The Mena weekly star., 1918-06-27
POLK COUNTY MEN TELL ABOUT W.C.U.
Examination in Federal Court at Fort Smith Brings Out Dangerous Fea- tures-Members Assert All Were
 Dropping 1t.

From The Fort Smith Times Record.
 Resisting the selective service act by encouraging registrants to con. eeal themselves in the woods and moi report for military service was the chief object of the Working Glass
 Union in Polk county, according tc former members of the organization who testified Thursday at the prelim- mary hearing of Martin Bedding Robert Manley. Sr, Lee Harrison Jeff weatherford, Drew Bailey. Dave Maniey, Earl Manley and John Robb who live near Rocky in Polk county and who are charged with conspiracy against the government.
 Members of the Working Class Union were to feed the slackers. the witnesses swore. The members of the organization, according to wit nesses, were opposed to sending their boys to France to fight, believing that they should be retained at home to 1 fight only when Germany invaded this country.
 Members were instructed to refuse to sit on juries not composed exclu- sively of W. c. U. people, it was testi- 1 fled.
 Every man who joined the Work ing Class Union, the witnesses testi- fled, was asked after his initiation to pass sentence on himself if he re- vealed the secrets of the organization. Most of them agreed that they should suffer the death penalty, it was testi- fled, if they turned traitor Meetings were held in the woods and at one meeting, witness said, arms were brought.
 Henry Langley, 27 years old, fath- CT of two children, and Class reg istrant, swore his brother-in-law told him Lee Harrison, one of the defend ants, had stated the witness, his brother, Will, and Andy Mcbride were on the threat list" for exposing the organization. Harrison told Langley'c brother-in-law that he "was afraid some one would get shot in month"; ? according to the witness.
 Held Meetings in Woods.
 The witness testified that they soon realized that the organization was an unpatriotic one, that they became dis gusted with its aims and abandoned their membership. The witnesses and defendants live about 15 to IS miles west of Mena near the Oklahoma line. They have all been indicted in the circuit court at Mena on charges of conspiracy and those who are not held by the government will be re- turned to Polk county authorities. They have pleaded guilty to the charges against them in that county, but sentence has been deferred pend- ing the outcome of the federal charge against them.
 John Bastion of Smithville, Ok, the witnesses swore, organized the local in their community. Joe Smith, aged 63, father of registrants who. at first refused to report, and R. H Nichols, aged Al, married, swore they joined the organization at a meeting held along a creek in woods during the day. Smith said his son, Willie. and Charles Wilsoxson, after being accepted for service refused to report for duty. He testified that after the boys secuted several days he induced them to accompany him to Mena where he surrendered them to Sheriff Henry Finger. Both are now in the army. Smith said he also tried to in- duce other stacker registrants to sur render and believed he was respon- sible for two of them surrendering at Mena Wednesday. Smith stated that he attended five or six meetings of the union and "the further it went the worse it got"
 Passing the Death Sentence.
 He declared the members were told compulsory military service was un- constitutional and that they were also told of Senator William F. Kirby's resistance of the law. Asked whether he had ever seen Dr. Wells LeFerve of Fort Smith and Van Buren, reput- ed founder of the union, the witness said he had not. He had heard of him, he stated. The organizer told him the union had 275,000 members iii Arkansas alone. Smith testified that the members in passing sentence on themselves either sentenced them selves to death or to a thrashing by being laid over barrel.
 Nichols said that at the meeting he joined man standing beside him passed the death sentence on himself Nichols testified he told the members to tie his feet and string him to q sapling if he was found guilty oi exposing the organization. The wit. ness swore he attended but one meet ing when he and Smith and about IS or 20 others were initiated. Weather. ford conducted this meeting, he de. clared.
 SA Refuse Jury Service. Nichols also testified that the mem. bers were instructed to not sit or iuries that were not composed entire. ly of w c. U. members. He did not remember anything about plan te overthrow the government, he replied in answer to question is this sub- ject had been brought up.
 Henry Langley said Weatherfcrd also conducted the meeting he attend ed when joining. He saiu he saw all