Tag: Appeal to Reason

Hellraisers Journal: Pinkerton Gunthugs Siringo and Meldrum in Boise: “notoriously handy with their revolvers.”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday July 7, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Gunthugs Siringo & Meldrum Attend Trial

From the Appeal to Reason of June 29, 1907:

GUN-FIGHTERS IN BOISE.
—–

HMP, Gunthugs Siringo & Meldrum, SLTb, June 18, 1907

—–

HMP, Gunthug Siringo w Walking Stick, Wilshires July 1907

The following Associated Press dispatch, printed in the Kansas City Times, will give our readers a pen picture of the sort of witnesses summoned by the Gooding-McPartland gang to testify against Haywood:

Boise, Ida., June 20.-Charles A. Siringo and “Bob” Meldrum, who are in daily attendance at the Haywood trial, are notoriously handy with their revolvers. Meldrum has “five notches” in his gun; but the number of men who have fallen before Siringo’s unerring aim is not definitely known.

Siringo acts as body guard for the detective, James McPartland. He has served the Pinkerton agency twenty-one years, and one of his first assignments was to “shadow” certain lawyers in connection with the trial of the Chicago anarchists. Siringo has operated extensively against cattle rustlers, and at the time of the Coeur d’Alene strike he was recording secretary of the Gem Miners’ union, of which at the time George A. Pettibone was financial secretary. Siringo’s record became known and he escaped by cutting a hole in a floor and crawling under a wooden sidewalk for 200 yards.

Meldrum is now a deputy sheriff at Telluride. Colo., and is here as a witness. Originally he was a cowboy and was employed by cattle men to fight the rustlers. In several strikes he has served the mine owners in various capacities, and he is reputed to be one of the handiest men in the country with a revolver.

Another dispatch relates how Meldrum and his partner undertook to start a riot. The attempt was such a bunglesome job that the Boise police collared the bad men, and fined them $100 and $50 respectively. The fines were paid by the Pinkerton Agency.

———-

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Hellraisers Journal: W. F. of M. Convention Demands Investigation Into Murder of Organizer Alex Obremski

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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He knew he was taking his life in his hands
in going to Trinidad, but as he was ordered there
he would not shirk his duty.
-Henry Morris of Pueblo on murder of
WFM Organizer Alex Obremski

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday June 29, 1907
Denver, Colorado – W. F. of M. Convention Wants Investigation

From the Albuquerque Evening Citizen of June 15, 1907:

WILL INVESTIGATE THE SHOOTING
OF A MINER
—–
Murdered Western Federation Organizer
May Have Been Victim of Conspiracy.
—–

LETTER CONTAINS STRONG ALLEGATION
—–

WFM button

Denver, Colo., June 15.-The Western Federation of Miners’ convention today received a communication from a member in Las Animas county, suggesting an investigation of the killing of Alexander Obrenski [Obremski], a Federation organizer, by Juan Eskinas [Espinosa], at Rugby, Colo., about one month ago [May 18th].

The killing was alleged, at the time, to have occurred in a barroom row, but the writer of the communication suggested that it was the result of a conspiracy to injure the Federation.

Strong Statement.

He makes the statement that the row was not participated in by the organizer, but that the belligerents managed to gather around Obrenski, and before he could get away a shot was fired, and he fell to the floor, [..and..?] The fighters melted into obscurity immediately.

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Hellraisers Journal: Whereabouts and Doings of Mother Jones for May 1907: Found in Texas and Arizona

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Martin Irons sleeps and in
God’s good time his name will be revived,
the contumely will be effaced
and his memory will shine resplendent
in the galaxy of agitators, pioneers and warriors
who died to make man free.
-Mother Jones

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday June 13, 1907
Mother Jones News for May: Visits Grave of Martin Irons

Mother Jones, Mar 11, 1905, AtR

During the month of May 1907, Mother Jones was found active as a speaker for the Socialist Party in Texas, and, in Arizona, she was found in Bisbee, assisting the Western Federations of Miners. While in Texas, Mother paid a visit to the grave of Martin Irons. An account of that visit can be found below, along with a tribute to the Pioneer Labor Hero, Martin Irons.

