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Hellraisers Journal – Monday November 22, 1909
Fresno, California – Telegram from Spokane Tells of Free Speech Fight
From The Fresno Morning Republican of November 16, 1909:
TELLS OF SPOKANE INDUSTRIAL FIGHT
—–
W. F. Little Learns That His Brother Is
Doing 30 Days for Reading
Declaration of Independence.
W. F. [“Fred”] Little, of the local union of Industrial Workers of the World, received an official communication from the Spokane local yesterday reciting the treatment of members of the order in Spokane in their fight with the city authorities. The letter gives this bit of personal news.
I understand that you are a brother of F. H. [“Frank”] Little, the hobo agitator, in jail in Spokane with 200 more as a result of the free speech fight. He was reading the Declaration of Independence on the street corner. He was sentenced to thirty days for this terrible crime.
The letter describes some of the Third Degree methods pursued by the police and jailors. It is related that the men are crowded into stuffy cells, without creature conveniences and the steam temperature was kept on one occasion at 100 degrees for a period of thirty-six hours in an effort to “break” the men.
Mr. Little yesterday took up a private collection among the local “Industrial Workers” to aid their brothers in their Spokane fight.
———-
[Insert added from Spokane Press of November 3, 1909.]
Fellow Worker Frank Little was also jailed during the Missoula Free Speech Fight, and described that experience for Industrial Worker of October 27th:
THE BEATING OF JONES BY
THE MISSOULA SHERIFF.[-by F. H. Little]
On September 30th Fellow Workers Jones, Appleby [George Applebee], Tuchs [Herman Tucker] and myself were sentenced to 15 days each in the county jail. That night five more of the boys were arrested. The morning of October 1st, after breakfast, the prisoners called for a speech. We moved the table to the southwest corner of the jail. Jones got up and made a talk on Industrial Union. The sheriff sent in word not to talk so loud. So Jones lowered his voice. He talked for about five minutes, then we started to sing the “Red Flag.”
The sheriff came in and ordered us to stop singing. We stopped. The sheriff said: “You can sing one hour of the morning and evening.” We asked at what hour. He said: “Between 6 and 7 of the morning, and 7 and 8 in the evening.” The prisoners told him that we would be locked up at that time. “Well, you can’t sing at all,” said the sheriff. Jones said that we would sing, and grinned in the sheriff’s face.
Brave Sheriff.
Of course he should have known that it was unconstitutional to laugh at the majesty of the law. The sheriff grabbed Jones by the throat, and threw him back on the table, and slapped him in the face. Jones made no resistance. Some of the prisoners crowded up close to the Big Thug. Jones said: “Don’t interfere, boys.” The sheriff said: “No, you’re damned right, they won’t interfere.” He then turned to me and said: “You are a gentleman, but this fellow, pointing to Jones, is a damned —- —- —-. (The language he used won’t do to print.) He said; “I never did like his looks.” Jones answered: “I can return the compliment.” The sheriff then grabbed Jones and put him in the cage and closed the door. Jones said: “Boys, see that this is published.” The sheriff went in the cage. He said, “I’ll fix you so you can’t talk,” and knocking Jones down, pounded him in the face. He had a big brass key in his hand. He asked Jones if he would be good. Jones would not answer. The sheriff then grabbed Jones by the hair of the head and the seat of the pants and knocked him up and down on the steel floor.
When we got to Jones he was unconscious. His eyes were black and swollen. His face was covered with blood. I went to the door and asked for a doctor. They answered me that he needed no doctor. Then, in a short time, they moved Jones to the city jail.
But in spite of the slugging tactics used by the policing forces of the employers the members of the I. W. W. forced the city of Missoula to surrender, and if the Workers will organize we can force the U. S. Government to surrender to us.
F. H. LITTLE
———-
[Note: Fellow Worker J. A. Jones is the husband of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.]
From Washington’s Wenatchee Daily World of November 2, 1909:
TEST FREE SPEECH IN SPOKANE
—–TODAY WILL BE A LIVELY ONE IN FALLS CITY
-8,000 I. W. W. RECRUITS
-AUTHORITIES HAVE ROCK PILE.
—–Spokane, Nov. 2-Nearly 8,000 members and sympathizers of the Industrial Workers of the World are preparing here today to launch a great fight against Spokane’s police department, which is attempting to abolish street speaking. Without observing the customary formality of ticket purchasing, 500 recruits for Spokane’s 7,000 revolutionists boarded trains out of Portland, Ore., this morning and are now on their way here to assist in the determined and stubborn conquest for free speech that will begin here tomorrow.
A telegram was received this morning by local officials of the I. W. W. from F. H. Little, leader of a band of revolutionists in Kalispell, Mont., stating that 500 members and sympathizers of the Industrial Workers were ready and waiting there to come to Spokane and go to jail with the rest of them for the cause. They will not advance to Spokane till the local officials issue a call for them, however…..
From the Spokane Industrial Worker of November 10, 1909:
———-
Fresno, Cal., Nov. 3, 1909.
“Industrial Worker,”
Spokane, Wash.Fellow Worker Editor:
Workers Industrial Union of Fresno, I. W. W. received charter November 1. We are No. 66. Fellow Worker Fisher of No. 173 was elected president and myself secretary-financial and recording.
We will try to stir things up here from now on. Are with you in the street fight and we’ll try to raise a little fund for the scrap.
Yours for I. W. W.,
W. F. LITTLE
394 Poplar Ave.———-
Note: Emphasis added throughout.
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SOURCES
The Fresno Morning Republican
(Fresno, California)
-Nov 16, 1909, page 1
https://www.genealogybank.com/
Industrial Worker
(Spokane, Washington)
-Oct 27, 1909
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iw/v1n32-oct-27-1909-IW.pdf
-Nov 10, 1909
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iw/v1n34-nov-10-1909-IW.pdf
The Wenatchee Daily World
(Wenatchee, Washington)
-Nov 2, 1909
https://www.newspapers.com/image/83345667/
IMAGE
Spk FSF, IWW Notices, Spk Prs p2, Nov 3, 1909
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085947/1909-11-03/ed-1/seq-2/
See also:
Tag: Frank Little
https://weneverforget.org/tag/frank-little/
Tag: Spokane Free Speech Fight of 1909-1910
https://weneverforget.org/tag/spokane-free-speech-fight-of-1909-1910/
Note: Found in Spokane Spokesman Review of March 9, 1909, page 7:
“C. Youse” listed among I. W. W. members fined for defying ordinance against speaking on the street.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/566333680
Note: per The Missoulian of Oct 1, 1909:
H. L. Tucker and George Applebee were arrested with Jones and Little.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/348705828/
Frank Little and the IWW:
The Blood That Stained an American Family
-by Jane Little Botkin
University of Oklahoma Press, May 25, 2017
Note: This is the definitive biography of Fellow Worker Frank Little. Jane Little Botkin is the great grand niece of Frank and Fred Little. Book is thoroughly and diligently sourced.
-For Missoula Free Speech Fight, see Chapter 10, “The Four-Word Speech” and search: jones little tucker applebee.
-For Spokane Free Speech Fight, see Chapter 11, “An Injury to One”
https://books.google.com/books?id=gBskDwAAQBAJ
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