Tag: Sacramento IWW Class War Prisoners

Hellraisers Journal: Sentence Suspended for Theodora Pollock, Social Worker Who Was Convicted with Sacramento IWWs

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote BBH Sacramento IWW Martyrs, With Drops of Blood, Oct 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Friday February 14, 1919
Sacramento, California – Sentence Suspended for Theodora Pollock

While many of those convicted with her were sentenced to ten years in federal prison, the sentence of Miss Theodora Pollock has now been suspended. Below, our readers can find a complete list of the fellow workers who were convicted under the Espionage Act in federal court in Sacramento, California. In fact they are guilty only of being members of-or sympathetic to-the Industrial Workers of the World. Missing from this list, of course, are the five fellow workers who died awaiting trial.

From the National Civil Liberties Bureau:

IWW Sacramento Theodora Pollack, Tx Hld Prt Huron p3, Feb 12, 1919

Convicted January 17, 1919, at Sacramento, California for alleged conspiracy to violate several sections of the Federal Penal Code, the Espionage Act and various other Federal statutes.

Sentenced to ten years:
Mortimer Downing,
Frederick Esmond,
Chris Luber,
Phil McLaughlin,
John Grave,
Louis Tori,
James Quintan,
Edward Quigley,
George O’Connell,
Roy P. Connor,
John Potthast,
Henry Hammer,
Pete de Bernardi,
Myron Sprague,
Elmer Anderson,
Caesar Tabib,
Robert Connellan,
Frank Elliott,
Harry Gray,
Gabe Brewer,
Godfrey Ebel,
William Hood,
Vincent Santelli,
Geo. F. Voetter

Sentenced to five years:
Edward S. Carey,
Harry Murphy,
Herbert Stredwick

Sentenced to four years:
Robt. Feehan,
James H. Mulrooney,
James Price

Sentenced to three years:
Joe Carroll,
Otto Eisner

Sentenced to two years:
Frank Moran,
Frank Reilly,
Edward Anderson,
Felix Cedino

Sentenced to one year:
H. Donovan,
W. H. Faust,
Chas. Koenig,
W. L. Miller,
Albert Whitehead

Convicted, not yet sentenced:
[Note: these three chose legal representation, and did not take part in the “Silent Defense.” Since this list was made, they have all received light sentences, with Miss Pollock’s sentence suspended.]
Theodora Pollock,
A. L. Fox,
Basil Saffores

[Newsclip added is from the Port Huron Times Herald of February 12th.]

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Hellraisers Journal: Eye-Witness Account from Sacramento Courtroom: Fellow Workers “Were Led Back to Jail Singing”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Frank Little re Guts, Wobbly by RC p208, Chg July 1917—–

Hellraisers Journal – Friday February 7, 1919
Sacramento, California – Fellow Workers Sang Their Way Back to Jail

From The Butte Daily Bulletin of February 3, 1919:

43 I.W.W. RECEIVE THEIR SENTENCE
WITH A LAUGH

The Defiant Stand of Unionists in Sacramento Trial
Told in Eye-Witnesses’ Account.

WWIR, In Here For You, Ralph Chaplin, Sol Aug 4, Sept 1, 1917

An eye-witness’ account of the courtroom scene when 43 members of the I. W. W. were sentenced in Sacramento 10 days ago, after having maintained a “silence strike against capitalist justice” during the trial, has just been published by the New York defense committee, 27 East Fourth street, New York City. After being out only 70 minutes the jury brought in a verdict of “guilty as charged” against all of the defendants, showing that the case of each had been dispatched in a minute and a half.

The men seemed rather glad to have it over with, it is reported. There never had been any doubt in their minds as to what the verdict would be. As they were led out of the courtroom they sang “Solidarity Forever!”

The next morning, Jan. 17. the 43 “silent defendants” were brought in for sentence. The three who had refused to join in their decision to put up no defense were absent. “Have any of the defendants anything to say before I pass sentence?” asked Judge Frank H. Rudkin.

They had, indeed. Their pledge of silence, “in contempt of court,” was to last only until they had been convicted. Their tongues were now loosed. Eleven of them spoke, occupying the entire morning, during which time the 43 stood shoulder to shoulder before the court and delivered probably as scathing an arraignment of capitalist justice as has ever been voiced by workingmen.

