Hellraisers Journal – Thursday July 4, 1912
Mike Livoda, Organizer for U. M. W. A., Beaten in Huerfano County, Colorado
Affidavit of Mike Livoda
-Sworn to on June 20, 1912, at Las Animas County:
From the Denver Post of June 27, 1912:
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASKED TO ASSUME PROSECUTOR ———- Other Authorities Fail to File in Assault and Robbery Case. ———-
Governor Shafroth has been reminded that when a county prosecuting officer fails to do his duty when facts are presented sufficient to make a prima facie case the attorney general of the state can step in and personally take charge of the prosecution. When Attorney General Benjamin Griffith returns Friday he will be instructed by the governor to proceed against the five men who dragged Michael Livoda, organizer for the United Mine Workers of America, from his bed, robbed him of his union papers and ordered him to leave Walsenburg and Colorado.
John McLennan and John R. Lawson, in charge of the organization of miners, made the request that the state executive take action after District Attorney McHenry of Las Animas county failed to act. Deputy District Attorney Undershot, at Walsenburg, also refused to cause the arrest of the accused men.
McLennan and Lawson gave the names of these men to Governor Shafroth to turn over to the attorney general for prosecution: Charles A Kaiser, assistant superintendent of the Walsen mine; Deputy Sheriff Carr, stationed at the Walsen mine; James Farr, deputy sheriff, stationed at the Ravenwood mine, where Livoda was beaten, and a nephew of Sheriff Jefferson Farr; John Neish, superintendent of the Ravenwood mine, and Joseph Watson, guard at the Ravenwood mine. They claim to have witnesses to prove the five men guilty of the assault and robbery
Livoda was asleep in the house of a friend on the night of June 13 when five men entered the place, went through his clothes, took all union documents, marched him through the camp with mouth bound so he could not cry out, and when he reached the open country turned him loose after firing four shots and threatening to kill him if he came back.
Hellraisers Journal – Wednesday July 6, 1921 Ludlow, Colorado – Memorial Services Held at Ludlow Monument
From the United Mine Workers Journal of July 1, 1921:
LUDLOW, Colo., June 20.-A crowd of more than 4,000 attended the annual memorial services at Ludlow monument yesterday. Ludlow monument was erected by the United Mine Workers of America on the scene of the inhuman massacre in 1914 of eighteen men, women and children by thugs and assassins in the employ of coal companies in the murderous campaign to prevent the mine workers of Colorado from joining the union. It was the largest crowd that ever attended a memorial service in memory of these heroic, helpless victims of the gunman’s fury.
An almost perfect June day and the published announcements that the international heads of the U. M. W. of A. would be present served to create more interest than usual.
There was considerable disappointment when a telegram was read by President Jno. McLennan of Dist. 15 stating John L. Lewis and Wm. Green would not be present because they had very important business on hand early Monday morning in Denver and, in view of the disarranged train schedules, feared they could not take a chance on delay.
Instead the principal address was delegated to Philip Murray of Pittsburgh, International Vice-President. Mr. Murray was the last speaker of the program and held his audience with a talk that was a mixture of real oratory, sentiment and humor, all delivered with a very pleasing and pronounced Irish brogue…..
[Vice-President Murray] spoke directly to the women and children during part of his address, urging them to use their influence on the non-union miners to join the organization…..
Reference was made to the Mingo county mine war in West Virginia, which Murray said had cost the lives of fifty union men in the past year. He said the miners there were made of stern stuff and were prepared to defend their homes with their lives.
Hellraisers Journal – Saturday May 20, 1911 Mother Jones News Round-Up for April 1911
Dreamer Finds Mother Jones in Heaven Wearing Biggest Crown of All
From the Appeal to Reason of April 1, 1911
-page 3, Kansas & Oklahoma edition:
OKLAHOMA NOTES —–
[…..]
Comrade Lee, of Oklahoma City, sends in a list of subs. He says that he had a dream not long ago and found himself, much to his surprise, in heaven. The first person he saw was Mother Jones, who was wearing the biggest crown in the bunch.
Hellraisers Journal – Monday April 17, 1911 Mother Jones News Round-Up for March 1911: –Found in Denver Fighting for Sixteen Miners Jailed by Judge Whitford
From the Black Hills Daily Register of March 6, 1911:
Accuses Judge of Bribery
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(By Pan-American Press.)
Sixteen miners freed from jail with assistance of Mother Jones. —–
Denver, March 6.-The impeachment investigation against Judge Greeley W. Whitford, which is being conducted by a committee of the Colorado house of representatives, took a most sensational turn when the committee was told by Mrs. Margaret Miller that prior to his sentencing sixteen union men to jail a few mouths ago, she had delivered a package to Whitford which, she alleged, contained $3,000.
Mrs. Miller said she had been on terms of close relationship with Whitford for eight years. She testified that during the Cripple Creek mining troubles she was in the employ of the Mine Owners’ Association. She alleges a man associated with her in those troubles, gave her the money to give to Judge Whitford.
The sixteen miner were released from jail recently by Judge Whitford after serving two months of their sentence.
Union labor organizations all over the state of Colorado united in petitioning for Judge Whitford’s removal from the bench, declaring that the court in sentencing the miners, had found them guilty of a criminal charge without giving them the right of trial by jury. “Mother Jones” played an important part in the freeing of the men by holding immense meetings in all the large cities of the state.
