Hellraisers Journal – Sunday July 12, 1903 Hanna, Wyoming – Sister of Victim of Mine Fire Not Allowed to Stay at Camp
From The Butte Miner of July 11, 1903:
Mrs. Mary Cooney returned to Butte yesterday from the Hanna coal mine in Wyoming on the Union Pacific, where here brother, John Boney, met his death with 233 other miners through the recent fearful explosion of gas. Besides her grief because of the loss of her brother in so terrible a manner Mrs. Cooney reports having had a very trying experience at Hanna.
It is stated that the managers of the coal property, who virtually own and control the little mining camp, have given strict orders, both at their store and to the residents that no eatables or other supplies or entertainment should be given or sold to any strangers or visitors to the camp. It was given out that the reason for this order was that the families of the miners who were killed were all destitute and could not give up anything to new-comers.
It was not explained, however, why the company store would not provide strangers and visitors with eatables, as the railroad company that owned the mine and the camp could easily ship in any day whatever was needed.
Under these conditions Mrs. Cooney was compelled to go back and forth to Medicine Bow, a station on the railroad twenty miles distant.Mrs. Cooney was accompanied on her sad mission by her daughter, Mrs. Felix Ogier, also of Butte, and during the time taken up with the arrangements and the funeral they had to make the trip back and forth to Medicine Bow station every day.
Another act of the mine company that is complained of is the order that was given in regard to the papers and other valuables that were found in the cabins and trunks of the 234 miners who met their death. The papers and other belongings of the men were all taken to the company store, and inquiring friends and relatives, it is stated, were not allowed to have access to the property or even inspect it.
Mrs. Cooney signed papers petitioning the appointment of a resident of Hanna as administrator of her brother’s estate, and it is expected that soon, through the courts, the administrator will secure possession of the estate. Mrs. Cooney is the mother of Deputy County Clerk John Doran, of Butte.
John Boney was buried at Carbon, a station twelve miles from the scene of the awful disaster. He was laid beside his father, who died and was buried at Carbon a number of years ago.
The bodies of only two other miners besides John Boney were recovered from the blazing mine interior. The mine is on fire in every portion, and it is impossible to reach the workings where the men met their deaths, it being a great distance from the surface. The tunnel from the main entrance slopes gradually for a mile and a half, and from that point there are seventeen miles of workings on sixty-nine levels.
As all hope of rescuing the 31 bodies has been given up the work of sealing up all openings to the mine has been commenced. This step is taken with view to smothering out the flames that are raging fiercely in all parts of the mine.
It is currently believed at Hanna that the precautions being taken by the company to discourage visitors from coming to the camp and from remaining there after they do come is with the object of diminishing as much as possible the amount of evidence that will be available against the company in case of damage suits. There is considerable talk of blame being attached to the management for the disaster, and it is not desired that there should be any inspection of the conditions at the mine or interviews with the residents.
It’s great to fight for freedom
with a Rebel Girl.
-Joe Hill
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Hellraisers Journal, Sunday December 15, 1907
Northern Minnesota – Miss Flynn Tours and Speaks
From The Industrial Union Bulletin of Dec 14, 1907:
Miss Flynn’s Tour a Success
I arrived in Duluth, Minn., on Friday, November 14th, and on Sunday afternoon, November 16th, the first meeting was held in Superior, Wis., with an audience of 300 people. The second was held the same evening in Duluth, Minn., with an attendance of from 600 to 700 people. At the two meetings the people were enthusiastic in demonstrating their appreciation of industrial unionism. The capitalist papers gave us extended write-ups, copies of which have been forwarded to headquarters, carefully omitting the portions of the talks which dealt with themselves and “the panic.” The chairman of both meetings was Fellow Worker Zollner, a fighter of ability in this vicinity.
The first range town we visited was Proctor, Minn., the home of the “Duluth, Mesaba and Northern” transportation workers. The round-houses and yards of this ore-carrying road are located here, all of it being stock-trust property. The company very generously gave their employers a special train into Duluth to see the “Land of Nod,” which was playing there that night, which had the effect of diminishing the size of our audience. “The Land of Nod” is better for the proletarians than an industrial awakening. Miss Flynn promised to come again, however-one hundred times, if necessary-to get the doctrines of industrial unionism before the workers. Let the company take notice.
You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday September 17, 1907
Mesabi Iron Miners’ Strike: Good News from the Front Lines
From the Duluth Labor World of September 14, 1907:
GRAND JURY REFUSES TO INDICT STRIKERS
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No Miscarriage of Justice in Duluth Courts.—
Won’t Practice Range Methods.
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Jury Practically Holds That Petriella Was
Justified in Protecting Himself.
—–
Teofilo Petriella
The cases against the striking miners on the Mesaba range have fallen flat. When the Grand Jury took up the matter of the nine miners who were bound over on the charge of inciting a riot they listened to the evidence presented by the state, and then promptly, and very properly dismissed the matter by asking that the defendants be released.
