Hellraisers Journal: Federal Government Passive as Miner Owners Establish Industrial Despotism in Bisbee

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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday August 28, 1917
Bisbee, Arizona – Deputized Company Gunthugs Control City

From the Appeal to Reason of August 25, 1917:

The Truth About Bisbee

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Bisbee Deportation Miners and Supporters July 12, 1917

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Bisbee, Ariz., has not formally seceded from the Union, but the mining companies of that district have set up an independent sovereignty-an industrial despotism-in utter defiance of American laws and the rights of American citizens. In the presence of this organized outlawry of capitalism, the great government of the United States remains passive and idle. Official Washington has virtually ignored the situation in Bisbee, just as it ignored the outrages in West Virginia and in Colorado and in a score of other places where capitalistic despotism sought to crush the workers. In connection with the Bisbee trouble it is interesting to note that one of the leading mining corporations of that district is the Phelps Dodge Company, and to recall that Cleveland H. Dodge, vice president of the Phelps Dodge Company, was a heavy contributor to the Democratic national campaign fund. A full and disinterested account of the happenings in Bisbee is given by the San Francisco Bulletin in a personal interview with Thomas McGuinness, a real estate dealer of Bisbee. The following is Mr. McGuinness’ story:

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Hellraisers Journal: From the International Socialist Review: 121 IWW & Socialist Party Men Enter Chicago Jail

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

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Hellraisers Journal, Friday August 24, 1917
Chicago, Illinois – Anti-War Prisoners Enter Bridewell

Cover of the International Socialist Review for August 1917:

A reminder of our Fellow Workers and Comrades now behind the prison bars-

WWIR, Inside For You, Aug 1917

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121 Behind the Prison Bars

 

WWIR, IWW SP AntiWar Prisoners, ISR Aug 1917
One hundred twenty-one men entering Bridewell Work House, Chicago.
They were sentenced to one year’s hard labor by Judge Landis for refusing to register.

—–

One Hundred and Twenty-One Men

THE following accounts of the trial and imprisonment of 121 Socialists and members of the I. W. W. who voluntarily gave themselves up to the sheriff rather than register is taken from the Chicago newspapers.

Judge Landis first won fame by fining the Standard Oil Co., $29,000,000.00—which of course was never paid.

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Hellraisers Journal: The Lynching of Frank Little by Cesare of Evening Post and Bingo of Solidarity

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

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

Hellraisers Journal, Sunday August 12, 1917
Cartoonists Depict the Lynching of Fellow Worker Frank Little

From the American Socialist of August 11, 1917:

Frank Little, MT Law n Order, Cesare, Am Sc, Aug 11, 1917

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WE NEVER FORGET Frank Little Who Gave His Life in Freedom’s Cause at Butte, Montana on August 1, 1917

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

WE NEVER FORGET, Frank Little, Butte, MT, Aug 1, 1917

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

Fellow Worker Frank Little

Organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World

Frank Little Martyr, Truth Butte Tompkins, 1917

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Frank Little was lynched in Butte, Montana, at 3 A. M. on August 1, 1917, by vigilantes who, many alleged, were in the employ of the Anaconda Copper Company. He came to Butte to support striking metal miners despite having been warned of the dangers involved in that assignment. Elizabeth Gurley Flynn said of him:

He was tall and dark, with black hair and black eyes, a slender, gentle and soft-spoken man…He was dependable in all situations.

FW Little was much admired by the miners of Butte, and his funeral was one of the largest ever held in that city. His coffin was covered by a red silk banner, inscribed:

A MARTYR TO SOLIDARITY

———-

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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little & “Agitators” of Butte “Against Everything” Proclaims Company Newspaper

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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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

Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday July 25, 1917
Butte, Montana – “Agitators” Support Striking Miners

Metal Miners, Butte MT, Mining Artifacts, date unknown

The Anaconda Standard, voice of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, declared recently that the “agitators” of Butte are “against everything.”

Yet the striking miners have made it quite clear exactly what they stand against-i.e., the blacklist (Rustling Card system), long hours, low wages, and unsafe working conditions such as led to the deaths of 168 copper miners in the Speculator Mine Fire Disaster just a few short weeks ago.

From the Anaconda Standard of July 23, 1917:

AGITATORS TALKING AGAINST EVERYTHING
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A mass meeting for miners of the Butte district, held last evening at the ball park, was attended by about 2,000 men. All the speakers urged the miners to stay out and said the modifications of the rustling card and the weekly pay day announced by the Anaconda Copper Mining company on Saturday should be disregarded.

Joe Shannon made a fiery speech in which he urged every miner to start picket duty today, and he remarked that the Campbell union [Butte Metal Mine Workers Union] had the “number of every miner now working.”

R. L. Dunn, strike leader of the electricians, who had pledged the miners the electricians would not go back to work until the miners were underground, said the papers had called him an I. W. W. and he would admit it.

[Said Dunn:]

This strike is an expression against the form of society which allows a few to control the wealth of the nation and a protest against the system of society which keeps workingmen from enjoying the comforts and good things of life.

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Hellraisers Journal: Frank Little in Butte, Speaks to 4,000 Striking Metal Miners & Supporters at Ballpark

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Don’t worry, Fellow Worker,
all we’re going to need
from now on is guts.
-Frank Little

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

Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday July 24, 1917
Butte, Montana – Fellow Worker Frank Little Speaks

Frank Little, wiki

Fellow Worker Frank Little arrived in Butte, Montana, on July 18th as a representative of the Industrial Workers of the World. The Butte Metal Mine Workers Union is officially unaffiliated with the I. W. W., and yet, Frank Little, a leader of the Metal Mine Workers Industrial Union No. 800, was welcomed whole-heartedly by the striking miners and was invited to speak at a mass meeting held on July 19th at the Columbia Garden Baseball Park.

As he spoke, a light rain began to fall. Frank looked upward into the raindrops, raised his hands and remembered the miners left in the New Mexican desert following the Bisbee Deportation:

Oh man, if this rain could only descend upon that bull pen in the hot, sun-parched desert of New Mexico, and bring some relief to the two thousand noble men held there by the uniformed federal thugs, it would be appreciated.

Frank Little closed his speech with a call for Solidarity and Unity, the only means by which the working class can gain liberty from oppression.

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Hellraisers Journal: From the I. W. W. Newspaper, Solidarity: “The Kitten in the Wheat” by Shorty

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And have you fix the where and when
That we must slave and die?
Here’s fifty thousand harvest men
Shall know the reason why!
-Shorty

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Hellraisers Journal, Monday June 25, 1917
A Song for the Harvest Workers of the American Mid-West

From Solidarity of June 23, 1917:

Kitten in the Wheat by Shorty, Solidarity June 23, 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: Haywood Family in Court and Socialists in Boise by Ida Crouch-Hazlett

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There are no limits to which
powers of privilege will not go
to keep the workers in slavery.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal, Friday May 17, 1907
For The Montana News: Ida Crouch-Hazlett Reports from Boise

Reporting from Boise, Idaho, on the trial William D. Haywood, Ida Crouch-Hazlett, editor of the Socialist weekly, The Montana News, describes the Haywood family as they appeared in court on May 9th, the first day of the great trial:

Haywood’s Family Present.

Haywood Family Reunited, Boise, Wilkes-Barre Leader, May 10, 1907, Crpd

Mrs. Haywood had been carried up the stairs and into the court room in her invalid chair. She was dressed in black with a white collar at her throat and wore a black hat with a white flower. She was accompanied by her two daughters and nurse. The daughters sat in the same line with Haywood behind the attorneys; first the wife, then Verna, then the nurse with Henrietta on her lap, and then the man on trial for his life.

Haywood was clean shaved, well dressed and looked in the best of condition. His face held an expression of confidence that showed that his mind was not greatly disturbed.

As he sat down by the side of his daughter, Haywood placed his hand fondly upon her head and the two exchanged quick, loving smiles. Then he glanced over toward his wife and the two exchanged similar smiles. A moment later Haywood leaned over and began talking earnestly with Attorney Richardson. He was apparently asking some important questions and his attorney nodded vigorously at intervals. Then Haywood said some thing that caused them both to laugh heartily.

