The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-18

Anarchist Leader Dies After a
Career Marked by Many
Prison Terms.
New York Herald Special Service.

New York Herald Special Service.
Chicago,5 March l7.-In prison and
out-that sums up the career Of Johann
Most, the anarchist who died today in
Cincinnati. Brought up under the most
adverse circumstances, disfgured from
boyhood, ill-treated by his first en-
ployer, kicked and cuffed about by SOL
diery and police, he grew into one Of
the most rantankerous philosophers and
reddest revolutionists Of modern times
Most was born in Augsburg, in Feb
ruary, 1916. His father held an Office
at the court and managed to give the
boy a fair elementary education. In
1853 young Most became i'll and an
operation was performed which dis
figured his face for life. This dia as
much as anything else, perhaps, to sour
his disposition. ..: il
Then his mother died and an unsym-
pathetic stepmother came. into his world
| to torment him to rebellion. This is
the way he described the woman, mis-
fathers second wife: .s.~. ~.
'HShe was bigoted and crazy and
without any single redeeming feature
! q veritable she DEVIL -.
He was apprenticed to book binder
| and learned the trade. His chief amuse-
ment at that time was to go to the
theater. Years afterward he struttel
the stage himself in New York in. the
anarchist play, "Die Weber,
Read Atheistic Books.
During this early period he read many
atheistical books. Cruelties suffered
during his boyhood had given his mind
a twist for contradiction, opposition,
destruction. He was fooged for not
going to church. He swore he would
never enter church again, and he
never did. -~...3 ....,
AS his mind expanded Most became
impatient to see the world. He quit the
book binder and in the summer Of 1864
started to tramp to Italy. The next
four or five years were spent in wan
dering about thru northern Italy, Swift
erland, Germany, Hungary and Austria
He was often hungry, many times with
out shelter, but always in rapture over
the great things he was seeing In
1866 he, was arrested in Giessen as a
tramp. A tramp he was, sure enough
, altho he tried to ply his trade for walk
u. ing expenses wherever he could.
- -. Became a Socialist. II
/ In November, 1867, he went to Zu
/ rich, read a lot of books there, me-
l Hermann Greulich, afterward editor o
: the Tagwacht, and then went to Wen
ma, as business was dull. He was nov
: a pretty thoro socialist, but not yet al
anarchist. He was discouraged at tn
I spread of liberalism in Austria follow
s ing the battle Of Koeniggratz, whic1
Y had tended to make the people al
i, Etbrothers in victory.' T..
e Most stood up in the street and de
: nounced this pseudo liberalism an
t called the police, the soldiers and tn
8 clergy bad names. He was discharge
|. by his employers as a dangerous mar
0 and Immediately went to Voeslau. FL
n was fast becoming the anarchist W
l. now know him to have been. s.s.
After remaining four months
Voeslau he returned to Vienna and wa
n arrested. His trial was notable on,
Il He was sentenced to five years at har
v labor and the verdict was by the Viel
n ma supreme court. He was then ser
l. to Lueben penitentiary near the tow
= of Passou, Bavarian frontier.
=. Leader OF Socialists.
n When he got out he found himse
e the appointed leader and missionary I
e the socialists. He gave himself up el
d tirely to making speeches, writin
e pamphlets and books and editing S
,e cialistic newspapers. He and his part
s. founded the Chemnitz Ereie Press
e. He got six thalers month for ru!
If ming it. .
s. About this time Most fell in 10,
# with young woman. He married h,
l. only to separate from her after a fe
y, years, because he found that he mu
Is give up either her or his party, and l
s. chose his party. We had cat-an
lie dog existence up to the year 1880,
re Most himself said, and then sepa
st ated. Ny wife died in 1882. y
k Most was elected to the reichsts
IL twice He raised storm every tin
le he got on his feet. He went over
t. England early in 1879 and started Il
st Freiheit. The paper came out regula
as " until Most published an article COZ
ne mending the assassination of Alexa
ar der IL. of Russia. It was published wi
40 red $horders around IL - The aditor a.