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Hellraisers Journal – Sunday July 27, 1902
Parkersburg, West Virginia – Judge Jackson Will Not Send Mother Jones to Jail
From The Pittsburg Press of July 25, 1902:
LECTURE BY JUDGE TO “MOTHER” MARY JONES.
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Told Her She Most Obey the Law or Suffer.
Parkersburg. W. Va., July 25.-Thursday, after he had suspended sentence on “Mother” Jones, Judge Jackson started to lecture “the miners’ angel.”
“It must be distinctly understood,” he said, “that you must obey this injunction. If ‘Mother’ Jones is the good woman they say she is she will obey law and order. I will not send her to jail to pose as a martyr, nor shall she break into jail.”
Mother Jones arose and dramatically declared that she did not ask the mercy of anybody; she was simply trying to do her duty as she saw it, and whenever the court wanted her it could send for her. “I hope we will both meet on the other side of life when we die,” she finished, and at this Jackson smiled and the audience broke into applause. “Mother” Jones then went to the bench and shook hands with Judge Jackson, both smiling. “Now take my advice and go back home, keep the peace and obey the law,” Jackson softly said to her.
“Oh. but I must keep up the fight as long as I live,” she replied.
“Well, don’t fight In my district,” was the judge’s parting shot.
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Mother Jones Undaunted.
Parkersburg, W. Va., July 25.-Mother Jones says she will continue to work in behalf of the miners of West Virginia [as an organizer for the United Mine Workers of America] in spite of Judge Jackson’s threat that if she does he will have her arrested again and sentenced. She says she is doing her duty and fear of jail will not prevent her from continuing along that line.
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[Photograph and emphasis added.]
From the Parkersburg Daily Morning News of July 25, 1902:
[Judge Jackson Hopes Mother Jones
Will Take Up Charity Work]An unusual incident occurred in the U. S. Court room on Thursday afternoon [July 24th] when there was a spontaneous outburst of applause which lasted for several seconds and which could not be checked by the bailiff.
It was probably the first time that an incident of that kind ever occurred in the august presence of the court and was brought about by remarks that were passed between Judge Jackson and Mother Jones just after the case of the latter had been disposed of.
Judge Jackson in passing on the case said that judging from the interviews with Mrs. Jones that he had seen in the newspapers she desired to go to jail in order to pose as a martyr to the cause, but that he did not propose to send her to jail. The evidence showed that she was guilty of a violation of the injunction and his judgment was that she was guilty, but he would suspend judgment in her case. He hoped she would profit by her experience and would not further attempt to violate the injunction, but that she would devote her time to charitable work, many lines of which were open to her, and wherein she could be very useful. He gave her some further kindly advice.
Mother Jones arose and thanked the Court for his advice. She said she was not responsible for what the newspapers said about her, and that she was not posing as a martyr. She had a duty to perform and proposed to perform it on the lines she had laid out, happen what might, and if she was again arrested it made little difference to her. If she had transgressed the law she thought she deserved the same punishment as her brothers [fellow U. M W. organizers]. In conclusion she said that Judge Jackson and herself were old and had not long to stay, but when the end came she hoped they would die good friends.
Judge Jackson replied he hoped they would be good friends and after life’s fitful fever was over he hoped they would meet in the same place in the beyond and that that place would be the right place.
It was at this passage that the outburst of applause occurred.
[Emphasis added.]
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SOURCES
Quote: Mother Jones to HD Lloyd, Apr 19, 1903, Steel, Correspondence
https://books.google.com/books?id=EZ2xAAAAIAAJ
The Pittsburg Press
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
-July 25, 1902
https://www.newspapers.com/image/141915102
https://www.newspapers.com/image/141915023/
Mother Jones Speaks
Collected Writings and Speeches
-ed by Philip S Foner
Monad Press, 1983
(search: judge jackson charitable work)
(pages 81-2)
https://books.google.com/books?id=OE9hAAAAIAAJ
IMAGE
Mother Jones of UMW, NY Tb p6, Image 20, July 6, 1902
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1902-07-06/ed-1/seq-20/
See also:
Daily Morning News (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1898-1902
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn86092448/
Tag: Mother Jones v Judge Jackson 1902
https://weneverforget.org/tag/mother-jones-v-judge-jackson-1902/
Tag: West Virginia Coalfield Strike of 1902-1903
https://weneverforget.org/tag/west-virginia-coalfield-strike-of-1902-1903/
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Mother Jones, No More Deaths For Dollars – Ed Pickford