Hellraisers Journal: “Open Letter” from Los Angeles County Jail by Comrades Magón, Rivera, and Villarreal

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We are free, truly free, when we don’t need to rent
our arms to anybody in order to be able to lift
a piece of bread to our mouths.
―Ricardo Flores Magón
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Hellraisers Journal, Saturday July 25, 1908
From Los Angeles County Jail: “Open Letter” by Mexican Revolutionaries

From the Montana News of July 23, 1908:

MEXICAN REVOLUTIONISTS
APPEAL TO ROOSEVELT.
—–

MX Revs, Magon, Rivera, Villareal, El Paso Hld, Aug 30, 1907

—–

The “open letter”, of which this is a copy, was mailed to President Roosevelt, upon May 28, by Messrs. Magon, Villarreal, and River, the three Mexican political prisoners who are still in Los Angeles county jail. They have now been in prison over nine months without trial. If their case goes to the supreme court, they m ay be without trial for another year to come. So far, release under bond has been denied them, though it is at times granted even to persons accused of murder.

These men have violated no law. Their crime is that of working for the oppressed of their own country, agitating in behalf of education, improvement in the conditions of labor (throughout Mexico, men, women and children alike, work from 16 to 18 hours per day for wages of from 15 cents to 75 cents), and a more liberal government such as would permit freedom of speech and of the press, as well as election of public officials by the people. Such measures as these are contrary to the policy of the Mexican government. Therefore Magon, Villarreal, Rivera, and their associates are “wanted in Mexico.”

Newspapers and individuals are requested to help these men by giving all possible publicity to this letter.

The letter to President Roosevelt follows:

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Hellraisers Journal: Revolutionaries Ricardo Flores Magón and Librado Rivera Under Arrest in Los Angeles

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We are free, truly free, when we don’t need to rent
our arms to anybody in order to be able to lift
a piece of bread to our mouths.
―Ricardo Flores Magón

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday March 26, 1918
Las Angeles, California – Publication of “Manifesto” Leads to Arrests

The publication of a “Manifesto” by Mexican Revolutionaries, Ricardo Flores Magón and Librado Rivera, in the March 16th edition of Regeneración has led to the arrests of our Mexican Comrades. According to the plan outlined below, they will be tried under the federal Espionage Act.

From The Los Angeles Times of March 22, 1918:

Magon and Rivera Jailed for Sedition, HdLn, LA Tx p12, Mar 22, 1918

Ricardo Magon, LA Hld p19, Apr 26, 1908, Librado Rivera, Wiki
Ricardo Flores Magon and Librado Rivera

AN INVESTIGATION by government agents was begun yesterday in the ramifications of a plan to foment a local Mexican insurrection, following the arrest of Ricardo Flores Magon and Liberado [Librado] Rivera, kingpins of the local anarchistic group and editors an publishers of Regeneracion, organ of the Los Angeles Bolsheviki [this is, of course, absurd as the Bolsheviki are not anarchists]. United States Commissioner D. M. Hammack fixed the bail in each case at $25,000.

Magon was picked up on the street in front of the Federal Building by Deputy United States Marshal Dolph Bassett, and just before noon, the same officer grabbed Rivera in the courtroom of Superior Judge Willis, where he was a witness for the defense in the Palma murder trial.

As Rivera was taken down the steps he scattered a number of sealed copies of Regeneracion, that had been addressed to followers of the unpatriotic cult. Enrique Flores Magon, the brother of Ricardo, was also in the courtroom and smiled when he saw Rivera taken away. For once he was outside the Federal net.

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Hellraisers Journal: Kidnapping of Mexican Revolutionaries, “Another Moyer-Haywood Case”

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We are free, truly free, when we don’t need to rent
our arms to anybody in order to be able to lift
a piece of bread to our mouths.
―Ricardo Flores Magón

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 27, 1907
Los Angeles, California – Mexican Revolutionaries Under Arrest

From the Appeal to Reason of October 26, 1907:

ANOTHER MOYER-HAYWOOD CASE
—–

BY W. A. COREY.
—–

Mexican Revolution, Ricardo Flores Magon, SF Call p21, Sept 29, 1907
Ricardo Flores Magón

Probably most readers of the Appeal have received some inkling through the capitalist press of the case of the four Mexican revolutionists now in jail in Los Angeles and fighting extradition to Mexico.

It is another Moyer-Haywood case; another attempt on the part of capitalist tyranny to put men out of the way who have become dangerous to it; another instance of capitalism’s cowardly Black Hand methods. As usual, the capitalist press has acted its part either by blackening the characters of the men or by refusing the case the space its importance warrants.

Three of the men-Magon, Villarreal and Rivera were arrested August 23, in the office of their publication, “La Revolucion,” in Los Angeles, while the fourth, De Lara, was arrested at his lodging September 27th. The first arrests were made without warrants or any show of authority whatever by officers of the Los Angeles police department, acting in conjunction with the Mexican authorities. The three Mexicans, who are powerful men, put up a stiff fight and were overcome with the greatest difficulty.

It was the evident intention of the police to hurry the men to a train and get them over into Mexico before legal steps could be taken to protect them. Once across the Mexican line they would be lined up against a brick wall and summarily shot. It was a case of kidnaping pure and simple; though not as simple as the kidnapers hoped, for they did not reckon with the Socialists, whose lawyers, Job Harriman and A. F. Holston, instantly took up the fight for the prisoners and forced the “persecution” to show their hand in the courts.

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