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Hellraisers Journal – Monday September 5, 1910
Fresno, California – Frank Little Thrown into Dungeon, Sings Rebel Songs
From The Fresno Morning Republican of September 1, 1910:
JURY IN POLICE COURT RENDERS
4 VERDICTS IN AFTERNOON
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F. H. Little Found Guilty;
Victor Vogel Is Acquitted.
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W. F. Little and Wm. Flanagan
May Be Tried Second Time.
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Four members of the local branch of the Industrial Workers of the World were tried before a jury in the police court yesterday. The trial occupied the entire afternoon, but was devoid of sensational features. F. H. Little was found guilty of disturbing the peace. Sentence will be pronounced by Judge Briggs at 10 o’clock this morning. Victor Vogel was acquitted on the same charge and W. F. Little and William Flanagan will be discharged today as the jury failed to reach an agreement in their cases. The jury, of which E. C. Van Buren was foreman, rendered three separate verdicts, although the four I. W. W. members were tried jointly on the same charge.
The Little brothers appeared as counsel for the quartet of defendants. Assistant District Attorney Manson McCormick conducted the prosecution.….
The Little brothers called Detective Sam Drenth to the stand in an effort to get an admission that the police were trying to break up the local order of the I. W. W. The questions propounded by Little were overruled and Drenth did not give any testimony. The four defendants then took the stand and gave their side of the case.
The witnesses for the prosecution told conflicting stories, although the facts simmered down to a little loud talking on the part of F. H. Little, Victor Vogel and William Flanagan. The men were discussing the rooms in a certain lodging house on H street. Little talked a trifle too loud. Patrolman Piemens approached the trio and asked Little and his friends not to talk so loud. The men refused and defied the officer, whereupon he took them to jail. W. F. Little joined the party in the courthouse park and he too was placed under arrest.
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[Newsclip added.]
From The Fresno Morning Republican of September 2, 1910:
I. W. W. WORKER WILL GET TASTE OF JAIL
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F. H. Little Says “Dungeons” Hold
No Terrors for Him; To Try It.
——-With a dramatic wave of his hand, F. H. Little, a prominent member of the local order of I. W. W., declared in police court yesterday morning that “your jails and dungeons have no terrors for me.” When Judge Briggs imposed a fine of $25 against Little, who vas convicted by a jury Wednesday of disturbing the peace, he again stood up and asserted that he would go to jail and work out his sentence.
Little was accompanied to the jail by Bailiff Henry Russell. The court room was crowded to the doors by I. W. W. members and others who had become interested In the case. Although Little was convicted by a jury the day before, he was given until yesterday to receive sentence. When the court called his name, Little stood up and began a lengthy speech on the disgrace the police department is to Fresno. Judge Briggs cut him short and imposed a fine of $25. Then Little decided to be a real martyr and go to jail.
From The Fresno Morning Republican of September 3, 1910:
LITTLE BECOMES REAL MARTYR TO HIS CAUSE
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Refuses to Rake Up Leaves and Is
Thrown Into Tanks; Enjoys It.
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F. H. Little, a prominent member of the local branch of the I. W. W., who received a sentence of twenty-five days in jail for disturbing the peace, has gained his uppermost desire. He is now a full-fledged “martyr.” Wednesday, Little was convicted of disturbing the peace by a jury in the police court. Thursday, Judge Briggs imposed a fine of $25. The I. W. W. refused to pay the fine and as a result went to jail.
Yesterday, Little was given the freedom of a trusty in the court house park. When Park Officer Woods handed a rake to Little he hurled it to the ground and refused to rake up leaves. The I. W. W. man said the leaves could rot before he would rake them up. Then Little was put in the tanks and will be kept in close confinement. He did not object in the least to the treatment, saying “your jails and dungeons hold no terrors for me.” Evidently the dark cell does not bother Little as he began to sing and kept it up all day.
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Note: Emphasis added throughout.
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SOURCE
Quote Frank Little, Fresno Jails Dungeons, FMR p6 , Sept 2, 1910
https://www.newspapers.com/image/606951967/
The Fresno Morning Republican
(Fresno, California)
-Sept 1, 1910
https://www.newspapers.com/image/606951911/
-Sept 2, 1910
https://www.newspapers.com/image/606951967/
-Sept 3, 1910
https://www.newspapers.com/image/606952021/
IMAGE
IWW Fresno FSF, Frank Little Arrested, LA Tx p23, Aug 26, 1910
https://www.newspapers.com/image/380180684/
See also:
Hellraisers Journal – Sunday August 28, 1910
Free Speech Denied in Fresno, California, Four Members of Local 66 Arrested for Speaking on the Street
Tag: Frank Little
https://weneverforget.org/tag/frank-little/
Tag: Fresno Free Speech Fight of 1910-1911
https://weneverforget.org/tag/fresno-free-speech-fight-of-1910-1911/
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This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie