Category: Hellraisers Journal

Hellraisers Journal: “From Butte to Bisbee,” Report on Striking Metal Miners from the International Socialist Review

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 2, 1917
Report from Butte and Bisbee: Metal Miners Still Standing

From the International Socialist Review:

Butte, Bisbee AZ Metal Miners Strikes, ISR Aug 1917-1

FROM BUTTE TO BISBEE

By JOHN MACDONALD

IF YOU have any red blood in your veins you will take off your hat and salute the fifty thousand copper miners who are fighting from Butte to Bisbee for the right to organize into one big union. They want a union big enough to take in the 500,000 unorganized men in the metal mining industry in this country.

For years their separate unions have been spied upon and broken up by Pinkerton and Burns detectives who were in the employ of the copper companies. They have been betrayed and double-crossed by many of their own officials who posed as union men, but were on the companies’ pay rolls. They have been buried and blown up by the hundreds in producing profits for the copper kings and they now demand and are going to get together in one big union, which will be under their control.

They are having to face government troops, company gun men, deportation from their homes and misrepresentation by a lying prostitute press—they are being accused of being “German sympathizers” and of having received huge wads of German money, by lying labor leaders. Hundreds have been torn from their homes, herded into cattle cars without food or drink and are now threatened by company-owned sheriffs with bull pens. Still they fight on! Every socialist who is a socialist and every union man who is a union man will support this strike of the copper men to the limit.

The big industrial walkout of metal mine workers in the copper industry is spreading rapidly over the entire west. The miners of Butte were the first to go out, 14,000 strong. The Arizona miners of Metal Mine Workers Industrial Union, No. 800, of the I. W. W., are refusing to scab on the miners of Butte. Bisbee, Globe, Miami, Clifton, Morenci, Jerome, and Golconda are already out, and the mines shut down.

Butte, Bisbee AZ Metal Miners Strikes Soldiers, ISR Aug 1917-2

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Hellraisers Journal: Haywood Slept Soundly While Jury Debated His Fate, Mother to Hospital, Family at His Side

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, Tuesday July 30, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Haywood Verdict Proves Orchard a Liar

Haywood Awaiting Verdict
HMP, Haywood Reads at Jail Window, Tpk Dly Jr, July 29, 1907

—–

The news of the acquittal of Big Bill Haywood continues to be celebrated by the worker’s of the nation, and by the hard rock miners of the W. F. of M.

The verdict proves the assassin, Harry Orchard, to be a liar and, by extension, the Pinkerton Detective, James McParland, who coached Orchard’s testimony and the state of Idaho who paid for the coaching.

In Boise, a crowd stood vigil at the court house all night long awaiting a verdict. However, it is reported that, while the jury was up all night debating his fate, Big Bill retired at the usual hour Saturday night and slept soundly until he was called to court Sunday morning for the announcement of the verdict.

The Jury
HMP, Haywood Jury, Tpk Dly Jr, July 29, 1907

—–

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Hellraisers Journal: Jury Finds Big Bill Haywood “NOT GUILTY”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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If they hang Moyer and Haywood,
they’ve got to hang me.
-Eugene Victor Debs

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Hellraisers Journal, Monday July 29, 1907
Boise, Idaho – William D. Haywood Acquitted of Murder

From The Minneapolis Tribune:


JURY ACQUITS HAYWOOD OF COMPLICITY
IN DEATH OF FORMER GOV. STEUNENBERG
—–


“NOT GUILTY” VERDIICT RETURNED
8 O’CLOCK ON SUNDAY MORNING
—–

HMP, NOT GUILTY, Mpls Tb, July 29, 1907

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Hellraisers Journal: Mesabi Miners Strike, Pinkertons Arrive, Warrant Issued for Organizer Teofilo Petriella

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday July 28, 1907
Mesabi Iron Range, Minnesota – Pinkerton Gunthugs Arrive

One wonders what would happen should strikers import into the state of Minnesota 100 armed gunthugs. We expect that the militia would be immediately called out and the bullpen made ready. The Pinkertons, however, entered the state and proceeded on up to the Range where they will most likely be sworn in as Sheriff’s deputies, as is per usual.

Meanwhile, an arrest warrant has been issued for the peaceful strike leader, Teofilo Petriella, organizer for the Western Federation of Miners.

From The Minneapolis Tribune of July 27, 1907:

Mesabi Miners Strike, Petriella, Mpls Tb, July 27, 1907

—–

BULLETIN.

