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Hellraisers Journal – Friday February 14, 1919
Sacramento, California – Sentence Suspended for Theodora Pollock
While many of those convicted with her were sentenced to ten years in federal prison, the sentence of Miss Theodora Pollock has now been suspended. Below, our readers can find a complete list of the fellow workers who were convicted under the Espionage Act in federal court in Sacramento, California. In fact they are guilty only of being members of-or sympathetic to-the Industrial Workers of the World. Missing from this list, of course, are the five fellow workers who died awaiting trial.
From the National Civil Liberties Bureau:
Convicted January 17, 1919, at Sacramento, California for alleged conspiracy to violate several sections of the Federal Penal Code, the Espionage Act and various other Federal statutes.
Sentenced to ten years:
Mortimer Downing,
Frederick Esmond,
Chris Luber,
Phil McLaughlin,
John Grave,
Louis Tori,
James Quintan,
Edward Quigley,
George O’Connell,
Roy P. Connor,
John Potthast,
Henry Hammer,
Pete de Bernardi,
Myron Sprague,
Elmer Anderson,
Caesar Tabib,
Robert Connellan,
Frank Elliott,
Harry Gray,
Gabe Brewer,
Godfrey Ebel,
William Hood,
Vincent Santelli,
Geo. F. VoetterSentenced to five years:
Edward S. Carey,
Harry Murphy,
Herbert StredwickSentenced to four years:
Robt. Feehan,
James H. Mulrooney,
James PriceSentenced to three years:
Joe Carroll,
Otto EisnerSentenced to two years:
Frank Moran,
Frank Reilly,
Edward Anderson,
Felix CedinoSentenced to one year:
H. Donovan,
W. H. Faust,
Chas. Koenig,
W. L. Miller,
Albert WhiteheadConvicted, not yet sentenced:
[Note: these three chose legal representation, and did not take part in the “Silent Defense.” Since this list was made, they have all received light sentences, with Miss Pollock’s sentence suspended.]
Theodora Pollock,
A. L. Fox,
Basil Saffores[Newsclip added is from the Port Huron Times Herald of February 12th.]
From New Solidarity of December 28, 1918:
SOMEBODY MUST
BY ANISE
Down in Sacramento
Forty-nine wobblies
Are ON TRIAL
And they have REFUSED
LAWYERS
And REFUSED
To TESTIFY
And refused to recognize
The COURT
In ANY WAY.
Only one spokesman,
Elected by the rest,
Will STAND FORTH
And read their statement.
“This is OUR PROTEST,” he says,
“Against the COURTS
Of California.
We have seen what
They did to MOONEY;
We have seen the death
Of five fellow-workers
Confined in this jail;
We have seen how officers
Act towards us;
And so we ANNOUNCE
To the world
That a trial
Of WORKING MEN
In California
Is only a LEGL.
LYNCHING.”
Well, of course we know
What those men will get
For being so NERVY,
And slapping the LAW
In the face.
But I remember
The “passive resisters”
Of England,
And I remember how
Roger Baldwin
REFUSED to give BAIL,
And buy a month’s freedom,
Saying; “I do not believe
In the system of BAIL
Which allows a man
With MONEY
To be at large,
While the poor man
ROTS in jail.”
And I thought; “I wouldn’t like
To be in their place,
But SOMEBODY has to do it.
While all the rest of us
Are passing resolutions
And organizing
And voting,
And all of it counts;
There comes at last a time
When SOMEBODY
Has to get up and say,
Looking the judge in the face:
‘This is a crooked game,
And I WON’T PLAY IT
Until the RULES are changed
And the cards UNSTACKED!'”
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SOURCES
Quote BBH Sacramento IWW Martyrs, With Drops of Blood, Oct 1919
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/unions/iww/1920/drops.htm
War-time Prosecutions and Mob Violence
Involving the Rights of Free Speech,
Free Press, and Peaceful Assemblage
National Civil Liberties Bureau, March 1919
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Pm4yAQAAIAAJ&pg=GBS.RA3-PA1
Contents
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Pm4yAQAAIAAJ&pg=GBS.RA3-PA3
II. CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS.
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Pm4yAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.RA3-PA14
4. PROSECUTIONS SPECIFICALLY INVOLVING I. W. W. ACTIVITY.
a). Conspiracies to violate various federal statutes.
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Pm4yAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.RA3-PA34
Convicted 1/17/19-Sacramento, Cal.
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Pm4yAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.RA3-PA35
New Solidarity
(Chicago, Illinois)
-Dec 28, 1918
“Somebody Must” by Anise
(Anna Louise Strong)
From:
Rebel Voices
-ed by Joyce L. Kornbluh
PM Press, Sep 1, 2011
(search: “somebody must by anise”)
https://books.google.com/books?id=n2ATBwAAQBAJ
IMAGE
IWW Sacramento Theodora Pollack, Tx Hld Prt Huron p3, Feb 12, 1919
Note: re Pollack or Pollock? search with “theodora pollock” returns many times more results than search with “theodora pollack,” but both should be used. Not sure which spelling she actually used, more research needed.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/209873383/
See also:
Tag: The Silent Defense
https://weneverforget.org/tag/the-silent-defense/
WE NEVER FORGET: The IWW Martyrs of the Sacramento County Jail
Who Died Awaiting Trial, October-November, 1918
The World Tomorrow
“A Journal looking toward a Christian World”
(New York, New York)
-Feb 1919
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=kVwxAQAAMAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PR27
“Sowing Dragons’ Teeth”
-re conviction of Theodora Pollock with Sacramento IWWs
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=kVwxAQAAMAAJ&hl=en&pg=GBS.PR34
National Civil Liberties Bureau
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Civil_Liberties_Bureau
Tag: Anna Louise Strong
https://weneverforget.org/tag/anna-louise-strong/
Roger N Baldwin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Nash_Baldwin
For history of Solidarity to Defense News Bulletin to New Solidarity:
-scroll way down for more information.
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