The Commonwealth. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1911-1914, 1914-01-08
CAPITALIST ANARCHISTS
MAKE AN ATTEMPT ON
LIFE OF MOVER.
President Of Western Federation of
Miners Shot and Driven
from State.

The stars and strI pes were not on
the Job in MiohiganI on December &c.
Its adherents trampi Jed under foot all
that is referred to ~ school children
on Flag Day, wheh armed patriots
invaded the sleeping apartment of
President Charles II. Meyer of the
Western Federation of Miners and as
saulted frightfully beat, and almost
fatally wounded him by bullet from
an upholder of claw and order"
Meyer tells the story of his expert
enee in the following words:
"Orangizer Tanner and I were in
our room in the Scott hotel, at Han
cock. Sheriff Cruze called. He de
manded that we accept for the fedora
tion the funds the Citizens Alliance
had collected for the families of the
Christmas eve panic.
81 replied that the strikers them
selves had raised $4,000, and this was
sufficient; while we were grateful for
the proffer, we could not accept the
money.
"Cruze left. Five minutes later the
mine whistles began to blow, as if it
were a prearranged signal, and 15O
members of the alliance invaded our
room. We were seized and held by
some of the men, while others danced
in front of us, striking us repeatedly
in the face and kicking our bodies.
Saws He Was Shot From Behind.
FINALLY some one stepped behind
me and shot me. 1 tainted when the
first bullet entered my back. I don't
remember the second and third.
when I recovered consciousness,
we were being passed from one man
to another down the stairs. AS they
passed us along, each one struck us.
Between lines of dancing, shouting
members of the Citizens Alliance, we
were passed along in this way to the
railroad station. There their fury
abated mewhat-through fatigue,
guess. But the mine whistles con-
tinued their unearthly shrieking, and
the men their bowling and dancing.
'HTwo deputies bought our tickets
and accompanied us on board There
l received first aid, and my wounds
we're dressed again when we reached
Claiming"
Tanner, though also badly bruised,
was not shot.
He asserted the attack was part of
an effort by the Citizens Alliance
members to use the Christmas eve
tragedy as a means to end the strike.
Their theory, he believed, was that
if Meyer and himself were eliminated,
the strikers would accept outside aid
and return to work.
Bullet Is Removed from Meyers Back.
On December 20 President Charles
H. Meyer was operated upon at st.
Luke's hospital in Chicago.
A bullet was removed from the
muscles at the left side of his back.
DR.. Vim. Marsh of the hospital had
previously located the lead slug with
the X-ray. The operation was pro-
nounced a success.
The patient declared he would re-
turn to Calumet as soon as he could
travel, which will probably be early
this week.
The Chicago Federation of Labor
has demanded federal investigation
of the Michigan strike situation.
Gov. Ferris Visits Copper Country.
Governor Ferris is in the copper
mining district, and hopes to evolve
some plan for settlement of the strike.
The governors announcement that
he hoped to find a method of settling
the struggle between the copper mine
owners and the Western Federation OF
Miners failed to influence the attitude
of defiance towards each other the OPP
posing interests have held for five
months.