Tag: October 1917

WE NEVER FORGET: Oct 1, 1917, Pineville, Kentucky, Gunthugs Shoot Down Unarmed Local Leader of Coal Miners

Janet RayeWe Never Forget
Share

Pray for the dead
and fight like hell for the living.
-Mother Jones

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

WNF, Pineville KY, Shipman L & F, UMW, Oct 1, 1917

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

From the United Mine Workers Journal of October 4, 1917:

Gunmen Murder Unarmed Miner

Pineville, Ky., October 1. — On the pretense of serving a warrant on Luther Shipman, a leader among the miners on strike in this district, a posse headed by County Judge Ward of Harlan county called at the home of Mr. Shipman.

They ordered him to dress and accompany them. As he turned to get his hat one of the gang shot him in the back of the head, instantly killing him. They then opened a general fusilade on the other occupants of the miners’ cabin and mortally wounded Frank Shipman, a relative of the other murdered man.

Press dispatches, inspired by the influential men who headed this murder raid, state that there was a battle. There was no battle; the gang of gunmen had made the boast they would shoot down the leaders and drive the other miners back to work on the company’s terms.

Luther Shipman was a quiet, religious man, well liked and trusted by the miners. The men are very bitter, but the leaders hope to prevent reprisals in kind.

Continue reading “WE NEVER FORGET: Oct 1, 1917, Pineville, Kentucky, Gunthugs Shoot Down Unarmed Local Leader of Coal Miners” →

Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: Carl Sandburg on “Government in Action”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

I saw militiamen level their rifles
at a crowd of workingmen…
-Carl Sandburg

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

Hellraisers Journal, Friday October 12, 1917
“The Government-…I went out to find it.” -Carl Sandburg

Machine Gun Aimed at Ludlow, Apr 20, 1914

From the International Socialist Review of October 1917:

Carl Sandburg on Government, ISR Oct 1917

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: Carl Sandburg on “Government in Action”” →

Hellraisers Journal: Maryland Canner Heartbroken for the “Husky” Little Children Whom He Can No Longer Work

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

Mother Jones Quote, Of such is the kingdom of Heaven

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday October 9, 1917
Maryland Boss Has Heartache for Loss of Child Cannery Workers

From the Appeal to Reason of October 6, 1917:

“SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN–.”

Child Labor, Baltimore Cannery, Lewis Hine, July 1909, LOC

—–

W. E. Robinson, a Belair, Md., canner, is heartbroken because the Keating-Owen child labor law has forced him to employ men and women instead of the little children who formerly did the work in his factory. In a recent letter to a local newspaper he says:

Since the first of September [when the Keating-Owen Law became effective] I have not permitted these boys and girls to work in my factory. They are healthful, industrious youngsters, and the work they have been doing was very beneficial to them, mentally and physically. But my heart aches for them now. Their parents are all at work in the factory. Where are these husky boys and girls; what are they doing?

These unfortunate youngsters, bereft of their beloved jobs, exiled from the kindly shelter of Robinson’s cannery, their plight is indeed pitiful. Deprived of the life-giving labor, which was so “very beneficial to them, mentally and physically” doubtless their muscular little bodies are wasting away, and the once eager young minds have crumbled into mental and moral ruin.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: Maryland Canner Heartbroken for the “Husky” Little Children Whom He Can No Longer Work” →

Hellraisers Journal: From The Masses: Suffragists Picket “Kaiser Wilson” by Boardman Robinson

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

We women of America tell you that America
is not a democracy.
Twenty million women are denied
the right to vote.
-Alice Paul

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday October 7, 1917
Drawing by Boardman Robinson: Banner of Arrested Suffragists

From The Masses of October 1917:

Woman Suffrage, Jailed by Robinson, Masses Oct 1917

Detail-The Offending Banner:

Woman Suffrage, Jailed by Robinson, Detail 2, Masses Oct 1917

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From The Masses: Suffragists Picket “Kaiser Wilson” by Boardman Robinson” →

