Hellraisers Journal: Governor Ammons, Democrat of Colorado, Refers to Mother Jones, Miners’ Angel, as “that old hag.”

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Quote Mother Jones re Walsenburg Cellar Cell, Mar 22, 1914 x26 days, Ab Chp 21, 1925————————-

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday August 19, 1914
Governor Ammons Refers to Mother Jones as “That Old Hag”

CRTN Copy w Gray Border, Mother Jones Silence by Gen Chase and Colorado Gov Ammons, SUR p3, Feb 21, 1914

Yesterday’s edition of The Lincoln Star noted the visit to that Nebraska city of the Democratic Governor of Colorado, Elias M. Ammons. Ammons came to the state on business, but gave an interview in which he expressed his opinion that the mine owners of Colorado had been unfairly treated by the newspapers of the land. He referred to Mother Jones as “that old hag” and asserted that she was a “professional trouble-maker.” He admits that she was held incommunicado in a Trinidad hospital, but appears to forget her further incarceration of nearly a month’s duration in the cold cellar cell which had already claimed the life of a much younger miner.

While complaining that “a great deal of sympathy has been wasted on that old hag,” the Governor wasted none of his sympathy on the the men, women and children who were murdered at Ludlow. Not a word did he speak of the Ludlow Massacre committed by soldiers who were sent into the strike zone at his command. Not one word of compassion or sorrow did we hear from the Governor for those who lost husbands, wives, and children at the hands of Colorado National Guard whom he had allowed to be infiltrated by the coal company’s hired gunthugs.

From The Lincoln Star of August 18, 1914:

GOV. AMMONS, A LINCOLN VISITOR
———-

Colorado Executive Talks of Mine Troubles in That State
———-
Asserts Only the Miners’ Side Was Given by Newspapers
———-

Nothing has been settled in the Colorado coal miners’ strike, and 2,200 federal troops are still on duty in the region affected, according to the statement of Gov. E. M. Ammons while in Lincoln today. Governor Ammons, who is president of the Farmers Life Insurance company of Denver, was in Lincoln conferring with Insurance Commissioner L. G. Brian over the status of the company in Nebraska. Mr. Brian some time ago refused it a license on the ground that it was engaged more actively in selling stock than in conducting an insurance business.

Governor Ammons said he went to the capitol to call on Governor Morehead, but the latter had gone home to Falls City for the primary election. Not finding Governor Morehead in, he decided to pay Insurance Commissioner Brian a visit. It just happened that Governor Ammons had brought with him a Denver attorney, J. A. O’Shaughnessy, and he also took part in the interview with Mr. Brian.

The Colorado executive showed some feeling when he discussed with a Star reporter the Colorado strike. He declared that the situation had been greatly misrepresented, and only the miners’ side had received publicity. He criticised the newspapers of Denver for not printing all the facts. Three of the four newspapers there, he said, are owned outside of Colorado.

“One of them is a Scripps-MacRae sheet, and it is so rank that I cut it off my list a long time ago.” said Mr Ammons. “I not only don’t read it, but I don’t allow any body to talk to me about what it says.”

The governor asserted that “Mother” Jones is a professional trouble-maker in labor disputes, and that she had not been mistreated by the militia. He said she was told before she went into the strike district that she would be placed under arrest. She refused to stay out and was accordingly taken into custody, being placed in a hospital and not a jail, Governor Ammons declared. He admitted that she was held “incommunicado,” but justified this by saying it would have been just as well to leave her at liberty in the first place as to let her confer with her followers from the hospital.

“She understood, however, that she could leave the strike district whenever she wanted to,” he continued “but she would not agree to go. So we just had to keep her shut up.”

The governor expressed his opinion that “a good deal of sympathy has been wasted on that old hag.”

Governor Ammons is not a candidate for re-election. He has served one term, and says that is enough. He expects to go back to his ranch when he gets through.

[Emphasis added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Travels to Denver After Release from Cold Cellar Cell, Escorted by Union Leaders to Oxford Hotel

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Quote Mother Jones Statement Apr 18 at Denver CO bf to WDC, RMN p5, Apr 19, 1914—————

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday April 18 1914
Denver, Colorado – Mother Jones Resting After Release from Cold Cellar Cell

From the Rocky Mountain News of April 17, 1914:

HdLn Mother Jones Free, Arrives in Denver CO, RMN p14, Apr 17, 1914

From The Indianapolis Star of April 18, 1914:

MINERS WOULD REOPEN CASE
TO PRESENT ‘MOTHER’ JONES
———-

DENVER, Col, April 17-A movement was started here tonight by the policy committee of District No. 15 of the United Mine Workers of America, to reopen in Washington the congressional investigation of the Colorado coal miners’ strike by seeking to place before the committee the testimony of “Mother” Mary Jones, the aged strike leader who was released from military imprisonment at Walsenburg on Thursday.

