Hellraisers Journal: Rowan, Flynn, Ettor, and Gruni Speak in Virginia to Striking Mesabi Iron Miners

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You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Monday July 31, 1916
Virginia, Minnesota – 1500 Striking Miners Hear I. W. W. Speakers

Joe Ettor (1885-1948)


From The Duluth News Tribune of July 29, 1916:


I. W. W. SPEAKER PROMISES PEACE
—–
Assures Large Audience There Will Be
No Dynamite or Guns Used.
—–

VIRGINIA, July 28.-“No dynamite will be used, no guns are to be fired, there is nothing to be afraid of in this strike,” declared E. Rowan, speaking to hundreds of strikers and citizens of Virginia from the balcony of the Socialist opera house tonight, in his initial address as an I. W. W. leader.

The 500 strikers who marched from Virginia to Eveleth returned 800 strong tonight, increased by the forces from Aurora, Biwabik, Gilbert, Elba and Eveleth.

The meeting tonight was attended by probably 1,500 people, necessitating the working of two speakers at a time.

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Joseph Ettor, Joseph Grunl [Gruni] and [Ed] Rowan were the principal speakers. Musical selections were rendered between the talks.
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Hellraisers Journal: Ralph Chaplin and Jim Larkin Honor the Memory of Joe Hill, from the International Socialist Review

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Therefore, Comrades, over the great heart of Joe Hill, now stilled in death,
let us take up his burden, rededicate ourselves to the cause that knows no failure,
and for which Joseph Hillstrom cheerfully gave his all.
-Jim Larkin
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Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday December 1, 1915
From the International Socialist Review:
Comrades Ralph Chaplin and Big Jim Larkin Remember Joe Hill

This month’s edition of the Review honors the memory of Joe Hill who was murdered by the state of Utah on Friday, November 19th.

Joe Hill, charcoal drawing by L. Stanford Chumley:

Joe Hill, charcoal, by L. Stanford Chumley, ISR, Dec 1915

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Hellraisers Journal: Joe Hill Lives! “Do you hear it every body? Joe Hillstrom will never die.”

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But tho’ his clarion voice is hushed,
And tho’ his harp lies mute and still,
Hill’s murdered dust is vocal yet
With words that burn and notes that thrill.
-Major Honere J. Jaxon
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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday November 30, 1915
From The Day Book:
“Another Immortal” by Honore J. Jaxon

Joe Hill, charcoal, by L. Stanford Chumley, ISR, Dec 1915

In yesterday’s Day Book we find a poem, written by Honore J. Jaxon, which declares Fellow Worker Joe Hill to be “Another Immortal” and begins:

Once more a glorious rebel falls,
Ensnared by knaves in legal guise.
Once more a rebel’s name is smirched
By slaves who peddle purchased lies.

But tho’ his clarion voice is hushed,
And tho’ his harp lies mute and still,
Hill’s murdered dust is vocal yet
With words that burn and notes that thrill.

These words recall the chant voiced by members of I. W. W. Local 69 and their Verdandi allies as they kept vigil throughout the long night of November 18th until sunrise the next morning when the shots rang out that ended the life of Joe Hill. There, in Salt Lake City, on the corner of Second South and Commercial Streets, where Local 69 soapboxers had rallied since its founding five years earlier, they gathered and sang the songs of Joe Hill and listened to speeches by members of the Joe Hill Defense Committee, Ed Rowan and Fred Ritter among them.

The chant began, “And Joe Hill will be shot in the morning,” and was answered by “Not if we can help it!” Then someone called out:

Something is going to happen. Joe Hillstrom will never die,
do you hear it every body, Joe Hillstrom will never die.

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Hellraisers Journal: Execution of Joe Hill Cost Salt Lake Co. $371; Spry’s Spy Reports on Funeral

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Don’t Mourn; Organize!
-Joe Hill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday November 23, 1915
Salt Lake City, Utah-
Execution of FW Joe Hill Cost County $371.80

Joe Hill execution , Diagram sketch of Utah state prison yard, Parsons (KS) Daily Sun, Nov 13, 1915

The men who were selected to shoot bullets into the heart of Fellow Worker Joe Hill will, apparently, be very well paid, for most of the nearly 380 dollars, allocated by the county for that purpose, goes to them. Pretty good pay for just a few minutes of work, if one does not mind being paid to put another human being to death.

