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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday April 23, 1919
Leavenworth Penitentiary – Rebels Behind Bars Remain Strong
From the New York Rebel Worker of April 15, 1919:
THE SPIRIT OF OUR CLASS WAR PRISONERS.
The Portland Fellow Workers send $285.75 to be equally divided among the boys in the Leavenworth Penitentiary, but the rebels confined therein decided unanimously to send same to the general office as the organization is in need of ready cash at present.
This is the spirit of the men who fought for us, and for whom we are now fighting, and their message is organize, organize some more.
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[Emphasis added.]
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Disciplinary Reports from Leavenworth Penitentiary
J. A. MacDonald, No. 13133
January 24, 1919
Became sarcastic and ridiculed the laws and system of Government of the United States. Isolation on restricted diet and removed as school teacher.
Morris Levine, No. 13162
January 29, 1919
Refusing to work. Refused to go out with #3 gang, giving two reason: 1st that he thought that one of his fellow I. W. W.’s had been placed in isolation unjustly, and secondly that he would not work under Certain Gun Guards. Reprimanded and placed in Isolation on restricted diet and thirty (30) days good time taken.
Morris Levine, No. 13162
February 15, 1919
Disobedience of orders. Coming on sick call this morning for treatment and positively refusing to take same. Reprimanded and placed on restricted diet.
Ben Fletcher, No. 13126
February 15, 1919
Hammering on plate with fork so it rang all over the mess hall. Reprimanded and placed in isolation on restricted diet.
John Potthast, No 13577
March 31, 1919
The above prisoner left his plate full of meat and bread at dinner time today. Reprimanded and two weeks yard and amusement privileges taken.
Otto Elsner, No. 13592
April 11, 1919
The waiters in the mess hall have orders to put one spoonful of eggs on each plate. The above cursed him for not putting more on his plate this a. m. Reprimanded and placed in isolation on restricted diet.
John Walsh, No 13147
April 14, 1919
A serious disturbance occurred in the mess hall. After careful investigation I am convinced it was prearranged by a number of prisoners the majority of whom were I. W. W.’s. The disturbance consisted yelling and breaking cups and plates and the yelling continued after they got in the cell house. Isolation restricted diet, reduced to 3rd grade indefinitely. After being released from restricted diet this prisoner will be segregated indefinitely as a dangerous and irresponsible character.
Note: Fellow Workers John Alex MacDonald, Morris Levine, Benjamin Fletcher and John Walsh were convicted at the Chicago I. W. W. federal trial; Fellow Workers John Potthast and Otto Elsner were convicted at the Sacramento I. W. W. federal trial.
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SOURCES
Quote Frank Little re Guts, Chg July 1917
Wobbly:
The Rough-and-tumble Story of an American Radical
-by Ralph Chaplin
University of Chicago Press, Jan 1, 1948
Chapter 18-War, pages 208-9
https://books.google.com/books?id=n-ygPQAACAAJ
The Rebel Worker
“Organ of Revolutionary Unionism”
“Take the s Out of Resolution and Add v for Victory”
(New York, New York)
-Apr 15, 1919
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=fuMtAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA653
From:
Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer on Charges Made Against Department of Justice by Louis F. Post and Others, Volumes 1-2
-Hearings before Committee on Rules, House of Representatives
-June 1920, Sixty-Sixth Congress
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Rules
U.S. Government Printing Office, 1920
https://books.google.com/books?id=fuMtAAAAMAAJ
Exhibit No. 32: The Rebel Worker of Apr 15, 1919
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=fuMtAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA653
“Spirit of Our Class War Prisoners”
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=fuMtAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA653&pg=GBS.PA669
American Political Prisoners
Prosecutions Under the Espionage and Sedition Acts
-by Stephen Martin Kohn
Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994
(search: separately with each last name above
and use spelling as given above.)
https://books.google.com/books?id=-_xHbn9dtaAC
IMAGES
IWW, J. A. MacDonald, 13133 Leavenworth, Sept 1918
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/117703334
IWW, Ben Fletcher, 13126 Leavenworth, Sept 1918
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/112062369
IWW, John Potthast, 13577, Leavenworth, Jan 1919
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/117719350
IWW, Otto Elsner, 13592, Leavenworth, Jan 1919
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/117719392
IWW, John Walsh, 13147 Leavenworth, Sept 1918
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/117703363
Note: sadly photo of Morris Levine not available.
For info on file, see link below & scroll down for inmate number:
-M. Levine, Agency-Assigned Identifier: 13162-inmate number.
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/112062398
See also:
Tag: Class-War Prisoners
https://weneverforget.org/tag/class-war-prisoners/
Tag: Chicago IWW Class War Prisoners
https://weneverforget.org/tag/chicago-iww-class-war-prisoners/
Tag: Sacramento IWW Class War Prisoners
https://weneverforget.org/tag/sacramento-iww-class-war-prisoners/
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There Is Power in a Union – John McCutcheon
Lyrics Joe Hill