Hellraisers Journal: Harper’s Weekly: “The Trouble at Lawrence” by Mary Heaton Vorse-Men, Women, Children v Bayonets

Share

quote BBH Weave Cloth Bayonets, ISR p538—————

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday March 17, 1912
“The Trouble at Lawrence” by Mary Heaton Vorse

From Harper’s Weekly of March 16, 1912:

Lawrence Trouble by MHV, Harpers Wkly p10, Mar 16, 1912

A few weeks ago a company of about forty children of the Lawrence strikers, bound for Philadelphia, were forcibly prevented from leaving Lawrence by the order of City Marshal John J. Sullivan. He was led to this act by the belief that some of those children were leaving town without the consent of their parents. Before this, several groups of children, to the total of nearly three hundred, had been sent out of town to the strike sympathizers in various cities, and public opinion against the departure of the children had been aroused. As Congressman Ames said: “The people here feel that the sending away of these children has hurt the fair name of Lawrence since it is a rich town and capable of caring for all its needy children without the help of outsiders.”

Lawrence Trouble w Bayonets by MHV, Harpers Wkly p10, Mar 16, 1912

The forcible detention of these children had an extraordinary response throughout the country. It was one of those things that cannot be done in America without stirring up public opinion from north to south and east to west. There had been earlier aggressive moves on the part of the authorities: Joseph J. Ettor, one of the first to take charge of the strike on behalf of the Industrial Workers of the World, and Arturo Giovannitti, his chief lieutenant, were arrested and committed to jail without bail, as accessories to the murder of a woman [Anna LoPizzo], shot by a deflected bullet during a clash between the strikers and the police. Both men were two miles away during the conflict. Their imprisonment caused comment in the press, as did other episodes of the strike- for instance, the railroading of twenty-three men to prison for one year each, during a single morning’s police-court session, on the charge of inciting to riot; but in the minds of the country at large these things have been simply incidents. The abridgment of the right of people to move from one place to another freely was at once a matter of national importance. It had for its immediate sequel the sending of that touching little band of thirteen children of various nationalities to Washington to state their grievances and to testify as to what occurred at the railway station on that Saturday morning.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Harper’s Weekly: “The Trouble at Lawrence” by Mary Heaton Vorse-Men, Women, Children v Bayonets”

Hellraisers Journal: From The Labor Journal: Children of Lawrence Strikers Appear before Congressional Committee

Share

quote BBH Weave Cloth Bayonets, ISR p538—————

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday March 16, 1912
Washington, D. C. – Lawrence Children Appear Before House Committee

From the Everett Labor Journal of March 15, 1912:

Lawrence Children bf House Com, Evt Lbr Jr p1, Mar 15, 1912

———-

(Republished from Los Angeles Citizen.)

“The chill hand of charity” got a severe slap a few days ago when Congressman Victor Berger grabbed a bill from a hat that was being passed for the benefit of the child textile strikers from Lawrence, Mass., who appeared before the house committee on rules, and hurled it into the face of its donor, J. H. Cox, a mill owner of Lawrence.

“We don’t want your money; it’s blood money,” cried Berger, indignantly. “We’ll take care of our own without your help.”

If it were possible to Bergerize the public conscience and cast the frown of public disapproval on the Cox kind of charity—the bribe of industrial bandits to satisfy society—Lawrence episodes would become less frequent.

In the same room in which only a month or so ago Andrew Carnegie complained bitterly because he had been paid only $320,000,000 for his properties by the steel corporation; where Judge Gary confided to a committee from congress that the steel trust had $75,000,000 in cash always ready to meet an emergency, child strikers in the mills at Lawrence laid bare their scars to pitying congressmen.

Presented by Representative Berger as an exhibit of what “one of the most highly protected industries in America does to human life by which it is served,” thirteen sallow-cheeked, thin-lipped, hollow-eyed, poorly-clad children, and six adults marched up Pennsylvania avenue and filed solmenly into the capitol.

In the room where attendants hurried to wait upon the smallest wish of Carnegie, Gary and Schwab, nobody had arranged for the comfort of these “exhibits” and they stood along the wall until Representative Henry, accompanied by his own little son, of eight, took pity on their plight.

“Get chairs for these children,” commanded Judge Henry. “Arrange them any way you want and take your time,” he added to Mr. Berger.

Before the witnesses began Chairman Wilson of the committee on labor pleaded for a federal investigation on the ground that in refusing to permit children to leave Lawrence several days ago the state authorities had violated the federal law.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Labor Journal: Children of Lawrence Strikers Appear before Congressional Committee”

Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: “The Battle for Bread at Lawrence” by Mary E. Marcy, Part III

Share

quote BBH Weave Cloth Bayonets, ISR p538—————

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday March 6, 1912
“The Battle for Bread at Lawrence” by Mary E. Marcy, Part III

From the International Socialist Review of March 1912

” The Battle for Bread at Lawrence”
-by Mary Marcy, Part III
———-

[Wonderful Solidarity]

 

Lawrence Family of Striker, ISR p543, March 1912

The wonderful solidarity displayed by the strikers has surprised everybody. There are more languages spoken in the confines of Lawrence than in any other district of its size in the world. But in spite of these barriers, the strike was an almost spontaneous one and seventeen races, differing widely in speech and custom, rose in a concerted protest. Lacking anything like a substantial organization at the outset, they have clung together in furthering a common cause without dissension. Too much credit cannot be given Comrades Joseph Ettor and Wm. D. Haywood in the splendid work of organization and education they have carried on in Lawrence.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: “The Battle for Bread at Lawrence” by Mary E. Marcy, Part III”