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Hellraisers Journal: Ralph Chaplin’s “When the Leaves Come Out” Announced for Sale in International Socialist Review

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They’ve got us down-their martial lines enfold us;
They’ve thrown us out to feel the winter’s sting,
And yet, by God, those curs can never hold us,
Nor could the dogs of hell do such a thing!
-Paint Creek Miner
Paint Creek, W. Va., 1913

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Hellraisers Journal, Tuesday April 17, 1917
International Socialist Review: “A New Revolutionary Song Book”

“When the Leaves Come Out” by Ralph Chaplin is now available for sale from the Review or from The Industrial Workers of the World, Chicago.

A New Revolutionary Song Book— The most popular poem ever published in the REVIEW was, beyond any question, Ralph Chaplin’s famous “When the Leaves Come Out,” written at the time when the mine guards in West Virginia had been guilty of killing and injuring scores of striking miners. Many letters came to this office asking the name of the “Paint Creek Miner.”

These friends will be delighted to learn that the I. W. W. has brought out a book of poems and new songs by Ralph Chaplin, songs and poems as rhythmical with rebellion as the pulse of that splendid organization itself.

“When the Leaves Come Out” is a beautiful book with a cover, about which the I. W. W. has a right to boast, and the sketches within, by the author, are full of strength, revolutionary symbolism and artistic charm. The sign of Black Cat is everywhere.

Next month we hope to quote one or two of our favorite poems from this book. But in the meantime send in 50 cents and get it. We understand the I. W. W. sells this new book in quantities at 35 cents a copy. Address I. W. W., 164 W. Washington street, Chicago, Ill.

The cover of FW Chaplin’s new book features the drawing, “The Miner” by Charles A. Winter, published in the June 1913 edition of The Masses:

Chaplin, When Leaves, Cover-fr Masses by CA Winter, 1917

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Hellraisers Journal: Prosecutor in Tracy Trial Gives Dramatic Reading of “Sabo-Tabby Kitten,” Complete with “MEOW! MEOW!”

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O, the rats all hate and fear me.
MEOW! MEOW!
The softest paw can be a claw;
They seldom venture near me,
Hurrah, they saw your Sabo-Tabby Kitten!
-Ralph Chaplin

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Hellraisers Journal, Friday March 23, 1917
Seattle Tracy Trial – Dramatic Reading Provided by Prosecutor

Sabo-Tabby Kitten by Ralph Chaplin

In an article in Thursday’s edition of the The Northwest Worker, Katherine H. Hodgins provides further details on the reading of I. W. W. literature into the trial record and a closer look at the testimony of Mayor Merrill of Everett.

It seems that Prosecutor Cooley thought the courtroom a stage when he recited the lyrics to Ralph Chaplin’s song about a Sabo-Tabby Kitten:

Friday morning was enacted a scene that was worth any person’s time and money to have seen and heard, when Mr. Cooley read from the I. W. W. song-book. Imagine, if you can, a white-haired man, rather sever in countenance, reading with the utmost gravity to a solemn-faced jury, the songs “Casey Jones,” “Tabby Kitten,” etc. Mr. Cooley read them in an interesting and expressive manner which added color to the unique performance. Especially was this true when he “meowed” at the end of each chorus of one of the songs, exclaiming “sabotage” in the most fearful and dramatic manner of which he was capable.

On a more serious note, Mayor Merrill was confronted by the young I. W. W. member whose fingers the Mayor had crushed:

The most dramatic incident of the trial so far, was the introduction of Louis Skaroff, an unusually interesting, bright-faced Jewish lad, who had been arrested and detained at the city jail in Everett after having been arrested on the afternoon of Nov. 5th while speaking on the street. It has been alleged that this lad had been maltreated by officials at the city jail late one night, and that at the termination of a series of kickings and beatings, during which he sustained bruises about the head and body inflicted by the mayor, assisted by another official, his fingers were placed under the foot of an iron bed by the mayor, while he, with the other worthy, jumped upon the middle of the bed, thus crushing and bruising the poor lad’s hand. When confronted by Skaroff, Merrill denied having ever seen him. Again he refreshed his memory and admitted that he had seen him, but denied any connection with atrocity.

From The Northwest Worker of March 22, 1917:

MAYOR MERRILL OF EVERETT GETS
GRUELLING AT TRIAL
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PROSECUTION FAILS IN ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE ONLY
ONE SIDE OF THE WORKERS CASE TO JURY.
CLASS WAR IN THE LIME LIGHT
—–

(By Katherine H. Hodgins)

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