Tag: Emma Little

Hellraisers Journal: From the Appeal to Reason: Court Crookedness in Fresno by Comrade Mrs. W. F. (Emma) Little

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Frank Little, Fresno Jails Dungeons, FMR p6, Sept 2, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday February 14, 1911
Fresno, California – 94 Free Speech Fighters in Bullpen, 47×28 Feet

From the Appeal to Reason of February 11, 1911:

Court Crookedness in Fresno
———–

CRTN Fresno FSF Engine v Bull, IW p1, Jan 19, 1911

Some time ago the APPEAL printed a story about the fight on free speech at Fresno, signed by Mrs. W. F. [Emma] Little, a comrade of that city. The story resulted in Mrs. H. H. Roberts, of Connecticut, getting trace of a relative who had engaged in the fight and who was in jail at Fresno. F. W. Boyle, of Humboldt, Kan., and A. F. Boyle, of Dunneweg, Mo., also discovered that their cousin, Frank Little, was one of the prisoners of the free speech fight. The result has been a protest from various sections of the United States. It would be well for all acquainted with these parties and others to write to the chief of police and the police judge and the mayor of Fresno protesting against the imprisonment of these people. Following are some further facts furnished the Appeal relative to the fight by Comrade Mrs. Little:

Before the I. W. W. was organized at all the chief of police told my husband, “You mustn’t organize the common workers, for we have a raisin crop here that must be handled cheap. A painter belonging to the painters’ union here gets $4 a day and works eight hours. A man digging a ditch or picking raisins gets $1.50 to $2 a day and work ten hours. Both are out of work a good deal of the time.

In spite of the chief of police and his cheap raisin crop, my husband did his best to organize the common workers in the I. W. W., and shortly after a small local was formed. For some reason the chief of police got the idea into his head that the workers wouldn’t join the I. W. W. anyway, so he graciously allowed us to speak on the street. The chief was mistaken, and our local grew from fifteen to over a hundred in a couple of weeks. Then the chief took our permit to speak on the streets away from us. He informed my husband that he knew where his bread and butter came from.

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Hellraisers Journal: The Appeal to Reason: Mrs. W. F. (Emma) Little Reports from Fresno: “They Are Mobbing Workers”

Janet RayeFree Speech Fights
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Quote Emma Little, re IWW Fresno FSF Mob Attack of Dec 9, AtR p3, Dec 31, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday January 1, 1911
Fresno, California – “They Are Mobbing Workers” by Mrs. Emma Little

From the Appeal to Reason of December 31, 1910:

They Are Mobbing Workers

Fresno, Cal., December 13-Friday night [December 9th] Fresno mob attacked I. W. W. members who were speaking on the street and severely beat them. The mob then proceeded to the I. W. W. camp. The boys on the street rushed out to our house [home of Fred and Emma Little], then on out to camp, to give the boys in camp what warning they could.

I could hear the autos going past our house right behind the boys. Shortly after the autos passed I could bear the yell, the mob yell.

IWW Fresno FSF, Mob Attacks, FMR p1, Dec 10, 1920

They burned down the tent and then they took a vote on whether or not they should burn our house. They decided not. Then they proceeded back to town, stood around town awhile, then went to the jail and demanded the prisoners. This request was refused, and shortly after the mob dispersed.

Friday afternoon Murdock, one of the I. W. W. speakers, was tried for vagrancy before Judge Briggs by a jury of business men. Murdock was a well-dressed, well educated man, who, it was proved, was employed by and receiving a salary from the I. W. W. as organizer. The jury convicted him of vagrancy. Judge Briggs put off sentencing him until the next day.

When Murdock came to receive his sentence the next day, Briggs stated that he liked Murdock, but as he was one of the instigators of last night’s trouble he would have to sentence him 180 days (six months).

For weeks the papers have been urging the citizens to form a mob and drive the I. W. W. from the country. The I. W. W. had violated no law. They had lived quietly and peaceably in their own little canvas homes. The officers bad no excuse for molesting them.

