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Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday July 6, 1921
Ludlow, Colorado – Memorial Services Held at Ludlow Monument
From the United Mine Workers Journal of July 1, 1921:
LUDLOW, Colo., June 20.-A crowd of more than 4,000 attended the annual memorial services at Ludlow monument yesterday. Ludlow monument was erected by the United Mine Workers of America on the scene of the inhuman massacre in 1914 of eighteen men, women and children by thugs and assassins in the employ of coal companies in the murderous campaign to prevent the mine workers of Colorado from joining the union. It was the largest crowd that ever attended a memorial service in memory of these heroic, helpless victims of the gunman’s fury.
An almost perfect June day and the published announcements that the international heads of the U. M. W. of A. would be present served to create more interest than usual.
There was considerable disappointment when a telegram was read by President Jno. McLennan of Dist. 15 stating John L. Lewis and Wm. Green would not be present because they had very important business on hand early Monday morning in Denver and, in view of the disarranged train schedules, feared they could not take a chance on delay.
Instead the principal address was delegated to Philip Murray of Pittsburgh, International Vice-President. Mr. Murray was the last speaker of the program and held his audience with a talk that was a mixture of real oratory, sentiment and humor, all delivered with a very pleasing and pronounced Irish brogue…..
[Vice-President Murray] spoke directly to the women and children during part of his address, urging them to use their influence on the non-union miners to join the organization…..
Reference was made to the Mingo county mine war in West Virginia, which Murray said had cost the lives of fifty union men in the past year. He said the miners there were made of stern stuff and were prepared to defend their homes with their lives.
At the present time the U. M. W. of A. was supporting 6,000 of the striking miners, feeding and clothing them and furnishing them shelter in tent colonies.
Murray held up the U. M. W. of A. as a real American organization with the highest motives to advance civilization and humanity as its goal.
He said it was like a league of nations with the one objective to increase the material benefits of the miners and their families.
International Organizer Bozo Damich, made an address in Slavish and was followed by International Organizer Nick Fontecchio in Italian. E. E. Vasquez, well-known Las Animas county miner, spoke for the benefit of the Spanish-Americans.
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[Photographs and emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Quote Frank Hayes, Here on Ludlow Field, UMWJ June 6, 1918
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=iwxOAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.RA4-PA4&printsec=frontcover
United Mine Workers Journal
(Indianapolis, Indiana)
-July 1, 1921
“Memorial Services Held at Ludlow Monument”
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=oHItAQAAMAAJ&pg=GBS.RA12-PA8&printsec=frontcover
IMAGES
Ludlow Monument, UMWJ -p6, May 16, 1918
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=iwxOAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.RA4-PA4&printsec=frontcover
See also:
The Ludlow Massacre
-by Walter H. Fink
Director of Publicity, District No. 15, U. M. W. A.
Denver, 1914
https://archive.org/details/ludlowmassacrere00finkrich
Tag: Ludlow Monument
https://weneverforget.org/tag/ludlow-monument/
Tag: Mingo County Coal Miners Strike of 1920-1922
https://weneverforget.org/tag/mingo-county-coal-miners-strike-of-1920-1922/
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WE NEVER FORGET
Mary Elaine Petrucci speaks at Ludlow Memorial
Song of Mary Petrucci at Ludlow – Tom Breiding