Hellraisers Journal – Thursday March 16, 1911 Denver, Colorado – “A Living Protest” by William D. Haywood
From the International Socialist Review of March 1911:
This picture was taken in Denver County Jail where Pettibone, Moyer, and Haywood were confined previous to being taken to the penitentiary in Idaho. The men occupy the same corridor where Haywood’s cell was located.
FEBRUARY the second was a memorable day in Denver, Colorado. Government by injunction received a jolt in the solar plexus that if followed up by a united working class will put the courts out of business.
Ten thousand men and women unionists and Socialists paraded the streets of the Queen City of the Plains, demanding that government by injunction be abolished. They marched in fours and sixes to the capital building. When the Socialist section arrived at the law factory, their band started up the Marseillaise, every red, big and little, singing the battle song of all nations.
From the capital building the parade marched to the city auditorium, where a monster protest meeting was held. Judge Greeley W. Whitford was damned, and denounced for sending sixteen coal miners, members of the U. M. W. A., to jail for a term of one year for the alleged violation of an injunction issued by him. The injunction was one of the blanket style that covers everything and everybody. Prohibited one from breathing in the vicinity of the coal company’s property or looking at one of their strike-breaking pets that they have imported from West Virginia.
Hellraisers Journal – Saturday May 8, 1920
-Mother Jones News for March 1920, Part II
Found in Denver Conferring with Local Labor Leaders
From The Denver Post of March 27, 1920:
3 MINES EXTEND CONTRACTS
UNTIL AGREEMENT COMES
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“Mother” Jones on Way to Denver
to Speak to Laboring Men.
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A temporary extension of the contract with the United Mine Workers of America until contracts have been signed in the central competitive district has been announced by officers of the International Fuel company operating the Evans mine at Evans; the Natural, near Louisville; and the National mine in Routt county.
These three mines employ about 300 men. Final action on the renewal of the contract will not be taken until conditions have been agreed upon in the central competitive field.
President John McLennan of District 15, United Mine Workers of America, has returned from Utah. Retiring President John Nigro, who has been in Denver for several days, and Vice President “Mike” Livoda returned to Pueblo Saturday. No decision has been reached yet whether a suspension of work will follow the refusal of many of the operators to renew or extend union contracts April 1.
“Mother” Jones, now en route from San Francisco to the east, will arrive in Denver at 8:20 o’clock Saturday night via the Denver & Rio Grande according to a telegram received by Secretary Edward Anderson of the State Federation of Labor. Arrangements probably will be made for a meeting at which she will be principal speaker. Labor leaders are without information as to the probable length of her visit in Denver.
Hellraisers Journal, Sunday April 28, 1918
Ludlow, Colorado – Miners to Dedicate Monument to Honor Martyrs
From the United Mine Workers Journal of April 25, 1918:
DIST. NO. 15, COLORADO
President Hayes has sent the following letter which is self-explanatory, to President Johnson of District No. 15:
Mr. Geo. O. Johnson, President,
District 15, U. M. W. of A.,
Pueblo, Colorado.
Dear Sir and Brother:
Just a few lines to advise that we expect to have the Ludlow Monument erected and in place by next Decoration Day, and we propose to hold dedication exercises at Ludlow on that date. In view of this fact, it might be well to postpone the anniversary demonstration until May 30th, at which time we expect to hold a great demonstration at Ludlow, which will be attended by all the members of the International Executive Board. I suggest that you notify your Local Unions as to our intention to hold dedication exercises on May 30th.
With all good wishes, I am,
Fraternally yours,
FRANK J. HAYES, President.
It may be stated here that owing to difficulties encountered in transporting material, the original arrangements to have the monument arrive at Ludlow in time to hold dedication services on the day of the anniversary of the Ludlow massacre, could not be carried out. The dedication and memorial exercises will be held on Decoration Day as set forth in the above communication.
All local unions of Dist. No. 15 are advised to make suitable arrangements to be represented at Ludlow on the 30th day of May, when it is expected that the miners of Colorado will foregather in a mighty demonstration to pay tribute to those who died that the United Mine Workers might endure in Colorado.
Hellraisers Journal, Thursday April 19, 1917
From the United Mine Workers Journal: Ludlow Martyrs to be Honored
From this week’s Journal:
The Seed of Freedom
April 20th is the third anniversary of the day on which was perpetrated the crime that shocked humanity in every part of the civilized world, the massacre of unarmed men, women and babies in the little canvas city that the miners’ organization had built to shelter the evicted strikers of southern Colorado who had revolted against the conditions of servitude imposed upon them in the surrounding coal mine camps.
It is not the purpose of this article to recall the horrors of that day of shame; rather would we rejoice that the time is here when we can demonstrate that the victims of the Ludlow massacre did not die in vain, that there also “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Freedom.”
On Sunday, April 22nd, organized miners from the towns contiguous to the field where the strikers’ tent colony was located and destroyed, will hold memorial services. From Hastings, the great mining camp of the Victor American Coal Company, once closed against every man known to have union sympathies, will come a solid delegation, all the miners of that camp all members of the United Mine Workers union. Every mining town from Morley in the south to Walsenburgh, Fremont County and the lignite coal fields north will send delegations of union men, who can today publish it to the world that they have affiliated with the organization of their industry.
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