From The Dallas Morning News of May 1, 1907:

“MOTHER” JONES WILL SPEAK.
—–
Chicago Woman, Speaker on Socialistic
Topics, Is Here.

“Mother” Jones of Chicago, a lecturer whose advocacy of Socialism has made her well known throughout the United States, will speak tonight at 8 o’clock in the Woodman Hall at the corner of Corinth and Wall Streets, near the cotton mills. Tomorrow night she will speak in the City Hall auditorium, and both addresses will constitute part of the campaign for municipal positions of the local Socialist candidates.

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Hellraisers Journal: Summary of Moyer-Haywood Case From Current Literature: Socialist Press & “Undesirable Citizens”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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If they hang Moyer and Haywood,
they’ve got to hang me.
-Eugene Victor Debs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday June 8, 1907
Current Literature on Moyer-Haywood Case, Part II

HMP, Gooding Steunenberg, Current Lit June 1907

—–

THE murder of ex-Governor Steunenberg, as viewed by the state authorities of Idaho and by most of the daily papers of the country, came as a sequel to a long series of labor troubles between the miners and the mine-owners of the Coeur d’Alene district in Idaho. This district, twenty-five miles in length and one to five miles wide, contains rich mines of lead. Trouble began in 1892 and continued for seven years, off and on, with all the usual violent accompaniments of a war between labor and capital in a region where the forces of government are none too strong and the leaders on either side none too scrupulous. There were pitched battles between the union men and the non-union men. Dynamite was used to wreck mills, men were assassinated, and on May 8, 1897, the feeling had become so intense that President Boyce, of the Western Federation, advised every local union to organize a rifle corps, “so that in two years we can hear the inspiring music of the martial tread of twenty-five thousand armed men in the ranks of labor.” The trouble reached a climax in April, 1899, when the $250,000 mill of the Bunker Hill Company was destroyed by the miners with dynamite.

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Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Will Not Be Going to Boise at Request of Haywood’s Defense Attorneys

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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The worm turns at last, and so does the worker.
Let them dare to execute their devilish plot
and every state in this Union will resound
with the tramp of revolution
-Eugene Victor Debs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday June 4, 1907
Boise, Idaho – Eugene Debs Will Not Attend Haywood Trial

From the South Dakota Lead Daily Call of June 1, 1907:

DON’T WANT DEBS
—–

Haywood’s Attorneys Request Debs,
the Famous Socialistic Labor Leader,
Not to Attend the Trial Now on at Boise
—–

[…]

HMP, EVD, Eugene OR Guard, May 30, 1907

BOISE, Idaho, June 1.-Eugene V. Debs, the leading apostle of socialism in the country, has been requested by Attorneys Richardson and Darrow to stay away from Boise during the progress of the Haywood trial. Debs has replied to the letter of Haywood’s counsel announcing his acquiescence in their desire.

The correspondence was perfectly friendly, Debs accepting the reasons advanced by Richardson and Darrow as sufficient.

The socialist problem is a serious and difficult one for the defense attorneys. A dozen representatives of as many socialistic publications are attending the trial and each is at odds with the other….

 

The request to Debs was made because of a statement published over his signature a year ago in which he declared for an armed demonstration if the Colorado men were executed…

[Photograph added.]

From the June 3rd Evening Star of Independence, Kansas:

Debs Treats Ladies to Ice Cream

———-

Girard correspondence in the Pittsburg Headlight [Pittsburg, Kansas]: Eugene V. Debs, who is living in Girard for the present, treated the ladies who are employed at the Appeal to reason office very liberally to ice cream, cake and candy at Decker’s Candy Kitchen, after office hours last Friday afternoon.

———- Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs Will Not Be Going to Boise at Request of Haywood’s Defense Attorneys” →

Hellraisers Journal: From the Duluth Labor World: A Song for Haywood’s Little Daughter by Owen Spendthrift

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday May 26, 1907
New York Songwriter Pens Lyrics for “Undesirable Citizen” Meeting

“WILL THEY HANG PAPA?”
LABOR’S LATEST DITTY
—–
Little Daughter of W. D. Haywood Asks
Pathetic Question of Reporter.
—–
Query Becomes Inspiration for Song
and Lyric Tunes It Into Music.
—–

HMP, Henrietta Haywood, Boise, Wilkes-Barre Leader, May 10, 1907

“Are they going to hang father?” thus a reporter for an eastern paper was questioned when visiting the home of W. D. Haywood for the purpose of making a study of the domestic life of the imprisoned official of the Western Federation of Miners. The question was asked by the little daughter of Mr. Haywood, and the cheeks of the poor girl were wetted by tears as she pathetically looked into the eyes of her visitor.

The great papers which give much space to the prosecution’s side of the greatest conspiracy of modern times, have not much to spare to inform the public of the touching appeals of Haywood’s children, so firmly convinced of their father’s innocence.

When Owen Spendthrift, the New York song writer, read the story of the reporter’s visit to the Haywood home, he was impressed with the query of the little girl, and he tuned his lyric for a big “Undesirable Citizen” meeting to be held in New York on the following Sunday. This is his song:

HMP, Hang Papa? Spendthrift, Labor World, May 18, 1907

[Photograph of Henrietta Haywood added.]

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the Duluth Labor World: A Song for Haywood’s Little Daughter by Owen Spendthrift” →

Hellraisers Journal: Governor & Warden Invite Kept Press to “Grand Reception” with the Pious Assassin, Harry Orchard

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday May 25, 1907
From Boise, Idaho – Montana News Reports on Haywood Trial:

A Grand Reception
—–

Held in Idaho Penitentiary for the Purpose
of Creating a Sentiment in Favor of
a Self Confessed Murder

 

Boise, May 18.

HMP, Justice Boise, Spokane Press, May 9, 1907

When court closed at three o’clock this afternoon the state had used seven of its peremptory challenges and the defense six. The work of completing the jury still promises to be a long and tedious one. Today completed the sixth day of the trial. The weather is very warm. Not much interest in the case is manifested in Boise, only small crowds being in attendance.

It is evident even to a casual observer that a battle royal is on. Each side is contesting every step of the way. But the tilts between the attorneys have so far been conducted with uniform courtesy and good nature. It is interesting to watch the class feature figure in the selection of the jury. A man appearing right down common and plainly honest with no pretensions to belong to the confident side of society is unvaribly peremptorily rejected by the prosecution. While a self confident man owning considerable property and feeling a certain superiority and conscious respectability is promptly dismissed by the defense.

The reason for this unconscious action on the part of the contending forces at bar can be furnished only by the socialist philosophy.

The property possessing class and those that have means to live in a somewhat comfortable style find all their interests in conformity with maintaining the established order of things. The wage workers and those whose occupation has brought them no sense of security and established position in society feel no sympathy in maintaining the farce of established procedure. So the choosing of the jury proceeds as carefully as the chess player moves his pawns. Only in final resort the judge and the sheriff hold the deciding moves. Over half of the new panel of hundred men has been exhausted.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Governor & Warden Invite Kept Press to “Grand Reception” with the Pious Assassin, Harry Orchard” →

Hellraisers Journal: Luella Twining for the Appeal to Reason on Monster Moyer-Haywood Demonstration in Boston

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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If I hang on the scaffold myself
I will do all in my power to defend
Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone.
-Luella Twining

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday May 22, 1907
Boston, Massachusetts – Monster Moyer-Haywood Demonstration

HMP, Undesirable Citizen, Walker 3, AtR, Apr 20, 1907

Massive demonstrations to protest the frame-up of the officials of the Western Federation Miners have been held this month in cities and towns across the nation. Most recently, on Sunday May 19th, the workers of Chicago came out en masse onto the streets, many wearing buttons declaring, “I Am an Undesirable Citizen.” This same button had been worn by the marchers in New York City on May 4th. That parade was one of the largest ever held in the city and concluded with a rally at the Grand Central Palace.

In the May 18th edition of the Appeal to Reason, Luella Twining describes the monster demonstration held in Boston on Sunday May 5th:

ON THE BOSTON COMMON
—–

A Hundred Thousand Workingmen
Call The President’s Bluff
-Massachusetts Full of “Undesirable Citizens.”