Mayor Rowell, the saloon champion, owns the Republican, or most of it. A short time before the day of the mob the Republican said that in Portersville, a small town about thirty miles from here, the citizens had formed a committee and requested the I. W. W. to leave; and that the I. W. W. had immediately left. The paper suggested that would be good tactics to pursue here. The whole article was a tissue of lies. The I. W. W. was not driven out of Portersville. The article and many more along that line were written for the sole purpose of making a mob spirit.

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Hellraisers Journal: Spokane Industrial Worker: “Fresno Fight Postponed” -Message from Jungle Press Committee

Janet RayeFree Speech Fights
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Quote Frank Little, Fresno Jails Dungeons, FMR p6, Sept 2, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday November 10, 1910
Fresno, California – I. W. W. Free Speech Fight Has Been Postponed

From the Spokane Industrial Worker of November 9, 1910:

FRESNO FIGHT POSTPONED
—————

Dont Buy Jobs, IW p4, Oct 19, 1910
Industrial Worker
October 19, 1910

Fellow Workers: The fight for free speech has been postponed. On the 2d. of November the boys all came out of jail. Their excuse was that there were not enough men. It is true, the men were coming in awful slow, but they were coming. Public sentiment was changing in our favor, and if the men had stuck we would have won out. This fight is important and we must win or the I. W. W. will feel the painful consequences all over the west. Until we erase this blot from our crimson banner we must hang our heads in shame. If they can suppress our street meetings, they can also suppress our hall meetings and will hound us at every step.

We are not going to try to coax or persuade anyone to take part in this fight. If this fight is won it will be won by Industrial Unionists. The Industrial Unionist is the man who practices a large part of what he preaches. He does not walk around with a chip on his shoulder, telling the timid and modest members what he knows and what he would do in each and every case and what a splendid fighter he is. No, he is sadly lacking in these eminent virtues. Somehow he can never spare the time for it. Some few have a faint suspicion that he is too busy practicing or trying to practice Industrial Unionism. About half the men who went to jail here are pretty fair Industrial Unionists.

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Hellraisers Journal: Free Speech Denied in Fresno, California, Four Members of Local 66 Arrested for Speaking on the Street

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Quote Frank Little, re Fresno Sure to Win, IW p4, Aug 27, 1910———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday August 28, 1910
Fresno, California – Fellow Workers Arrested for Speaking on Street

W. H. Little, secretary of Local 66, his wife, Emma Little, brother, Frank Little, and one other Fellow Worker, were arrested Wednesday evening, August 24th, for street-speaking. A call for assistance has been issued.

From the Industrial Worker of August 27, 1910:

[Page 1:]

Fresno FSF, fr WH Little re Arrests, IW p1, Aug 27, 1910

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: “The Silent Defense in Sacramento” by Jean Sterling (Silent Except for Coughing)

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Jean Sterling, Silent Defense, Liberator, Feb 1919—–

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday February 1, 1919
Sacramento, California – I. W. W. Defendants Silent Except for the Coughing

From The Liberator of February 1919:

The Silent Defense in Sacramento

By Jean Sterling

Sacramento IWW, Silent Defense, Dec 1918 to Jan 1919
Silent Defenders

—–

“Do the defendants, not represented by attorneys, wish to interrogate the talesman?”

The court reporter held his pencil suspended. The forty-three defendants faced with mocking eyes and closed lips their jailers, prosecutors and the presiding judge.

“Do they wish to exercise the right of challenge?”

For a tense second the inexorable wheels of justice stopped turning. Some one had thrown a felt slipper in the cogs. The defendants gave the prospective juror not so much as a glance. They had read and yawned and gazed vacantly out of the high windows while the attorneys for the prosecution had been probing the talesman’s soul for any humane or modern ideas on the subject of labor.

Then, after a decorous silence, such as is observed in court procedures and funeral rites, the Judge said quietly, “If, then, there are no objections to the talesman, he may take his seat in the jury box.”

