Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-09-03
One Organizer Committed To
Jail In D Default OF $4,000
Bonds To Await Trial For
Attempted Murder; Many
Threats Made By Other
Members,
(Herald special serxice.l

., DosAs L1dke, ~. u, sept. S.-Wu-
liam j. Hogan, organizer and delegate
of the 1. w. w. was committed to the
Nelson county Jail at Lakota late
Tuesday afternoon in default of $1O,-
600 bonds to await trial for attempted
murder of Engineer VIM. Reinsmith
and Fireman Carl Kobberdal of the
Great Northern railway at Petersburg
Monday morning.
Half a dozen witnesses were exam
tned by Assistant Attorney General
Albert e. Sheets, Jr., who happened
to be in Lakota and was asked by
States Attorney !. A. Swinlund to
take personal charge of the prelim-
mary examination. The story of the
witnesses was that nine or ten men
boarded the blindbaggage of a local
train on which Engineer Reinsnlth
was working. He ordered them off
but they refused to leave the engine
tender. Stopping the train about 500
yards from the station he ordered the
men off.
You better keep right on going,
you-" Hogan cursed him.
The engineer picked up chunk of
coal and ordered the men to move.
Stepping back from the train about
forty feet Hogan opened fire with a
revolver on the engineer and fireman,
barely missing them. The train was
run back to Petersburg, the town
marshal and a posses summoned and
four men were taken.
Hogan Identified.
Hogan was positively identified as
the man who did the shooting. He
carried an authorization from the Ma
tional 1. w. w. signed by William d.
Haywood, secretary, and had all of
the pharaphernalia and equipment Of
a field organizer, including cards. re-
port blanks, etc. When arraigned for
preliminary hearing he refused to
talk. Three men taken with him, J..
Il. Curtis, Thomas Quigley and John
Downs admitted they were members
of the l. w. W. and denied being inn
plicated in the shooting. They were
bound over on charges, of compound
ing a crime and committed to the
county jail ip default of bonds.
There are between $4,000 and 30,-
600 of us in North Dakota right now"
said Downs when questioned. Near
lygall of the! working men in the state
are members Of the1I. W., W." 4.
The menace of the lawlSss element
in the northwest is growing and, this
WARS depredatiopa. ommitted By
n1$mbers Of the industrial Workers of
the World surpass all former records.
At Lakota1 Saturday night a game Of
poker enjoyed by seven Lakota men
was raided by masked bandit and
s125 lying on the table pocketed.
rhe robber was recognized as an l.
city for several days.
- Talk concerning the affair resulted
in the players paying fines and get
ting suspended Jail sentences for
gambling. Arrests were instituted by
Attorney General William LANCER.
Devils Lake has during the past ten
lays witnessed and experienced a
gathering of the Wobity clan. Over
800 men gathered in the city and held
meetings on the main streets in front
Of business houses. Speakers poured
forth violent TRADES against corpora
.ions and capital. In many instances
speakers openly advocated the aboli-
tion of the wage systems. s@-
Store Robbed.
While speakers were busy, others
were not idle. The Huesgen Jewelry
store was entered from the rear and
about '$75O4worth of watches and
rings, which had not been placed in
the vaults, were stolen. Early last
Saturday morning two .men, both
holding I. w. w. cards, hired driver
of the State Auto company to drive
them out to certain farm to join
their threshing rig. Three miles out
of town the passengers poked a gun
and other property, bound him and
placed him beside. the road and went
on with the car. Saturday night
William Trimmer. a local mechanic
was drawn into an argument with one
of the Wobblies and stabbed in the
throat with stilleto. Physicians to-
day said he had chance for recov-
cry.
Charged With Setting Fire.
An $1,000 fire loss at the Charles
pettis farm at Lakota is laid to the
l. w. W. The barn was destroyed
Sunday night together with >other
smaller buildings. 1t was one of the
largest barns in Nelson county.
In connection with the numerous
reports Of I. w. w. activities, Attor-
ney General William LANCER over the
telephone today admitted that he had
had a big force of men working for
the past month and a half securing
evidence and data on the orEaniza
tions efforts of the Wobblies.
II have spent, upwards Of $4,000
have discovered North Dakota to be
mighty lucky, for I. w. W. workers,
delegates and members have admitted
to my special agents that their plans
were to absolutely control affairs In
this state. II it had not been for the
short crop in the greater section Of
North Dakota and the. fact that thou
sands of Montana farmers driven out
of their own homes by complete crop
failure and an unprecedented ,drouth.
came to North Dakota to secure work
and would not line up with the /. w.
W.. the plans probably would have
been realized"
It has been. freely talked by the I.
w. w. members that in kansas 70
cents an hour, board and room was
secured as they started on threshing
work on farms and then demands
were made for $1.20 an hour and
board and 1t, was paid. Plans to
make North Dakota farmers pay
t1,2o an hour and upwards for
thresl,ing help have failed through
crop conditions and Montana drouth.
Many Are Tradesmen.
5t8 .of all men examined during re-
cant Investigations. 50 per cent had
, heen working prior to join ing rhe l..
W. W., and at q steady trade. Now
fiieness Is the main philospily.
y 15l l.Inyestigatiohs carried op by spe-
cial Detectives who mingled with and
fraternised with the I. w. WI In order
10 secure evidence declare that sth1
! whole plan OF action, the main
I "a 70 out and work ON q threshing
rraW with as n1any mem bera On it ~
nnsaibies and when the time comes
when they can't ret alonE u Without