BY LUELLA TWINING.
Special Correspondent Appeal to Reason

HMP, Boston Demo of May 5, Luella Twining, AtR, May 18, 1907

Luella Twining

WHEN I saw the boys at Fitchburg marching down the street, 2,000 strong, with their banners flying, flags and torches headed by the band playing the Marseillaise, I wept. I could not restrain my tears in Lynn, when I saw the boys there marching 2,500 strong. These were mighty armies parading to show Standard Oil and President Roosevelt that they will not tolerate the railroading of Moyer, Haywood and Pettibone to the gallows. I was elated over the mass meeting in the morning at Lynn, in the ball park, where five thousand citizens assembled to protest against injustice and show their colors. But the demonstration May the 5th, in Boston, was so stupendous I could not comprehend it, and I am sure I never shall be able to. Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Luella Twining for the Appeal to Reason on Monster Moyer-Haywood Demonstration in Boston” →

Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs for the Appeal to Reason: “Roosevelt’s Labor Letters”

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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If Moyer and Haywood die!
If Moyer and Haywood die!
Twenty million working men
Will know the reason why!
-Protest Chant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday May 19, 1907
From the Appeal to Reason: Debs Questions President Roosevelt

Roosevelt’s Labor Letters
—–

Eugene V. Debs
—–

Kidnappers Special by BBH, detail, AtR, May 19, 1906

The letter of President Roosevelt to the Moyer and Haywood conference of New York is in strange contrast with the one previously addressed by him to the Chicago conference on the same subject. The two letters are so entirely dissimilar in spirit and temper that they seem to have been written by different persons. In the first the President bristles with defiance, in the last he is the pink of politeness. The first letter utterly failed of its purpose. Organized labor did not lie down and be still at the command of the President. On the contrary, it growled more fiercely than before in fact, showed its teeth to the President, who has become so used to exhibiting his own. And lo-what a change! The President receives a labor committee, talks over matters for an hour and then addresses a letter to the conference through the chairman, beginning “My Dear Mr. Henry,” explaining that he is ready to perform his duty if only the conference will point it out to him, and putting the whole blame on “Debs and the Socialists,” whom he charges with using “treasonable and murderous language,” but not a word of explanation does he vouchsafe in regard to his denunciation of Moyer and Haywood, the real, and in fact the only, point at issue.

Again has the President vindicated his reputation as one of the smoothest of politicians and one of the most artful and designing of demagogues.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Eugene Debs for the Appeal to Reason: “Roosevelt’s Labor Letters”” →

Hellraisers Journal: Haywood Family in Court and Socialists in Boise by Ida Crouch-Hazlett

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday May 17, 1907
For The Montana News: Ida Crouch-Hazlett Reports from Boise

Reporting from Boise, Idaho, on the trial William D. Haywood, Ida Crouch-Hazlett, editor of the Socialist weekly, The Montana News, describes the Haywood family as they appeared in court on May 9th, the first day of the great trial:

Haywood’s Family Present.

Haywood Family Reunited, Boise, Wilkes-Barre Leader, May 10, 1907, Crpd

Mrs. Haywood had been carried up the stairs and into the court room in her invalid chair. She was dressed in black with a white collar at her throat and wore a black hat with a white flower. She was accompanied by her two daughters and nurse. The daughters sat in the same line with Haywood behind the attorneys; first the wife, then Verna, then the nurse with Henrietta on her lap, and then the man on trial for his life.

Haywood was clean shaved, well dressed and looked in the best of condition. His face held an expression of confidence that showed that his mind was not greatly disturbed.

As he sat down by the side of his daughter, Haywood placed his hand fondly upon her head and the two exchanged quick, loving smiles. Then he glanced over toward his wife and the two exchanged similar smiles. A moment later Haywood leaned over and began talking earnestly with Attorney Richardson. He was apparently asking some important questions and his attorney nodded vigorously at intervals. Then Haywood said some thing that caused them both to laugh heartily.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Haywood Family in Court and Socialists in Boise by Ida Crouch-Hazlett” →