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: “The Silent Defense in Sacramento” by Jean Sterling (Silent Except for Coughing)

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Jean Sterling, Silent Defense, Liberator, Feb 1919—–

Hellraisers Journal – Saturday February 1, 1919
Sacramento, California – I. W. W. Defendants Silent Except for the Coughing

From The Liberator of February 1919:

The Silent Defense in Sacramento

By Jean Sterling

Sacramento IWW, Silent Defense, Dec 1918 to Jan 1919
Silent Defenders

—–

“Do the defendants, not represented by attorneys, wish to interrogate the talesman?”

The court reporter held his pencil suspended. The forty-three defendants faced with mocking eyes and closed lips their jailers, prosecutors and the presiding judge.

“Do they wish to exercise the right of challenge?”

For a tense second the inexorable wheels of justice stopped turning. Some one had thrown a felt slipper in the cogs. The defendants gave the prospective juror not so much as a glance. They had read and yawned and gazed vacantly out of the high windows while the attorneys for the prosecution had been probing the talesman’s soul for any humane or modern ideas on the subject of labor.

Then, after a decorous silence, such as is observed in court procedures and funeral rites, the Judge said quietly, “If, then, there are no objections to the talesman, he may take his seat in the jury box.”

And so the juryman, an ancient rancher, the prophesy of the type to follow, took his seat.

And in this manner did the forty-three defendants, I. W. W.’s, now being tried in Sacramento, California, on charges of conspiracy, under the Espionage Act, open their “silent defense.”

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Hellraisers Journal: Sacramento IWW Prisoners Arrive at Leavenworth; Mortimer Downing Speaks to the Court

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Mortimer Downing, Speech to Court, Sacramento, Jan 17, 1919—–

Hellraisers Journal – Monday January 27, 1919
Leavenworth Penitentiary – Fellow Workers Arrive from Sacramento

From The Leavenworth Times of January 26, 1919:

MORE I. W. W. PRISONERS HERE
—–
Special Car Load of Them Brought in
From California Yesterday
-Names and Sentences.
—–

Sacramento IWW, Silent Defense, Dec 1918 to Jan 1919
Silent Defenders

Another big batch of I. W. W. prisoners was landed in the Federal penitentiary yesterday. They were brought in from California in a special car in charge of six deputy United States marshals. They got into the prison at 3:30 in the afternoon.

These were all white men and they were a tough looking bunch. There were sharp and well dressed looking prisoners in the ninety-one that were brought over from Chicago with Haywood last fall, but the California gang seems to be run down hobos.

They will be dressed in Monday and put to work Tuesday. Like the other I. W. W. prisoners they will be divided up among the working gangs of the penitentiary.

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Hellraisers Journal: From The Liberator: Floyd Dell on America’s Political Prisoners & Conscientious Objectors

Janet RayeEugene Victor Debs
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While there is a soul in prison
I am not free.
-Eugene Victor Debs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Thursday January 9, 1919
America’s Political Prisoners by Floyd Dell

From The Liberator of January 1919:

“What Are You Doing Out There?”

[by Floyd Dell]

The Liberator Jr Revolutionary Progress, Jan 1919

THIS magazine goes to two classes of readers: those who are in jail, and those who are out. This particular article is intended for the latter class. It is intended for those who wish to prove themselves friends of American freedom rather than those who have had it proved against them.

The relation between these two classes of people is embarrassingly like that in the old anecdote about Emerson and Thoreau. Thoreau refused to obey some law which he considered unjust, and was sent to jail. Emerson went to visit him. “What are you doing in here, Henry?” asked Emerson.

“What are you doing out there?” returned Thoreau grimly.

That is what the people who have gone to prison for the ideas in which we believe seem to be asking us now.

And the only self-respecting answer which we can give to this grim, silent challenge, is this: “We are working to get you out!”

That is our excuse, and we must see that it is a true one. We are voices to speak up for those whose voice has been silenced.

There are some silences that are more eloquent than speech. The newspapers were forbidden to print what ‘Gene Debs said in court; but his silence echoes around the earth in the heart of workingmen. They know what he was not allowed to tell them; and they feel that it is true.

It would be wrong to think of this as an opportunity to do something for Debs; it is rather our opportunity to make ourselves worthy of what he has done for us.