Petriella too, who was bound over for carrying concealed weapons, was dismissed, and his $1,000 was returned to him.
One of the members of the grand jury in commenting on the cases said: “It was ridiculous to bring such frivilous cases before the grand jury.”
Judge Brady ought to see by this time that he is putting the county to needless expense in binding men over to the grand jury simply because hirelings for the Steel Trust bring them before him.
Petriella admitted carrying a revolver, but the jury thought he was justified, in view of the fact that newspapers on the range were threatening his life, advising tar and feathers, and demanding that he be driven from town. Petriella’s bail money was returned to him.
We’ll remember you, Frank Little!
…We’ll repeat your name
And remember that you died for us.
The red flag that you dropped
A million hands will carry on.
-Phillips Russell
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Hellraisers Journal, Monday September 3, 1917 Butte, Montana – Organizer Frank Little Remembered
From the International Socialist Review of September 1917:
Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday August 27, 1907
From The Labor World: “Labor’s Little Angel” Speaks in Duluth
Mother Jones spoke at the Duluth Armory on Sunday August 18th. With her on the platform where William E. McEwen, editor and publisher of The Labor World, and C. E. Mahoney who served as acting president of the Western Federation of Miners until the recent release of Charles Moyer from jail in Boise.
The striking iron miners of the Mesabi Range were supported by the speakers, and the steel trust and their gunthugs were condemned.
During her speech Mother Jones declared:
When they bring in the guns and the military, they think they have conquered; they rejoice at the thought they have conquered labor. You can conquer the steel trust, you can conquer the paper trust—every other trust in the world, but put it down for the editor in the morning that you can’t conquer the labor trust. If you wipe out the working class, what are the rich people going to do; they can’t even cook a meal of victuals for themselves.
From The Labor World of August 24, 1907:
ARMORY MASS MEETING WAS
MOST SUCCESSFUL
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Mother Jones Tells Working People of
Duluth Something About
Labor Conditions.
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Large Crowd Turned Out in Spite
of Inclement Weather—
Interest Was Great.
—–
The mass meeting at the armory last Sunday evening [August 18th] brought out 300 of the faithful. The weather was most unfavorable. The worst storm of the season was at its height, and even those on the program as speakers didn’t expect to see more than the committee on hand. However, the attendance was good, and spirit was high.
The meeting was called lo order by W. E. McEwen. On the platform with him were Alderman Jos. Shartell, Mother Jones, C. E. Mahoney, acting president of the Western Federation of Miners, and M. Kaplin. The Finnish band opened the meeting with the playing of the Marseilles.
Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday July 4, 1917
St. Peter & Duluth, Minnesota – Freedom of Speech Denied
From the New Ulm Review of July 4, 1917:
EUGENE DEBS IS BARRED FROM
PUBLIC SPEAKING
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St. Peter’s Chautauqua opened Sunday, July 1, and will continue until next Sunday, July 8. An excellent program has been arranged and is being carried out, with a large attendance. Eugene V. Debs, who had been secured to deliver one of the lectures, has been forbidden by the Minnesota Safety commission to deliver a public lecture in this state. The St. Peter committee was notified to that effect late last week. Mr. Debs was to have delivered the Fourth of July address on the Chautauqua program. St. Peter people, who had anticipated hearing a patriotic address by Mr. Debs feel that the Safety commission has convicted him without a trial.
The commission offered to send C. W. Ames, a member of that body to take the place of Debs on the program, but the offer was declined without even thanks. In fact the offer was considered, according to the St. Peter papers, somewhat presumptuous on the part of the commission.
You ought to be out raising hell.
This is the fighting age.
Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday June 26, 1917
Duluth, Minnesota – Miss Flynn Arrested, I. W. W. Hall Raided
From The Decatur Herald of June 24, 1917:
DULUTH POLICE CLOSES I. W. W HEADQUARTERS
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Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Arrested With
Other Professional Agitators.
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DULUTH, Minn. June 24-Under authority given by the city council early in the day prohibiting unpatriotic demonstrations by professional agitators, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, of New York City, who arrived here early Saturday morning, was arrested at a hotel late Saturday. The police then raided Industrial Workers of the World headquarters, here arresting nine men and a woman, and closing the headquarters.
All the I. W. W. arrested are held under the charge of “vagrancy.” The police seized all of the headquarters books.
List of Prisoners.
One of the prisoners is Marie Baxter, 28, an officer and organizer of the Duluth House Maids’ local union, affiliated with I. W. W.
Others who were taken in the raid are: Frank Gaisner, 25; William Sullivan, 37; Steven Himple, 26; Lewis Schappert, 27; P. Gideon Mattson, 35; Joseph Hogdson, 23; James Golden, 45; and Harry Lisk, 42.
Golden had literature in his possession which resulted in the placing of an additional charge against him, that of advocating sabotage. Those of conscription age had other registrations cards.
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