Hellraisers Journal: From the New York Sun: “IWW Queen Fails to Get $10,000 Bail;” Miss Flynn Held in the Tombs

Janet RayeElizabeth Gurley Flynn
Share

Quote Giovannitti, Prevail

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

Hellraisers Journal, Thursday October 4, 1917
New York, New York – Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Returned to the Tombs

From the New York Sun of October 2, 1917:

I. W. W. QUEEN FAILS TO GET $10,000 BAIL
—–
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Alleged Plotter,
Sent Back to Tombs Cell.
—–

TRESCA STILL PRISONER
—–
Four Accused New York Radicals Will Be,
Arraigned at 2 P. M. To-morrow.
—–

EGF, Tresca, Giovannitti, 1915, 1916, 1913

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, accused of complicity in I. W W. plots, waited in vain yesterday for some fairy godmother to furnish the $10,000 bail demanded for release pending proceedings which have been brought to compel her extradition to Chicago. As the hours passed a hopeful smile that she had borne upon her arraignment before United States Commissioner Samuel M. Hitchcock faded and at nightfall she was hustled into a patrol wagon and returned to her little cell in the Tombs.

She wan not alone in her misery, for the fat, prosperous looking Carlo Tresca and the swarthy Giovanno Baldazzi found themselves in a similar plight. Tresca, who is editor of an Italian anarchist organ printed in this city, had twirled his thumbs all the afternoon waiting for Amos Pinchot to come around and ball him out. Such were the expectation that he expressed, but Mr. Pinchot failed to materialize. So the pair sat opposite their queen in the patrol wagon, manacled to each other and guarded by big deputy marshals.

Only Arturo Giovannitti, versemonger for the Industrial Workers of the World, he of the flowing hair and tie, idol of the unkempt and bane of the police, was permitted to breath freedom’s sweet air. The poet was bailed out and the queen returned to her cell.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: From the New York Sun: “IWW Queen Fails to Get $10,000 Bail;” Miss Flynn Held in the Tombs” →

Hellraisers Journal: The International Socialist Review on the September 5th Raids Made Upon the IWW and the SPA

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
Share

We ask the membership to redouble their efforts
to build up the organization to the end that
the lot of the workers may be bettered,
and their toil-worn existence brightened.
-Big Bill Haywood

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday October 2, 1917
From the International Socialist Review: Raids and More Raids

This month’s edition of the Review describes the raids conducted September 5th by Federa Agents at the behest of the U. S. Department of Justice upon the headquarters and regional offices of the Industrial Workers of the World and the Socialist Party of America:

SP Nat HQ w Germer, ISR Oct 1917

—–

The I. W. W. and the Socialist Party

SIMULTANEOUSLY on September 5th, representatives of the U. S. Government raided the national offices of the Socialist party and of the I. W. W. Chicago, and of some twenty branch offices of the I. W. W. in different states. U. S. marshals armed with search warrants have taken files, records, pamphlets, leaflets and in many places the entire offices were cleaned out.

Such a wholesale and simultaneous invasion upon the offices of a labor and Socialist organization have never taken place before in the history of this country. The charge has been made that the I. W. W. is a seditious organization and that the I. W. W. and the Socialist Party headquarters are guilty of violating the Espionage Act.

From the National Office

SEPTEMBER 5th a force of Federal Agents took possession of the national office. A thoro search of the office was made and later copies of books, leaflets, records and lists were taken.

This material is to be placed before the grand jury. The charge made against the national office is that some of the comrades have violated the Espionage Act.

It may have been the intention to conceal the real purpose of this search, but the inference was left that there was no disposition to interfere with the routine work of the party. If the information given us is correct, we will be permitted to continue our regular activities except so far as we interfere with the war program.

We appeal to the members of the party to lay special stress on organization at this time. Every member should enlist as a recruiting officer in order to build up the party machinery so that we can win a sweeping victory in the congressional elections of 1918.

Continue reading “Hellraisers Journal: The International Socialist Review on the September 5th Raids Made Upon the IWW and the SPA” →