“Mother” Jones who came to Denver immediately on her discharge, probably will leave tomorrow for Washington.

Telegrams were sent tonight to Representative M. D. Foster, chairman of the recent investigating House mines committee, and to Representative Keating of Colorado, urging a hearing for “Mother” Jones.

[Emphasis added.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Freed from Cold Cellar Cell, Greeted Upon Release by Crowd of Cheering Strikers

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Quote Mother Jones re Walsenburg Cellar Cell, Mar 22, 1914 x26 days, Ab Chp 21, 1925—————-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday April 17, 1914
Walsenburg, Colorado – Mother Jones Released from Cold Cellar Cell

Mother Jones is in Denver today after her release yesterday from the cold damp cellar cell which served as the Military Bastille in Walsenburg, Colorado. Newspapers around the country are reporting the news.

From El Paso Herald of April 16, 1914:

HdLn Mother Jones Free fr Cold Cellar Cell, El P Hld p1, Apr 16, 1914

Walsenburg, Colo., April 16.-“Mother” Mary Jones, who has been a military prisoner in the hospital ward of the county jail since March 22, was released this morning upon orders of Gen. John Chase. The aged strike leader was offered transportation to any point in the state, but the offer was refused.

The appearance of “Mother” Jones at the door of the jail was the signal for a demonstration by a large crowd of strikers and the strike sympathizers that had gathered in anticipation of her release. The aged leader appeared in good health and declared she was feeling well.

Will Lay Woes Before Wilson.

“Mother” Jones was escorted to union headquarters, where she conferred with a number of strike leaders. She announced her intention of speaking at a mass meeting late today after which she plans to go to Trinidad and speak. Later she intends to go to Washington.

“Mother” Jones said:

“You’ll know soon enough why I go to Washington.” Later she intimated that she proposed to tell the story of her experiences in the Colorado coal strike to president Wilson and to the congressional strike investigating committee.

[Emphasis added.]

Note: the cellar cell where she was held for 26 days is hardly a “hospital ward.” It is, in fact, the same cold damp cell which claimed the life of striker Kostas Markos earlier this year.

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Hellraisers Journal: Does the Colorado State Militia Mean to Kill Mother Jones? Now Held in Cold Cellar Cell Beneath Huerfano County Courthouse

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Quote Mother Jones re Walsenburg Cellar Cell, Mar 22, 1914 x26 days, Ab Chp 21, 1925—————

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday April 16, 1914
Walsenburg, Colorado – Mother Jones Held in Cold Cellar Cell 

From the Appeal to Reason of April 11, 1914:

CO Killing Mother Jones, Huerfano Co Courthouse, Cold Cellar Cell, AtR p4, Apr 11, 1914

Detail:

Detail CO Killing Mother Jones, Huerfano Co Courthouse, Cold Cellar Cell, AtR p4, Apr 11, 1914

Note: Kostas (Gus) Marcos was the name of the striking miner who died as a result of being held in the cold cellar cell beneath the Huerfano County Courthouse at Walsenburg, Colorado.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Does the Colorado State Militia Mean to Kill Mother Jones? Now Held in Cold Cellar Cell Beneath Huerfano County Courthouse”

Hellraisers Journal: Hell Hounds of the Colorado Militia Slowing Killing Mother Jones in Damp Cellar Cell at Walsenburg

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Mother Jones Quote, Let My Friend Villa Know, Cold Cellar Cell, Walsenburg CO, Mar 31, 1914, AtR p2, Apr 18, 1914—————

Hellraisers Journal – Monday April 6, 1914
Walsenburg, Colorado – State Militia Slowly Killing Mother Jones

From The Wheeling Majority of April 2, 1914:

HdLn Killing Mother Jones Cold Cellar Cell, Wlg Maj p1, Apr 2, 1914

“The Charge on Mother Jones” by Henry M. Tichenor”

POEM Charge on Mother Jones by Henry Tichenor, Wlg Maj p5, Apr 2, 1914

THE CHARGE ON MOTHER JONES

The patriotic soldiers came marching down the pike,
Prepared to shoot and slaughter in the Colorado strike;
With whiskey in their bellies and vengeance in their souls,
They prayed that God  would help them shoot the miners full of holes.

In front of these brave soldiers loomed a sight you seldom see:
A white-haired rebel woman whose age was eighty-three.
“Charge!” cried the valiant captain, in awful thunder tones,
And the patriotic soldiers “CHARGED” and captured Mother Jones.

