The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-03-16
LET NO Man FACTER, y.
SAYS LIZZIE HOLMES
Veteran Labor Writer Recalls
Three Interesting Periods in
Her Life.
The Hanging Of John Brown,
Judicial Murder in 1887, and
the Arrest of Miners.

Lizzie M. Holmes, we'll known to
most of the veteran labor leaders of
the United States, as a writer on
economic questions of rare ability, and
one Of the heroic band Of women in
Chicago who believed In the innocence
of the men who were hanged after the
Haymarket riot in 1887, is now living
in retirement at an advanced age In La
Veta, Colorado. She is watching close
" the trial of the officers Of the West
ern Federation of Miners in Idaho, and
writes as follows on the subject:
For the third time In my life have
I known and felt with the keenness of
sympathy and strong sense Of justice,
the arrest and trial of brave, true
men guilty of nothing but of loyalty
to the cause of humanity
"When was little girl, heard my
father and mother talk Of John Brown
and how he fought against black
slavery; how he was tried and con-
demned; how bravely he met his sem
tence, how unfalteringly he went to
the scoffold, stopping to kiss a little
black babe on his way. My heart
throbbed then with pity and admfra-
ton, and I wished that I could have
seen and touched the grand old man.
I'm middle life I became we'll ac-
ouainted with several Of the brainiest,
ablest. most devoted men I had ever
seen. For three years I went to their
listened to their conversations. I knew
and felt to my innermost being how
their hearts burned within them for
the wrongs done to working people,
how they yearned to do something to
free them, and how their whole beings
were absorbed Elm the great cause of
the freedom Of the workers; saw
them feared hated. prosecuted, miseep-
resented. I saw the whole capitalist
class recoiling Of their diabolical con-
spiracy to have these men put out of
the way. I participated in many of
the thrilling events which proceeded
their judicial murders-the Haymarket
meeting, the arrests, the many months
| of weary waiting, i'm which so many
tragical occurrences took place; the
| beginning Of the trial when one-who
had been safe came and. gave himself
up that he might be with his COM
rades and help the cause he loved TIE
farce OF a trial: itself, the, appeals. the
refusals of the supreme, court and the
governor to interfere, and finally the
dark day when all having been done
that could possibly be done at that
time, we endured the agony Of know
ing that our friends were being put tc
death by legal enactment. we lived
through it-but the tragedy left its
marks upon us all. We were never
any of us the same again. =
| And now I am witnessing another
conspiracy to do away with men who
have devoted themselves to the cause
of freedom and justice too unselfishly
stood appalled, when I first realized
that another tragedy such as I had
lived through, might be enacted again
| But we must not allow it! The
| times are different! The spirit OF
protest against such wrongs is abroad
in the land. The enormities of cap
italism have been shown up so widely
that all the people know Of what crimes
it is capable. A million men stand
ready to revolt, where there were but
a thousand twenty years ago. Let every
man, woman and child who has ar
atom of the sense Of justice within his
breast, resolve that this crime, this
sacrifice shall not be consummated!'