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Hellraisers Journal: Fellow Workers Plan “Silent Defense” at Sacramento Federal Trial of Industrial Workers of the World

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote BBH Sacramento IWW Martyrs, With Drops of Blood, Oct 1919~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday December 11, 1918
Sacramento, California-Federal Trial of I. W. W. in Progress

WWIR, In Here For You, Ralph Chaplin, Sol Aug 4, Sept 1, 1917

The trial of members of the Industrial Workers of World is now in progress in Sacramento, and little to no mention is made by the kept press of the five fellow workers who did not live long enough to face a jury of their peers.The San Francisco Chronicle of December 9th does mention them briefly:

[F]our of the defendants-Robert James Blaine, Edward Burns, Henry Evans and Frank Travis-have died since they were arrested.

However The Chronicle fails to mention the death of defendant, Fellow Worker James Nolan, and also fails to mention that these five fellow workers were imprisoned under horrendous conditions and further fails to mention that they died of influenza/pneumonia to which those unsanitary conditions may have been a contributing factor.

From the San Francisco Examiner of December 8, 1918:

I.W.W. to Treat U.S. Charge
With Silent Contempt
—–

47 Defendants in Conspiracy Case
at Sacramento
Will Make No Defense.
—–

SACRAMENTO, December 7.-A “silent defense” is the program of the trial committee, which will represent all but one of the forty-seven defendants in the Industrial Workers of the World conspiracy cases, who will be brought to trial here Monday in the United States District Court, according to Robert Duncan, special attorney for the Department of Justice, who will prosecute the case for the government.

Duncan said today he had received information from among the defendants and through other sources that it was the plan for the defendants and their committee to treat the entire proceedings with “silent contempt” and to take no part in the trial.

The only women defendant, Theodora Pollok of San Francisco, will be represented by Attorney Nathan C. Coghlan of San Francisco. The other defendants announced at their arraignment October 8, when they entered pleas of not guilty, that they had dismissed their attorneys and would conduct their own trial.

One defendant, Julius Weinberg of San Francisco, entered his plea of guilty on October 4, but has not been sentenced.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to obstruct the war program of the United State government.

———-

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WE NEVER FORGET: The IWW Martyrs of the Sacramento County Jail Who Died Awaiting Trial, October-November, 1918

Janet RayeWe Never Forget
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Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.
-Mother Jones
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WNF, IWW Martyrs, Sacramento County Jail, Oct Nov 1918

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

The IWW Martyrs of the Sacramento County Jail

Between October 22nd and November 2nd, 1918, five Fellow Workers, members of the Industrial Workers of the World, died of influenza while awaiting trial on Federal Espionage charges.

FW Ed Burns-died October 22nd
FW James Nolan-died October 28th
FW R. J. Blaine-died October 28th
FW H. C. Evans-died October 31st
FW Frank Travis-November 2nd

“The Silent Defense,” IWW Pamphlet, describes jail condition:

WWIR, In Here For You, Ralph Chaplin, Sol Aug 4, Sept 1, 1917

Fifty-three were arrested in and around the Sacramento hall [December 1917]. These men were thrown into a [county] jail cell, 21×21 feet. All of them could not lie down at once. It was winter. One cotton blanket was given each. Their food was about two ounces of mush in the morning, less than two ounces of bread. and at night three fetid little smelts and less than two ounces of potatoes, with “coffee” twice a day. In the cold they shivered. Day by day they starved. By relays they slept at night; the bedlam of a city drunk tank soothed their slumbers wooed in frost and starvation. Everyone of these men had money when arrested. They sent out and bought food for themselves. This is a general privilege in the Sacramento jails. This food was placed before their cells just outside the prisoner’s reach. It rotted there. They slaved and starved. Once or twice some of the “harness bulls” of Sacramento slipped their lunches to the ravenous wretches.

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Hellraisers Journal: Five IWWs Under Federal Indictment in Sacramento County Jail Have Died from Spanish Influenza

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote BBH Sacramento IWW Martyrs, With Drops of Blood, Oct 1919~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday November 3, 1918
Sacramento, California – Five Fellow Workers Dead of Influenza

IWW Label Emblem, BBH Drops of Blood, Oct 1919

Fellow Worker Frank Travis died yesterday of influenza while awaiting trial on federal charges in the Sacramento County Jail. Travis is the fifth indicted I. W. W. member to die of influenza. Edward Burns was the first to die on October 22nd. James Nolan and Robert Blaine died October 28th, and Henry Evans died on October 31st.

From The Sacramento Bee of November 2, 1918:

Two Prisoners Die-Two more County Jail inmates died to-day of the influenza. Frank Travis died in the County Jail, while Peter Ramiez died after he was removed to the County Hospital. Travis is the second county prisoner to die in the jail, while Ramiez is the fourth county prisoner to die at the hospital.

———-

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