Hellraisers Journal: Joe Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti Arrested; Young John Ramey Dead from Bayonet Wound to Back

Share

WNF John Ramey, Martyr Bread and Roses Strike, Jan 30, 1912, findagrave—————

Hellraisers Journal – Friday February 2, 1912
Lawrence, Massachusetts – Ettor and Giovannitti Arrested; Young Syrian Boy Dead

From The Boston Daily Globe, Morning Edition, of January 31, 1912:

HdLn Lawrence 2 Now Dead, Ettor n Giovannitti Arrested, Force ag Strikers, Bst Glb AM p1, Jan 31, 1912
Ruling Lawrence with Iron Hand
Infantry – Metropolitan Police – Artillery – Cavalry – 2d Corps Cadets
Local Police – Ambulance Corps

—–

HdLn Lawrence Ettor n Giovannitti Accused in Death of Lo Pizzo, Ramey Bayoneted, Bst Glb AM p1, Jan 31, 1912—–

Lawrence Ettor, Giovannitti, Annie Helzenbach, Bst Glb AM p5, Jan 31, 1912
Mrs. Annie Helzenbach – Joe Ettor – Arturo Giovannitti

From The Boston Daily Globe, Evening Edition, of January 31, 1912:

Ettor and Giovannitti on Way to Jail, Bst Glb Eve p2, Jan 31, 1912
Ettor and Giovannitti Being Taken to Jail
Ettor with Newspaper under Arm

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Joe Ettor and Arturo Giovannitti Arrested; Young John Ramey Dead from Bayonet Wound to Back”

Hellraisers Journal: John Ramey, Syrian Boy, Dead in Lawrence, Was Bayoneted in Back By Soldiers. Ettor Arrested.

Share

WNF John Ramey, Martyr Bread and Roses Strike, Jan 30, 1912, findagrave—————

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday February 1, 1912
Lawrence, Massachusetts – Syrian Boy, John Ramey, Second Martyr of Textile Strike

From The New York Call of January 31, 1912:

HdLn Lawrence WNF Ramey Bayoneted, Ettor Arrested, NYCl p1, Jan 31, 1912—–HdLn Lawrence Where Militia Bayoneting Strikers, NYCl p1, Jan 31, 1912—–
CHEERING THE STRIKERSLawrence Cheering Strikers from Windows, NYCl p1, Jan 31, 1912

———-

LAWRENCE, Mass., Jan. 30.-Murder was committed on the street in this city today, when an 18-year old Syrian boy striker was bayoneted by a member of a squad of Massachusetts militia on Oak street, and died later in the Lawrence hospital.

The dead boy, John Rami [Ramey], was stuck through the back like a pig as he and some companions were endeavoring to escape from an absolutely unprovoked assault by the soldiers, who are under instructions to look for trouble and when they had it to use steel and ball cartridges as often and as accurately as possible. Many of the militiamen are under-graduates of Harvard University, the president of which is a large shareholder in the Lawrence mills.

Although the police, who witnessed the murder of Rami, declare the boy was doing nothing wrong, the authorities are endeavoring to shift the blame for the lad’s death upon the strikers, and the report has been spread that it is doubtful who killed him. For several hours after the murder the authorities were terrified least the strikers, learning of the fate of the boy, should demand and take vengeance, and every effort was made to hush up the details of the tragedy.

The squad of militiamen, one of whom was responsible, has evidently concocted a story, probably with the connivance of their officers, for they are industriously lying about the matter, declaring they were not near enough to the boy to stab him, and that it was one of his fellow strikers who took his life.

Rami, according to eye-witnesses, was walking along Oak street, with seven companions. As they neared a corner of the street, where a squad of eight armed militiamen were standing, one of the boys said, jestingly:

“There are the soldiers now. Let’s have some fun with them.”

Stabbed in Back.

Immediately the man in charge of the squad ordered the soldiers to charge. Rami, unable to run as fast as his companions, brought up the rear. His steps were slightly retarded by the slippery pavement and he appeared to stumble. As he did so, one of the militiamen caught up with him, and thrusting viciously forward, stuck his bayonet into Rami’s back.

The boy screamed and staggered forward. He ran a few more steps and fell, fainting. Officials at the hospital where he was taken would not say how far the long bayonet blade went into his lungs…..

Strike Leader is Arrested.

Joseph J. Ettor, of New York, national organizer of the Industrial Workers of the world and leader of the woolen strike here, was arrested shortly before midnight on a charge of being an accessory to the murder of Annie La Pizza [Anna LoPizzo], the Italian striker who was killed during the clash in Union street early last evening. Ettor was taken into custody at the hotel where he is stopping when he was about to go to bed and was taken to the police station, where he was locked up. An extra guard of militiamen was thrown about the station for fear that when the news went abroad and attempt might be made by the strikers to storm the place and rescue Ettor.

The strike is assuming its real character-a hunger strike, it is a strike in which empty bellies clamor for food, in which children cry for life’s joys, and woman fight desperately with their men to save themselves from prostitution. And every hour the 25,000 victims of a merciless corporation’s greed realize more clearly the nature of their fight, and grow more grimly determined to win.

[…..]

[Emphasis added]

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: John Ramey, Syrian Boy, Dead in Lawrence, Was Bayoneted in Back By Soldiers. Ettor Arrested.”