This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday June 26, 1917
Duluth, Minnesota – Miss Flynn Arrested, I. W. W. Hall Raided
From The Decatur Herald of June 24, 1917:
DULUTH POLICE CLOSES I. W. W HEADQUARTERS
—–
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Arrested With
Other Professional Agitators.
—–
DULUTH, Minn. June 24-Under authority given by the city council early in the day prohibiting unpatriotic demonstrations by professional agitators, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, of New York City, who arrived here early Saturday morning, was arrested at a hotel late Saturday. The police then raided Industrial Workers of the World headquarters, here arresting nine men and a woman, and closing the headquarters.
All the I. W. W. arrested are held under the charge of “vagrancy.” The police seized all of the headquarters books.
List of Prisoners.
One of the prisoners is Marie Baxter, 28, an officer and organizer of the Duluth House Maids’ local union, affiliated with I. W. W.
Others who were taken in the raid are: Frank Gaisner, 25; William Sullivan, 37; Steven Himple, 26; Lewis Schappert, 27; P. Gideon Mattson, 35; Joseph Hogdson, 23; James Golden, 45; and Harry Lisk, 42.
Golden had literature in his possession which resulted in the placing of an additional charge against him, that of advocating sabotage. Those of conscription age had other registrations cards.
———-
[Photograph added.]
From The Duluth News Tribune of June 25, 1917:
CURSES! THE LYRICS WERE ARRESTED TOO
—–
Police Raid May Deprive American Public
of Thrilling I. W. W. Drama.
—–THE HERO LANGUISHES
—–
Come Home Mother, John Laukki Wails,
But the Gendarmes Hear Him Not.
—–
Unless John [Leo] Laukki, editor of a Finnish radical newspaper [Industrialisti], gets out of jail, where he was placed Saturday when the police raided the I. W. W. headquarters, before Saturday night, the benefit show planned by the radicals for that evening at Turner hall, will be minus its star.
The lyric, and ballads, written by Laukki, were in the evidence and property drawers at police headquarters last night.
Laukki pleaded with Jailor Root that his lyrics and aforesaid ballads be released to other members of the Haywood organization even if he was forced to stay in jail. The remainder of the cast couldn’t rehearse last night because the “lines” were locked up at headquarters.
Elizabeth Philosophic
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn’s transformation or transportation, from elaborate suites at the most fashionable hotels of the west to the dingy “deodorized” cellroom for women at headquarters was taken by her in good spirit.
“She’s a regular good fellow,” was the verdict of the jailors.
Her appetite for an elaborate chicken dinner on a jail bench was not spoiled by the fact that one of her companions was arrested as a suspected street walker. Her other cellmate was Marie Baxter, arrested in the I. W. W. raids with Miss Flynn.
Miss Flynn gave her age as 27. Her baggage was taken in charge by the Holland hotel, where she was arrested Saturday.
Frank Watson, a working member of the I. W. W., bought “ham and eggs” for the 16 radicals in the men’s jail yesterday morning. It cost him $4.80 for the “treat” and this was taken out of the total wealth of $6.61. Miss Flynn ordered breakfast for herself and Miss Baxter.
At night Arthur Thorne, secretary of the Duluth local, ordered coffee for the eighteen prisoners, at a cost of $1. This was taken from the fund of $164.80 found in his possession when arrested. The rest of the evening meal was made up of jail rations, sardines and rye bread.
The prisoners will be taken into municipal court today.
———-
[Photograph added.]
SOURCES
The Decatur Herald
(Decatur, Illinois)
-June 24, 1917
https://www.newspapers.com/image/91032947/
The Duluth News Tribune
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-June 25, 1917, page 3
http://www.genealogybank.com/
By the Ore Docks: A Working People’s History of Duluth
-by Richard Hudelson, Carl Ross
U of Minnesota Press, 2006
(search: laukki, choose pages 80-81)
https://books.google.com/books?id=F865CRqof1oC
IMAGES
EGF, MN Iron Miners Strike, Ev IN, Aug 17, 1916
https://www.newspapers.com/image/139947620/
Laukki, Leo with Olga, Ed of Duluth Industrialist
http://www.peacehost.net/FinnLabor/Memoirs37.htm
See also:
Industrialisti
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrialisti
Tag: Domestic Workers’ Industrial Union
https://weneverforget.org/tag/domestic-workers-industrial-union/
Memoirs of Harry Antero Siitonen, Memoirs (37)
http://www.peacehost.net/FinnLabor/Memoirs37.htm
Duluth’s Red Scare: The Wobblies
-by Heidi Bakk-Hansen
http://zenithcity.com/archive/legendary-tales/duluths-red-scare-the-wobblies/
Internationale Finnish