Strike bulletin. (Clinton, Ill.) 1913-1915, 1914-12-16

ON bond This decision amounted to a judicial find
Ing that Person had been In Jail for five and a half
months without warrant In law.
a fair trial every res. mans right On this
rock We have built our Justice. A trial by jury
of ones peers Is blood purchased American right
None II so low that him this right can be denied
None powerful that h. secure more than a
trial BY jury OF his peers. Person charged with
the most capital OF crimes-murder-facing the
most horrible of punshments II found guilty
death on the gslows-petitioned for a trial by "a
jury Of his peers drawn from 4 county unpreju.
diced toward him. DE Witt county wa. inflamed
with base, low coarse passion-in part revenge. In
part hate In part Misunderstanding The tense
strike situation of over two years duration had
made bitter the feeling against organized labor
The Illinois Central WAS undisputed master Of the
politics of Clinton The officials were Its political
creatures
nois Central railroad and Its striking employees
made tense the situation In Clinton. The town had
been turned into 4 strike breakers camp. Person
remained almost alone on the firing line fighting
for what many thought was . lost cause. The
railroad had seen TO It ,ha. be vas not popular
mayor Of the city. And yet the states attorney
wanted to try Person In De Witt county. The
prosecution fought the Asfsadaats demand for
change Of venue. Illinois bshsld the sad spectacle
Of county wide election 10 determine whether or
not man about to be tried for his life should ss
given . chance to present his cause to an open
minded jury free from prejudice Thirty days the
court solemnIy gave for the gathering Of affidav-
to give Person Q chance for his life by granting
him . change of venue to another county or con-
demninG him TO be tried in DE Witt county. The
peoples time and money WAS spent. II was wild
fight Five hundred and twelve voted to give him
. chance for his life. -Four hundred and sixty
seven voted to support the states attorney In his
demand that Person be tried In De witt county
And by the Industry Of our eisctioneering In this
strangest OF all elections, We. eentlemen OF the
jury. are here In Logan county askinG for justice
II had been written down In the records Of this
case that all ot these thinss we're done In the
name of the people OF the state Of Illinois. but
say TO you that these injustices have come psss
In the name Of the Illinois Central railroad
1t was the Illinois centrai railroad that said TO
citizens OF the state;
surrender your union cards or give up your
Jobs" II ~A. the Illinois Central railroad that
locked out" the men when they refused to obey
Its comma nd
II was Carl Person who struck At the pocket
book heart of the railroad.
II was the Illinois Central that started 10 gsf
The motive il so plain. the evidence SO convine-
ing tina, II ,s In your mind. today snsr . ,,snns n
traI Is the real plaintiff In this case.
Th. trail of the serpent 10 found everywhere In
this prosecution
Tony Au..er Was In the employ Of the railroad
a. It's chief kebreAker. The uncontradeted evil
dence 10 that he lured Person from his ofhee by
fak. telephone message. The unquestioned testi-
mopy II. that the telephone message came from the
aloon of Bryant Coakiey at about two O'Clock
JOAQUIN Wilson. son OF Deputy Sheriff Wilson OF
be wit county. swore that he passed this saloon
at about five minutes after two on the afternoon
OF December thirteth. 1913: that he saw George
Cain an Illinois Central strikebreaker and Charles
l. Dickerson travelling engineer for the railroad.
standing In the doorway Of the saloon
Al this very moment Musser was deeoying Per-
son from his office by the telephone message Now
cain and pickerson testified for the prosecution
They tried to tie moose around the defendan,s
n.cL Doe. IL not seem strange that Cain and
Dickerson were In the doorway OF the saloon Al
the same time that their fellow strikeoreaker.
Mu..er was inside trying to inseigie Person into
death trap: that both of them saw the tragedy
and YET pleaded under oath that they did not know
Mu,.er was In the saloon. that they had not seen
him or talked to him on that day before the shoot
rim ehreakers were present and saw the TRAGEDY
W.r. they there by accident or by design Were
,n.v there to Sc. Musser carry out the Job OF
.Get,ings Person to be used later. II necessary To
supply the evidence that would .indfeAe Musser
4, h. had succeeded in killing Person. Musser
failed In nj. plan get" Person and he paid the
-. .,,n nj. life Nov find the witnesses
~, ~oula ha.. sindicsted him IL he had succeed
cd 'te.tifytnx desperately to send Person to the
Gsilovs . c,., ,,,.,...l.,.
,..,ifytnx that Person 10 q murderer.
another truth that 10 pregnant with meaning 10
~, NO, one of the Illinois Central strikebreakers
ne VA. present made any effort At any time. 10