The Northwest worker. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1915-1917, 1917-05-10
NOT GUILTY IS
THE VERDICT OF
TRACY JURY
Nine Weeks of Trial Costing the
County $4,000 Ends in Favor
of the Working Class

ANitN w WINS W. y tttt INV
County $4,000 Ends in Favor
of the Working Class
Thomas II, Tracy, the first of the
seventy three |. w, w. held on the
charge of murder for the killing of
Deputy Sheriff jefferson Beard dur
ing the battle ut the Everett dock
on November 5, was acquitted by a
jury in Superior Judge Ronald's
court, Seattle, Saturday morning,
May 5th, at 9 O'clock, after delibera-
tons for period of approximately
fourteen hours and the taking of
twenty-five ballots.
The first ballot taken by the jury
early Friday afternoon resulted in
four being for conviction and eight
for acquittal, according to one of the
jurors. The four consisted of three
women and one man. Before the
jury retired, it is said, the balloting
resulted in eleven jurors being for
acquittal and one man for convic-
ton.
At o'clock Saturday morning the
jurors again began balloting and it
is reported that verdict was reach
ed about seven o'clGck.
Tracy, ltinerant Worker
Tracy, aged 3S years, an itinerant
railroad construction laborer, born in
Nebraska, was a member of an eX-
petition sent from Industrial Work
ers of the World headquarters in Sc
attic to hold street meetings on GER
tain corners in Everett, where such
meetings were forbidden by city of
ficials. Sheriff Donald McRae and
a posse were on the City dock at Ev-
erett when the expedition on the
steamer Verona approached. He for
babe the expedition to land and
while the sheriff and men on the
boat were parleyihg, firing was be-
gun, resulting in the death of five
men on the Verona and two on the
dock.
Cost County $4,000
An estimate was made that it had
cost SnOhomish county from Nov. 5
up to the present time, approximate
ly $4,000.
The verdict ended a trial which
began March and was the longest
in the history of King county. The
prosecution and the defense each
called more than $50 witnesses,
whose testimony went far beyond the
events of November 5. The state at
to show that the conduct
of members of the |. w. w. during
the preceding three months in Ever
EFT and on former occasions in other
cities, was such as to lead the Sno-
homish county authorities to fear
violence from the organization and
to warrant the use of severe repres-
sive measures.
The state also sought to show that
a conspiracy to which Tracy was a
party, existed for the purpose of
an Everett city ordinance,
that they were determined to brook
no opposition to their program of
law-breaking and that when the legal
attempted to prevent
them from landing in Everett on
November 5th, they fired upon the
posse, precipitating the battle in
which jefferson Beard, another dep
uty, and five Industrial Workers of
the World were killed and more than
two score wounded.
The defense introduced testimony,
much Of it from citizens of Everett,
to show that the Industrial Workers
in Everett had been law-abiding, that
their speakers had repeatedly de-
clared their opposition to the use of
violence and that members Of the
organization were constantly subject
ed to brutal treatment by the Snoho-
mish county authorities, control over
whom, it was alleged, had passed to
Everett mill owners and Commercial
club members.
A great number of witnesses tes-
titled to the peaceful character of
the crowd which went aboard the
Verona on November and several
who were aboard the boat declared
that the battle was opened by shot
from the dock, combating the states
contention that the first shot was
fired from a cabin window by the
defendant Tracy.
Right to Organize
The state completed it's rebuttal in
a day, and on Tuesday the Judge was
ready to give his instructions to the
Jury. The Judge, in addressing the
jury, said: "My responsibility is TO
decide all questions Of law in this
case; yours to decide questions Of
fact.
Il instruct you that working men
have the right to organize them