And so the juryman, an ancient rancher, the prophesy of the type to follow, took his seat.

And in this manner did the forty-three defendants, I. W. W.’s, now being tried in Sacramento, California, on charges of conspiracy, under the Espionage Act, open their “silent defense.”

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Hellraisers Journal: Sacramento IWW Trial: Federal Charges Against Fred Little Dismissed, Brother of Martyr Frank Little

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Quote Frank Little re Guts, Wobbly by RC p208, Chg July 1917~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday December 12, 1918
Sacramento, California-Charges Dismissed Against Fred Little

Remember Frank Little Button, see HG IWW Trial, Aug 1, 1918

Fred Little, brother of Martyred Fellow Worker, Frank Little, is now free, having had charges against him dismissed by federal prosecutors. Emma Little, wife of Fred Little, has also suffered her share of persecution. Her home has been invaded by federal agents, her children terrorized, and her papers seized. Yet she continues steadfast in her support for the imprisoned members of the Industrial Workers of World.

From the San Francisco Examiner of December 10, 1918:


JURY EXAMINED TO TRY I.W.W.
—–
Four of Seven Talesmen Examined
Passed Temporarily
and Three Are Excused.
—–

SACRAMENTO, December 9.-Questions as to what impressions they had formed from reading literature on the Industrial Workers of the World, news stories and other matter relating to the Bisbee deportations more than a year ago and who they thought responsible for the dynamiting of the executive mansion here December 17, 1917, were asked by counsel for three of the defendants in the Industrial Workers of the World conspiracy trial, which was begun here today.

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Hellraisers Journal: “Frank Little was an agitator, he made the people think..” -Whitewash by Emma Little

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Emma Little Quote, Whitewash, Sol Aug 11, 1917

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday August 30, 1917
Fresno, California – Sister-in-Law of Frank Little Pens Poem

Emma Little, staunch supporter of the Industrial Workers of the World, lives in Fresno with her husband, Fred, brother of our martyred Fellow Worker, Frank Little. Emma and Fred have three children: Walter, Lawrence and Victoria.

Fresno was the scene of the famous Free Speech Fight of 1910-1911 in which Frank Little, along with Fred and Emma, played active and heroic roles.

From Solidarity of August 11, 1917:

ISR Doodle, 614, Apr 1917
Frank Little Whitewash by Emma, Sol Aug 11, 1917
ISR Doodle, 614, Apr 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: Butte Strikers’ Bulletin Blames Company Gunthugs for Murder of Fellow Worker Frank Little

Janet RayeFrank Little
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Don’t worry, fellow-worker,
all we’re going to need from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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

Hellraisers Journal, Saturday August 4, 1917
Butte, Montana – Strikers’ Bulletin Names Names

Frank Little Martyr, Truth Butte Tompkins, 1917, crpd

The Butte Bulletin, voice of the striking metal miners in that city, devoted its entire edition of August 2nd to the lynching of Fellow Worker Frank Little.

One article was entitled: “Frank Little Murdered by Gunmen, Companies in Desperation Resort to Deadly Violence.” William F. Dunn, editor, stated that there is “sufficient evidence to indicate the names of five men who took part, every one of whom is a company stool pigeon. Two of these men are in business, two are gunmen, and one is connected with law enforcement… Every man, woman, and child in this country knows that company agents perpetrated this foulest of all crimes.” The Bulletin went on to name names: “William Oates, Herman Gilles, Pete Beaudin, a rat named Middleton and two dozen others working under a chief gunman named Ryan.”

Funeral to be Held in Butte

From the Seattle Star of August 3, 1917:

HAYWOOD IN CHARGE OF
I. W. W. FUNERAL

By United Press Leased Wire

CHICAGO, Aug. 3.-The funeral of Frank Little, I. W. W. leader, lynched in Butte, probably will be held in Butte tomorrow, Wm. D. Haywood, secretary of the national organization, said today. He received a message from Little’s sister [sister-in-law], Emma Little, of Fresno, Cal., placing arrangements for the funeral in his hands.

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