DULUTH, July 27,-(Special.)-One hundred Pinkerton detectives have arrived in Duluth. It is expected that they will go out to the strike district at once. They are here to protect the interests of the United States Steel corporation.

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Hellraisers Journal: Clarence Darrow: “Haywood can die, if die he must, but..others..will come to take his place.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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I plead for the poor
and the weak and the weary.
-Clarence Darrow

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday July 27, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Darrow Pleads for Life of Big Bill Haywood

HMP, Clarence Darrow, Cresco IA Pln Dlr, July 2, 1907

The defense placed the life of Big Bill Haywood in the hands of the jury as Clarence Darrow sat down next to the defendant at 4:20 p. m. on the afternoon of July 25th.

Having begun his closing argument on the evening of July 24th, Clarence Darrow continued the next day, speaking throughout the morning and afternoon sessions of the court. He concluded his address to the jury with an eloquent appeal for the life of William D. Haywood, Secretary-Treasurer of the Western Federation of Miners:

Mr. Hawley says that he believes in this case. I believe in it as I believe in my life. I’ve given 30 years of my life to the poor. I have pleaded cases for them, but never before have I pleaded a cause in which I felt such an interest, and never did I hope for a verdict in favor of my client as I hope for this….

But it is not for Bill Haywood I plead or for his widow or his orphans. If he dies 10,000 men who work in the mines will send their mite to support the widow and the little ones and a million people send their message of sympathy. I dont plead for Haywood. Don’t think for a moment that, if you kill Haywood, you will kill the labor movement of the world, or the hopes and aspirations of the poor. Haywood can die, if die he must, but there are others who will live if he dies, and they will come to take his place and carry the banner which he lets fall. I plead for the poor and the weak and the weary. The eyes of the world are on you 12 men of Idaho tonight, and wherever the English tongue is spoken and throughout the civilized world they are wondering about your verdict. If you decree his death the spiders and the vultures of Wall street will send up peans of praise and wherever men live who hate Haywood because he works for the poor you will receive your meed of praise.

But if you acquit this man there are millions of men-out on the broad prairies, on the wide ocean, in the factories and mills and down deep in the earth-there are-women and children who will pray for you. These men and women and children stand here with me tonight stretching out their hands and imploring God to guide your judgment and imploring you to save Haywood.

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Hellraisers Journal: Darrow for the Defense, Praises Western Federation, Denounces Orchard and McParland

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Hawley says the Western Federation of Miners
has made trouble. It has, and I am glad of it,
for when we cease to cause trouble
we become slaves.
-Clarence Darrow

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Hellraisers Journal, Friday July 26, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Clarence Darrow for the Defense

HMP, Clarence Darrow, CdA Prs, July 25, 1907

In the course of his closing speech in the sweltering Boise courtroom on Wednesday July 24, Clarence Darrow reminded the jury that the State’s attorneys had allowed William Dewey to return to Colorado unhindered after confessing to murder on the witness stand. Dewey had testified for the prosecution and had admitted that he took part in the mob attack upon the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mill.

He then turned to face the prosecuting attorneys and demanded to know:

Were you asleep? or was your witness lying? Are you honestly in this prosecution, or is there here some damnable conspiracy to pick up the president of the Western Federation of Miners, and the secretary and treasure of the Western Federation of Miners and hang them by the neck for the pleasure and benefit of the Mine Owner’s association?

He then addressed the jury:

There, gentlemen of the jury, you have the real, strong, iron hand behind this prosecution. The mine owners of Colorado are pulling the wires to make you dance like puppets. They gathered these officers of the Western federation of Miners up and sent them here to be tried and hanged with Idaho to hold the bag. Idaho has a fine privilege in this trial-to pay for it. And you men of this jury will have the pleasure of working to pay up the deficiency warrants which have been issued by the State to meet the expenses of the prosecution.

Darrow praised the men of the Western Federation of Miners and spoke of the beauty of self-sacrifice typical of the “struggle for humanity when only the working man is found.”

Orchard and McParland were roundly denounced as liars of the worst sort, the kind that will conspire to hang innocent men.

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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

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

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
—–

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

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

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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Hellraisers Journal: Mrs. Steve Adams and Mrs. George Pettibone Visit with Husbands Through Barred Windows

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 July 21, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Wives of Prisoners at Barred Windows

From The Pittsburg Press, we find this touching photograph of Mrs. Steve Adams and Mrs. George Pettibone speaking to their husbands through the barred windows of the Ada County Jail.

HMP, Love Thru the Bars, Ptt PA Prs, June 19, 1907

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