The body of our Rebel Songwriter is now a train to Chicago and will arrive there this afternoon. A grand funeral followed by a march to the cemetery is being planned at I. W. W. headquarters in that city for later on in the week.

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Hellraisers Journal: Joe Hill Honored by Friends & FWs in Salt Lake City, Sent by Train to Chicago

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Gook luck to all of you,
-Joe Hill

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

Monday November 22, 1915
Salt Lake City, Utah-
Joe Hill Given Grand Send-off, Will Arrive in Chicago Tomorrow

Joe Hill, lgr

Fellow Worker Joe Hill, our martyred rebel songwriter, was given a grand send-off in Salt Lake City before his body was placed upon a train bound for Chicago where another grand funeral will be held in that city, headquarters of the Industrial Workers of the World. The Salt Lake City funeral was presided over by I. W. W. Local Union #69 and by Verdandi, Swedish Temperance Society.

Unfortunately, the only report of the funeral that we have on hand is from the hostile Salt Lake Tribune, one of the newspapers which so gleefully reported the Governor’s intention to drive the I. W. W. from Salt Lake immediately following the murder of our fellow worker. Nevertheless, as can be seen below, the unquenchable spirit of Solidarity displayed by those in attendance shines through the anti-I. W. W. propaganda of the Tribune’s reporting.

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Hellraisers Journal: “I Will Die Like a Rebel!” FW Joe Hill on His Last Day & at His Execution

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I will die like a rebel…
My best to everybody. Goodbye.
-Joe Hill
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday November 21, 1915
Salt Lake City, Utah-
Walking with FW Joe Hill on His Last Day and to the Execution

Joe Hill, lgr

Today there will be held in Salt Lake City a grand I. W. W. funeral for Fellow Worker Joe Hill. After the funeral his body will be placed on a train and shipped to Chicago where another funeral will be held later this week. The Chicago send-off may prove to be the largest funeral ever held in that city.

Today, as promised, Hellraisers, to the best of our ability and from the sources available, reconstructs the last day and the final moments of Fellow Worker Joe Hill.

JOE HILL’S LAST DAY
—–

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Hellraisers Journal: Fellow Worker & Rebel Songwriter Joe Hill Executed by Utah Firing Squad; “Died Game.”

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JOE HILL SHOT AT SUNRISE. DIED GAME.
-ED ROWAN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday November 19, 1915
Salt Lake City, Utah-
Fellow Worker Joe Hill Executed by Utah Firing Squad

Joe Hill, lgr

FELLOW WORKER JOE HILL

At 7:40 a. m. in the prison yard of the Utah Sate Prison, Fellow Worker Joe Hill was shot to death by firing squad. Ed Rowan and other friends and fellow workers whom Hill had invited to attend the execution were not allowed to enter the prison. According to Rowan, they stood at the gate and heard the shots ring out “like musketry in battle,” a sound, says Rowan, that is still ringing in his head.

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Hellraisers Journal: I. W. W. Bids Good-Bye to Fellow Worker Horton, Murdered by Gunthug Myton

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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, Tuesday November 9, 1915
Salt Lake City – Grand Send-Off to Local I. W. W. President

Virginia Snow Stephen

On Sunday, November 7th, Local 69 of the Industrial Workers of the World bid good-bye to their President, Roy Joseph Horton. Ed Rowan and Mrs. Virginia Snow Stephen were among those who gave eulogies for the slain union leader.

The murderer, “Major” H. P. Myton remains under charges of murder, but is being celebrated as a hero by the local Elks Lodge.

The local kept press was scandalized that there was no mention of religion nor of the heavenly rewards awaiting the martyred union leader. Instead, those present concentrated on continuing the organizing work of the I. W. W. in behalf of the working men and women of Salt Lake City. On that subject, Mrs. Stephen stated that only through “organization and making use of such tragedies as the Horton case” will the working class ever get justice.

Roy Horton’s funeral is the first of what will most likely be two grand I. W. W. send-offs in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the month of November 1915.

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