I stood by a city prison,
In the twilight’s deepening gloom,
Where men and women languished
In a loathsome, living tomb.
They were singing! And their voices
Seemed to weave a wreath of light,
As the words came clear with meaning:
“Workers of the World, unite!”
-Laura Payne Emerson
Hellraisers Journal, Thursday December 28, 1916
Everett, Washington – Free Speech Prisoners Arraigned
Saturday, December 23, 1916
FREE SPEECH PRISONERS ARRAIGNED.
The arraignment of the 74 men charged with murder by the Prosecution of Snohomish County, Wash., took place on Wednesday, Dec. 20th. All morning was taken up in the reading of the information. These men were passengers on the “Verona” on Sunday, Nov. 5th,-Bloody Sunday, as it is more often termed,-and were part of a number of workingmen belonging to the Industrial Workers of the World, the Longshoremen, the Seamen and other organizations, who were going from Seattle to Everett in order to hold an afternoon street meeting to maintain their constitutional rights of Free Speech.
The men were met at the dock at Everett by a Sheriff and an armed body of members of the Commercial Club and others and were not allowed to land, although every man had regularly paid his passage. A volley was poured into the hapless boat from the high-power rifles of the posse and, at the same time, a similar rain of lead came from a pier and a tug-boat on the other side of the steamer. This murderous cross-fire killed at least five of the workers and wounded over thirty. The cross-fire probably did more harm than that, for, passing over the low bows of the boat, it brought destruction to some of the Sheriff’s posse, according to some beholders. Two deputies were killed in this affray and now 74 workingmen are in jail charged with their murder! The slayers of the five workers, however, are still at large and proudly walk the streets of Everett helping in every way the railroading of those victims they did not succeed in killing.
The men entered no plea. Time for plea was continued until the 26th. On this day they will plead “Not Guilty,” unless the attorneys decide to move to quash the indictment or present demurrers.
TAX PAYERS AND TRADES COUNCIL KICKING.
The various towns of Snohomish County are being plastered with posters calling the citizens’ attention to the enormous amount of public money being expended on the maintenance of gunmen in Everett and on the prosecution of the 74 men charged with murder. The general feeling of the taxpayers is that, as they have but little sympathy with the Commercial Club, they don’t see why they should be called upon to finance their scheme of private revenge. One would think the Lumber interests would have enough to pay their thugs without making the farmers of Snohomish County foot the bill. The Trades Council of Everett was so angered at the repeated insults to workingmen by the imported gunmen in Everett, that, after several requests to the Sheriff for their removal had been refused, the Council in full session passed a resolution instructing their secretary to ascertain the prices of FIVE HUNDRED RIFLES AND TEN THOUSAND ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION! This was a pretty strong hint from the organized workingmen of Everett that they wanted no hired Commercial Club thugs in their city!
THE PRESS GANG ON THE JOB!
The interests in Everett which are trying to put the 74 boys behind the bars for life on a trumped-up murder charge, are playing the old, old game to inflame local prejudice against the prisoners. It appears as though the local capitalist papers of Everett have instructed the news services to send them all the anti-labor dope they can rake up out of the journalistic garbage-heaps. Stories of strikes, from the bosses’ point of view, stories of wicked labor men and terrible Industrial Workers are beginning to fill the columns of the Everett Herald. All this is obviously done at the behest of the powers that are determined to imprison these workingmen, not because they have violated any particular part of the penal code-which is not true-but because they have had the courage and manhood to insist that Labor’s voice be heard. Hence this campaign, financed by the employing class, to stimulate hatred in prospective jurors and other citizens against the prisoners.
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
These men, workingclass brothers of yours who have risked their liberty to obtain Free Speech for Labor, are in peril of their lives. What can you do to save them? You can do many things. First you can send in a personal contribution to the Defense fund; then you can take the matter up at a meeting of your organization. You can send letters to your congressmen and senators, demanding an investigation by Congress into the Everett massacre of Nov. 5th. You can arrange protest meetings to pass resolutions and raise funds. You can give the case as much publicity as possible in many ways. All these things you can do, fellow workingmen, and the liberties of 74 are at stake. WILL YOU HELP? Only the workers can save the workers! It’s up to YOU?
Send all contributions to Herbert Mahler, Sec’y-Treas., Everett Prisoners’ Defense Committee, Box 1878, Seattle, Wash.
Protests and resolutions should be sent to President Wilson and to Governor Lister, Olympia, Wash. Send demands to your congressmen and senators for a congressional probe into the murders of Everett, Nov. 5th 1916.
Everett Class-War Prisoners
SOURCES
Everett Defense News Letter No. 4
(Seattle, Washington)
-Dec 23, 1916 (043)
“Everett Free Speech Prisoners Arraigned”
-by Charles Ashleigh
http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/search/collection/pnwlabor
The Everett Massacre
A History of the Class Struggle in the Lumber Industry
-by Walker C. Smith
IWW, 1918
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001106557
IMAGES
Everett Massacre, Def News Letter 4, Dec 23, 1916 (043)
http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/search/collection/pnwlabor
Everett Massacre Class War Prisoners 1916-1917, WCS p106-108
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002672635;view=2up;seq=112
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002672635;view=2up;seq=114
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The Industrial Workers of the World – Twin Cities Labor Chorus
Lyrics by Laura Payne Emerson
https://archive.org/stream/laurelsbylaura00emerrich#page/n65/mode/2up
I stood by a city prison,
In the twilight’s deepening gloom,
Where men and women languished
In a loathsome, living tomb.
They were singing! And their voices
Seemed to weave a wreath of light,
As the words came clear with meaning:
“Workers of the World, unite!”
As it was with Gallileo,
And all thinkers of the past,
So with these Industrial Workers,
Tyrants’ shackles hold them fast.
In the bastiles of the nations,
They are bludgeoned, mugged and starved,
While upon their aching bodies
Prints of whips and clubs are carved.
Yet with spirits still unbroken
And with hope for future years
They are calling to their fellows:
“Come, arise! and dry your tears.
Wake, ye toilers, get in action,
Break your bonds, exert your might—
You can make this hell a heaven,
Workers of the World, unite!”
Hail! ye brave Industrial Workers,
Vanguard of the coming day,
When labor’s hosts shall cease their cringing
And shall dash their chains away.
How the masters dread you, hate you,
Their uncompromising foe;
For they see in you a menace.
Threatening soon their overthrow.