‘Tis great to be a soldier with a musket in your hand,
Ready’ for any bloody work the lords of earth command.
‘Tis great to shoot a miner and hear his dying groans
But never was such glory as that “charge” on Mother Jones!

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Held in Cellar Cell “Surrounded with Sewer Rats, Tin-Horn Soldiers, and Other Vermin.”

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Mother Jones Quote, Let My Friend Villa Know, Cold Cellar Cell, Walsenburg CO, Mar 31, 1914, AtR p2, Apr 18, 1914—————

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday April 5, 1914
Walsenburg, Colorado – Mother Jones Smuggles out Letter from Cold Cellar Cell

From the Chicago Day Book of April 3, 1914:

Letter from Mother Jones to Public, Cold Cellar Cell, Let Pancho Villa Know, Day Book Last p3, Apr 3, 1914

March 31, 1914-from the Cold Cellar Cell, Walsenburg, Colorado,
Letter to Friends of Mother Jones and to the Public Generally:

                                                                                            Military Bastile
Walsenburg, Colo.
.                                                                                           March 31, 1914
To My Friends and the Public Generally:
     I am being held a prisoner incommunicado in a damp, underground cell, in the basement of a military bullpen at Walsenburg, Colorado. Have been here since 5:30 a.m. of the 23rd of March, when I was taken from the train by armed soldiers as I was passing through Walsenburg. I have discovered what appears to be an opportunity to smuggle a letter out of prison, and shall attempt to get this communication by the armed guards which day and night surround me (me, a white-haired old woman eighty-two years of age).
     I want to say to the public that I am an American citizen. I have never broken a law in my life, and I claim the right of an American citizen to go where I please so long as I do not violate the law. The courts of Las Animas and Huerfano are open and unobstructed in the transaction of business, yet Governor Ammons and his Peabody appointee, General Chase, refuse to carry me before any court, and refuse to make any charge against me.
     I ask the press to let the nation know of my treatment, and to say to my friends, whom, thank God, I number by the thousands, throughout the United States and Mexico, that not even my incarceration in a damp, underground dungeon will make me give up the fight in which I am engaged for liberty and for the rights of the working people.
     Of course, I long to be out of prison. To be shut from the sunlight is not pleasant, but John Bunyan, John Brown and others were kept in Jail quite a while, and I shall stand firm. To be in prison is no disgrace. In all my strike experiences I have seen no horrors equal to those perpetrated by General Chase and his corps of Baldwin-Feltz detectives that are now enlisted in the militia.
     My God–when is it to stop? I have only to close my eyes to see the mourning of the broken hearts and the wailing of the funeral dirge, while the cringing politicians whose sworn duty is to protect the lives and liberty of the people crawl subserviently before the national burglars of Wall Street who are today plundering and devastating the State of Colorado economically, financially, politically and morally.
     Let the nation know, and especially let my friend General Francisco Villa know, that the great United States of America, which is demanding of him that he release the traitors he has placed under arrest, is now holding Mother Jones incommunicado in an under ground cell surrounded with sewer rats, tinhorn soldiers and other vermin.
Mother Jones
[As written, without correction; paragraph break added.]
Mother Jones is not forgotten in her cold cellar cell, the same damp cell which led to the death of striking miner Kostas Marcos. 

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Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Expects to Die Fighting “in the trenches, with my boys, facing the machine guns.”

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My whole life has been spent
on the economic field
fighting the battles of the workers,
and it will close there.
-Mother Jones

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

Hellraisers Journal, Monday January 22, 1917
From The New York Call: Letter to the Editor of the Forum

The following letter from Mother Jones was published yesterday in the Forum section of The New York Call:

Indianapolis, Indiana

Editor of the Forum:

Mother Jones, Colorado Military Bastile, March 1914

My attention was called to an article that appeared on December 9 [17th] in the New York Call, written by one Edward Meyer. It seems that he had a spasm and called for house cleaning in the Socialist party. His criticism was entirely misleading. He said that while languishing in the prison cells I had asked the Socialists to secure my liberty. I have never in my life asked the Socialists for any personal favor, and I have never received any that I know of.

He further said that I solicited votes for Woodrow Wilson. That is not true. I made some speeches in Indiana coal camps for Senator Kern. I would do it again, if every one in the United States stood against me. In my opinion he is one of the truest and noblest of men within the walls of the nation. I did incidentally pay my respects to President Wilson for leaving the White House and going down to the Senate and notifying the committee that they could not adjourn until the clild labor bill was passed. I would do that again and apologize to no man.

The child of today is the future citizen of tomorrow; and any man, whether he be president or otherwise, who considers the welfare of the child against dollars will receive my indorsement to the end.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Mother Jones Expects to Die Fighting “in the trenches, with my boys, facing the machine guns.””