Hellraisers Journal: International Socialist Review: The Challenge to West Virginia’s Socialist Party by L. H. Marcy, Part II

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Hellraisers Journal – Thursday June 5, 1913
Huntington, West Virginia – Comrades Expose Military Despotism

From the International Socialist Review of June 1913:

Hatfield’s Challenge to the Socialist Party

By Leslie H. Marcy

[Part II of III]

The following letters from comrades tell the story of the suppression of Socialism in Huntington:

I inclose a picture of the Huntington Socialist and Labor Star’s force with its fighting clothes on. During the flood half our population was homeless. Two companies of militia, withdrawn from Paint Creek strike zone, where they had been on duty seven months, were quartered on the helpless city. They showed us what military law in the Kanawha county had been. They confiscated whiskey and with their hides full of rot-gut, and their hands full of deadly weapons, they staggered about fighting both the citizens and each other, stealing everything that was not nailed down, and breaking into homes and carrying off what they wanted. The Socialist and Labor Star exposed the outrages of these scab-herders, who formed a plot for the destruction of the Star plant. Fortunately, the comrades were tipped off in time and when, in the night, 150 soldiers started out to demolish our machinery, they found the shop had been converted into a fort. Comrades living near had been summoned and the building was in the hands of twenty determined workingmen armed with Winchesters. The gallant warriors decided to delay the attack. The picture inclosed shows the mechanical force with their tools taken the day after the attack.

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Huntington, May 5, 1913.

At a mass meeting being held by the Trades and Labor Assembly, May 5th, to protest against the Russianizing of West Virginia, the crowd was fired into by Baldwin-Feltz mine guards sent from the strike zone for that purpose. Comrade W. R. Taylor, aged 60, was shot through the head, while several others, including women and children, narrowly escaped death in the rain of bullets. Comrade George W. Gillespie, member of the S. P. State Executive Committee, had just started to speak to the 3,000 people when the firing began. Although the names of the detectives are known, the authorities have made no attempt to arrest them.

The last word received from Comrade Thompson reads:

Things have come to a hell of a pass in, West Virginia. The militant comrades who are not in the bull pen are in hiding across the borders in other states. I am writing this upon the Kentucky mountains. I assisted Comrade —– in escaping over the line last night. We got out the Star, sending one to each of the Argus subscribers. Then I took a vacation, with the emphasis on the vacate.

However, it seems that Comrade Thompson must have returned direct to Huntington, and the following letters tell the story of what happened to him and the paper:

From Huntington.

Dear Comrades: Have just read your letter to Comrade W. H. Thompson asking for news. He was this day literally dragged from his home, his wife and four little ones, at 1 a. m., locked up in the jail here, and this p. m. deported to Charleston, by the Major Tom Davis. If there were any charges against him we could not find out what they were. The Governor wired for his “detention” is all that we can get out of the civil authorities here.

This p. m. two Baldwin guards went to Mrs. Thompson’s home and searched the house through and through, looking for the mailing list, but the guards refused to show their search warrant, if they had one. Mrs. Thompson didn’t know they were there till one of them was inside the house. I have seen and been in Texas cyclones and her house is more like that than anything else I can compare it to. It looks as if there had been a real cyclone inside. Now please don’t forget the fact that she was all alone, her husband locked up in the county jail, with no charges whatever against him, and these two (I like to have called them men) guards walked into this unprotected workingman’s house and ransacked it to their own satisfaction. This is the West Virginia method of bravery. Two men can walk over a woman, and it is for “law and order.”

The Socialist and Labor Star plant was confiscated and the stock damaged to an extent unknown to us, as it is locked up. The cuts for this week’s issue were destroyed and everything that was breakable and bendable was ruined.

I visited Comrade Thompson with his wife today in the cell of the county jail. I visited her tonight and saw those four babies clinging to her and crying. Thompson has told the truth to us workers, and what does he get in return? A prison cell. Will the workers stand for it? They are now. There has been no demonstration so far, and I think they are still asleep.

Comrade Thompson tonight is lying in some vile cell for his brother workers and unless they rally to his support, and do it NOW, they are a set of cowards.

There were four others deported with Comrade Thompson today. They were George W. Gillespie, R. M. Kephart, Elmer Rumbaugh and F. M. Sturm. Comrade Thompson belongs to the Typographical Union, Gillespie and Kephart belong to the Machinists’ Union and Sturm belongs to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and Rumbaugh is just a plain working man, but he had as many of his brother union men to see him off to the military den as did those belonging to the crafts of unions. If the unions rally to these comrades, I am a union woman; if they do not, I say let’s cut out this style of union and get another of a type that will stand the test of despotism.

If Hatfield wants another woman to keep Mother Jones from getting lonesome, he can find me.

MRS. SARAH SWANN.

The Coal Baron Governor is certainly making good his program of jugging and deporting EVERY ACTIVE SOCIALIST.

Extracts from Official Black List.

HENRY THOMAS, who has been making Socialist speeches and advocating organized labor. Description-White, age about 40 years, height 5 feet 6 inches, black hair, smooth shaven, dark complected, wears stiff hat.

JESSE SPADE, one of the chartered members of Mt. Hope Socialist local. Description-American, age about 24 years, 5 feet 11 inches, weight 180 pounds, smooth shaven, ruddy complexion, well dressed.

]. G. BRAGG, union man and Socialist, left Meadow Fork and went to Terry, where he has been chosen by the Socialist Party for constable, American, 40 years of age, weight 180 pounds, height 5 feet 10 inches, intelligent and talkative.

TOM AKERS, discharged from Minden for agitating unionism and talking Socialism. Description-White, about 30 years old, 5 feet 9 inches, light hair and blue eyes.

JAMES M. MORGAN, strong Socialist and advocating strike in the New River Fields. Negro, age 38 years, height 6 feet.

[Emphasis added.]