two dozen others working under a chief gunman named Ryan.”

Funeral to be Held in Butte

From the Seattle Star of August 3, 1917:

HAYWOOD IN CHARGE OF
I. W. W. FUNERAL

By United Press Leased Wire

CHICAGO, Aug. 3.-The funeral of Frank Little, I. W. W. leader, lynched in Butte, probably will be held in Butte tomorrow, Wm. D. Haywood, secretary of the national organization, said today. He received a message from Little’s sister [sister-in-law], Emma Little, of Fresno, Cal., placing arrangements for the funeral in his hands.

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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little Lynched in Butte; Note Threatens: “Others Take Notice! First and Last Warning!”

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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Hellraisers Journal, Friday August 3, 1917
Butte, Montana – Union Men Arm for Self Defense

Frank Little was taken from his room by vigilantes before dawn on August 1st. His body was found hanging from a railroad trestle by a neighborhood man on his way to work. Pinned to the body of Fellow Worker Frank Little was a note bearing the Montana Vigilante Code and a grim warning to “Others.” The men of the Butte Metal Mine Workers Union are seeking permits in order to arm for self-defense.

From The Anaconda Standard of August 2, 1917:

Frank Little, Others Take Notice, AS p1, Aug 2, 1917
Frank Little, Others Take Notice, 3 7 77, AS p1, Aug 2, 1917

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WE NEVER FORGET Frank Little Who Gave His Life in Freedom’s Cause at Butte, Montana on August 1, 1917

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little
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WE NEVER FORGET, Frank Little, Butte, MT, Aug 1, 1917

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Fellow Worker Frank Little

Organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World

Frank Little Martyr, Truth Butte Tompkins, 1917

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Frank Little was lynched in Butte, Montana, at 3 A. M. on August 1, 1917, by vigilantes who, many alleged, were in the employ of the Anaconda Copper Company. He came to Butte to support striking metal miners despite having been warned of the dangers involved in that assignment. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn said of him:

He was tall and dark, with black hair and black eyes, a slender, gentle and soft-spoken man…He was dependable in all situations.

FW Little was much admired by the miners of Butte, and his funeral was one of the largest ever held in that city. His coffin was covered by a red silk banner, inscribed:

A MARTYR TO SOLIDARITY

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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little Publishes Anti-War Editorial, Continues Organizing Work with Striking Miners of Butte

Janet RayeFrank Little
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I stand for Solidarity.
-Frank Little

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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday July 31, 1917
Butte, Montana – Frank Little Stands with Striking Metal Miners

IWWC 1916, Delg Little, ISR Jan 1917, 2

Frank Little, organizer and executive board member of the Industrial Workers of the World, has been in Butte, Montana, since July 18th where he has been active in the strike of the Butte Metal Mine Workers Union-Independent. Although Fellow Worker Little represents the Metal Mine Workers Industrial Union No. 800, the striking miners of Butte have invited him into their union meetings, and he is respected as one of the leaders of the ongoing strike.

Lately, FW Little has been encouraging not only the striking miners, but the working women of Butte also. The kept press complains that:

Little is now trying to get the Finn women to organize a strike among the laundry workers and chambermaids of the city.[!]

Editorial in Industrial Worker of July 28, 1917:

IWW, Industrial Worker Masthead, Oct 1916

An editorial by Frank Little was published in the most recent edition of the Industrial Worker in which FW Little declares his strong opposition to the war now raging in Europe. Frank Little believes that the only war the workers should involve themselves in is the class the war. This bloody war is one between the capitalists of the warring nations, and does not concern us as workers. Frank declares emphatically:

I stand for Solidarity.

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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little & “Agitators” of Butte “Against Everything” Proclaims Company Newspaper

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday July 25, 1917
Butte, Montana – “Agitators” Support Striking Miners

Metal Miners, Butte MT, Mining Artifacts, date unknown

The Anaconda Standard, voice of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, declared recently that the “agitators” of Butte are “against everything.”

Yet the striking miners have made it quite clear exactly what they stand against-i.e., the blacklist (Rustling Card system), long hours, low wages, and unsafe working conditions such as led to the deaths of 168 copper miners in the Speculator Mine Fire Disaster just a few short weeks ago.

From the Anaconda Standard of July 23, 1917:

AGITATORS TALKING AGAINST EVERYTHING
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A mass meeting for miners of the Butte district, held last evening at the ball park, was attended by about 2,000 men. All the speakers urged the miners to stay out and said the modifications of the rustling card and the weekly pay day announced by the Anaconda Copper Mining company on Saturday should be disregarded.

Joe Shannon made a fiery speech in which he urged every miner to start picket duty today, and he remarked that the Campbell union [Butte Metal Mine Workers Union] had the “number of every miner now working.”

R. L. Dunn, strike leader of the electricians, who had pledged the miners the electricians would not go back to work until the miners were underground, said the papers had called him an I. W. W. and he would admit it.

[Said Dunn:]

This strike is an expression against the form of society which allows a few to control the wealth of the nation and a protest against the system of society which keeps workingmen from enjoying the comforts and good things of life.

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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little in Butte, Speaks to 4,000 Striking Metal Miners & Supporters at Ballpark

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday July 24, 1917
Butte, Montana – Fellow Worker Frank Little Speaks

Frank Little, wiki

Fellow Worker Frank Little arrived in Butte, Montana, on July 18th as a representative of the Industrial Workers of the World. The Butte Metal Mine Workers Union is officially unaffiliated with the I. W. W., and yet, Frank Little, a leader of the Metal Mine Workers Industrial Union No. 800, was welcomed whole-heartedly by the striking miners and was invited to speak at a mass meeting held on July 19th at the Columbia Garden Baseball Park.

As he spoke, a light rain began to fall. Frank looked upward into the raindrops, raised his hands and remembered the miners left in the New Mexican desert following the Bisbee Deportation:

Oh man, if this rain could only descend upon that bull pen in the hot, sun-parched desert of New Mexico, and bring some relief to the two thousand noble men held there by the uniformed federal thugs, it would be appreciated.

Frank Little closed his speech with a call for Solidarity and Unity, the only means by which the working class can gain liberty from oppression.

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