The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-07-15
Given
Life Sentence
Labor Leader Reads Statement u
Court Declaring His Trial "Trav-
esty on Justice 'ss "

lTiniudu, COio., July ll.~Denleo
new trial by Judge CRANKY Hillyer IN
the Third district court in which on
May he was found guilty Of the muir
der in the first degree OF, John MIN.
mo, deputy sheriff during a battle
near Ludlow on October rs, 1918, John
r. Lawson, international board men,
Der of the United Mine Workers Of
America, most prominent Of union of.
fic ais in the conduct OF the Colorado
coal strike tonight occupied cell in
the county jail. Lawson was escorted
to the jail by the sheriff and was &C.
companied by number of union off,
cials. This for me is just the be-
ginning" said Lawson as he entered
the jail. 81 maintain I have broken
no law and committed no crime unless
1t be that I am a coal miner, honored
by my fellow workersswith their years
Of confident faith that my devotion
will stand even this, the acid test for
the maintenance OF their principles.
My experience may help to awaken
others to the living wrongs in our
world calling as definitely today as
in time past for a remedy"
In denying the motion for a new
trial Judge Hillyer reviewed each sep
arate contention for the applicant and
stated a. Tho - Ia a.. ~
ing that in his judgment the defend
| ant had been given fair and impair
tial tr al by jury of twelve men and
that 1t was an unpleasant duty under
the law to deny the motion.
Lawson was sentenced to spend
the remainder OF his life at hard labor
in the state penitentiary.
When asked by the court II he had
any statement to make before judg.
ment was pronounced, Lawson rose
and read lengthy statement, in
which he maintained his innocence
and charged that he had been made
the victim of a corporation controlled
process on. During the reading Of
this statement Lawson was visibly af.
fected and faltered more than once.
at is plain" said Lawson to the
court, that nothing / can say or d 4
will change your fixed determination
to start me down the dark path to
Imprisonment for life."
Attacks Trial Judge -
Continuing, he said:
in the name of the courts of my
country, which l respect, I protest
against your right to pass any judg-
ment upon me. II is undenied in this
case that you were appointed to the
bench this spring for the trial of my
self and my associates. Fresh from
the employment OF the coal operators
of Colorado including the Rockefellers
who have engineered these prosecu-
tions, yourself coal company attor-
ney you were so prejudiced against
me that my case in this court was o.
travesty on Justice. Today the SUI
preme court of Colorado in Denver is
reviewing your conduct"
Lawson charged that he had been
made the victim of hand picked ju-
ry. Concluding, Lawson looked up
from the typewriter page and with
lips that trembled said
"Solemnly facing iron bars and
prison walls, assert my love for JUS
tice and my faith in it's ultimate tri.
umph, not a just ce of theory, but of
a reality extending to men, women and
children whose proper equality Of OPP
portunity 1t embraces"
Attorney +. w Clark, representing
Lawson asked for and was granted
sixty days to file bill of exceptions
and thirty days stay of execution.
Counsel also asked that pending ac-
ton on the appeal by the supreme
court that the convicted man be al
lowed to go on bond. This the court
refused and the labor leader was TAX