Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-11-19
QUEEN OF ANARCHISTS.
Emma Goldman the Most Trouble
some Woman in America.


some Woman in America.
For more than half decade the en-
tire secret service of the United States,
assisted by the postal authorities and a
score Of city police forces, has been
striving without much avail to compel
one little woman to hold her tongue.
Laws have been made especially to
deal with her and whole corps Of de-
tectives trained to enforce the laws.
But espionage threats, arrests and i'm
prisonment have failed to check the
fanatical activity Of this champion Of
pests, Emma Goldman, internationally
known as the Queen Of the Anarchists
Emma Goldman was born in 1870 at
and at Koenigsberg, Germany. In 1884,
her parents having preceded her, EN-
ma, accompanied by an elder sister,
Helen, came to America and settled
with her relatives at Rochester, n. Y.
Here she engaged in dressmaking, and
claims to have been successful. She
was married In 1886 to Joseph Kirsh-
ner, the ceremony being performed by
& rabbi in accordance with the faith in
which she had been brought up. This
union, however, did not prove happy,
and the couple soon separated by mu-
tual consent. but remained friends.
1t was about this time that Emma
Goldman began to take an interest in
anarchistic teachings. Then came the
mountaineering episode in Chicago, for
which Parsons, Spies, Engel, Fischer
and Lingg paid the penalty on tho
scaffold, and Emma Goldman's course
in life changed. She forthwith took
up the preaching of what she calls
with unconscious irony, "the higher
doctrine of humanity" and has stuck
to it since, through many vicissitudes
At 81 the Queen is still well-pre-
served woman. She is only five feet
three inches in height, and weighs
about 1872 pounds, but her youthful gait
and carriage give no slight impress
sion of nervous energy and determine
ton.
tablishment in New York, Joined the
Pioneers Of Liberty" the Oldest
anarchistic organization in the city,
and soon made her powers of persua-
sive speech felt. 1t was during that
year that she first met Alexander
Berkman. whom she has since taken
as her Husband" according to the
teachings of anarchy Berkman soos
after attempted the life Of Henry C.
Prick, a Pittsburg millionaire, and was
sentenced to twenty-five years impris-
onment
The next four years she spent in CON-
parative quiet, speaking whenever the
chance offered, and by persistent effort
developed into leader Of considerable
power and influence until she had won
the title Of Queen Of the Anarchists"
In 1892 the police Of Newark and
Paterson, n. J., broke up numerous
meetings at which she was scheduled
to speak. 1t was In 1898. while speak.
ing to the unemployed at Union Square,
New York, that the police swooped
down upon the anarchists and arrested
their queen" on the charge Of ''inciting
a riot" For this she was tried and
sentenced to years Imprisonment on
Blackwell's Island. She was released
at the end of ten months (the time al
lowance for good hehavior) and at
once proceeded to Philadelphia. Here,
as in New York, she was prevented
from speaking by the vigilance of the
police.
We next hear Of her in Austria,
studying French: then in Vienna. be-
coming a specialist in scalp and skin
trea tment and in hairdressing.
Returning to America, she set up
hairdressing establishment on Broad
way. New York. combining that with
treatment of the skin and scalp and
trained nursing. She was now fluent
in French, German. Russian, English
and Yiddish, and spent her spare time
preaching anarchy. Then it was de-
cided that she give up business and
devote her entire time to 1.-The cause y
Troublesome times followed for her
and she had many unpleasant expert
ences with the authorities in Paterson