Bisbee daily review., 1919-08-01
|. w. w. AS PURE AS THE DRIVEN
 SNOW IN PATRIOTIC" EFFORT ID
 HELP WAR BY TIE|NG UP COPPER
States Witness Paints Picture of l. w. w.. Patriotic Organization, Struggling Manfuy to Help U. S. Boys At Front by Striking Against War Mineral Production
 Al Home; Prosecution Arrests Wrong Man, Case Dropped

DOUGLAS, Ariz., July 31.-The In dustrial Workers of the World as a patriotic organization. helping in stead of hampering, the government by its attempts to induce miners in the Warren mining district to quit their jobs during the strike two years ago, was the word picture painted from the witness stand in the justice court today. by the testi- mony of John Ercek, an Austrian, one of the states witnesses, during the preliminary hearing of Dr. x. c. Bledsoe. chief surgeon for the Calu- met & Arizona Mining company, and one of the defendants in the kidnap- ing case growing out of the Bisbee deportations of July 12, 1917.
 l. w. W. Has Novel Theory
 During cross examination by attor- neys for defense, Ercek said he join ed the l. W. w. three days previous to the deportations because he thought he could best help the gov ernment by helping the Industrial Workers of the World in their at- tempts to close down the mines to force the companies to grant their de- l the increase were granted, according to Ercek's theory, the miners would have worked harder and would have produced much copper for the gov ernment According to Ercek's tes- timony he believed the I. w w to- be a real patriotic institution and the mining companies who refused toI deal during the strike with the l. w. w, to be working against the best interests of the government. Indi- viduals in the court room vigorously applauded this testimony until Jus tice W. C. NJack, before whom the hearings are being held, threatened to clear the court room if the hear ing was interrupted again.
 Only Non-Workers Deported
 William Blackburn, a former organ iZer for the l. w. w. at Bisbee. tes- tified as to the incidents that led to the deportation of himself and ap- proximately HOO men on July 18th and said that just before boarding the train at Warren, three miles south of Bisbee, he had seen the defendant, Dr. N. c. Rledsoe, standing near the train, questioning each man arrested dS lO NnClncI IOI was hllilil6 to go to work. The men who were willing to return to work, said Black burn, were taken from "the line", while those who refused to work were put on the train and sent to Columbus, New Mexico. Blackburn said he believed in the doctrines of the l. w. W. and thought the work ing men should take possession of all the industries but was not sure as to just how this should be brought about. Questioned by counsel for the defense as to whether or not he was willing to see the mines closed down if the companies had refused to grant the wage increase, Blackburn replied in the affirmative.
 The witness expressed the opinion that the mining companies would have been to blame if the strike had resulted in the mines closing down, for not having immediately acceded to the demands of the I. w. W.
 No Defense Witnesses
 Ercek. Blackburn and three other witnesses testified to having seen Dr. Bledsoe among the guards, on the day of the deportation. Both Ercek and Blackburn said they had former ly been members of the Western Fed eration of Miners. The hearing of Bledsoe was completed a few min