The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-12-19

ro0N as ~ faV pTuslidtc Oh tifc Siouhu.
other OK service men overpowered the
murderer OF their ocrnrade and de-
iivered him TO Jail. That evening he
was taken from Jail and hanged by
persons unknown.
Plot Laid TWO Weeks.
From evidence gathered, the FOL
lowing facts have been established:
One The pi6t to kin was laid two
or three weeks before the tragedy.
Two. High Powered arms and
ammunition. including split soft -nosed
bullets, were collected to an extent
which made m arsenal of the |. w.
w. headquarters.
Three. Conferences were held ia
lay plans, Ia the J. W. W. hall, for tho
murder.
-Four Rom the nature Of the FIR
Ing it is evident there was. a pre-
conceived plan to kin former service
men OF the United States army.
Five. Nolleys OF shots were fired
by the I. w w. into the parading
columns and into the American Red
Cross in the parade bringing immi.
nent danger To women and children
and al the assembled people. More
than $50 shots were fired into the
crowd in reckless disregard FOR hui
man life.
six Previous to the parade the
revolutionists had been deliberately
stationed in the I. w. w. headquarters
at the upper story windows across the
street therefrom. in hiding along the
Co. fr,a hi
near by. All OF said places command
ed a sweep of the line OF march. The
assassins were armed and under
agreement to fire on signal.
Thus is laid bare reasonable
rlot conceived in hatred and venge-
fulness which for diabolical plan and
execution is without parallel in the
history Of the United States.
when the enormity of this ~atro.
cious. dastardly and traitorous deed
became known. all patriotic people in
the twin cities of Centralia and Che
halls and vicinity arose as one man
snd Joined in a determination 10 brips
the guilty parties TO prompt trial at
the bar of justice and TO cleanse the
cCmGlunity down To the last element
o. IiSiOIlitN anu ScuHlCH.
Comrades OF the American Legion
ioined with the officers Of the law in
hot pursuit. The county sheriff mul
tiplied his deputies. So thorough
and systematic was the work Of
rounding up the criminals that all
but two of the principals are now be-
lieved to be i'm custody fourteen be-
ing charged with murder and more
than fifty !. W. w. members are held
Under arrest. charged with crime un-
der the syndicalism act of the state
Of Washington. 4. G. Rogers, mayor;
w. w. Dickerson, commissioner; j.
8. Saunders, commissioner"
Subscribed and sworn to before
re this twenty fourth day of Novem-
Der. 1919.-George Dysart,, notary
public in and for state of Washing
ton. residing at Ccntralia, Washing
ton.
Now. what docs the patriotic Amer
icsn citizen think OF the attempt
Of the Townley press to excuse the
tovs? Do our readers believe the
testimony OF the mon in the work
ingmen's boarding house." or do they
give crcdance To the sworn testimony
of the Centralia city officials? 1t
isn't bit stansc that the non
partisan pres refers to the I. w. w.
headquarters as the .'workingmen's
boarding house," for the Townleyite5
ere as tricky AZ ever. and the leaders
IT the Nonpartisan League are just
IS much in sympathy with the ideas
OF the socialists and the |. w. VS. as
they were when Arthur lie Sueur,
one a. TcwnIey's high priests, ad :
dressed bic Bill Haywood president
of the ]. w. W., as fellow worker"
How long are the people Of Amer
lea going to stand for this kind of
business? ..