The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-11-14
/ u
one |. ". ". IS III Jed
WAS REPORTED TO BE
BRITT SMITH
REDS SHOT INTO CROWD
Federal Agents Are Making An
Investigation of Radical
Outbreak
centraIia, Wash, November IL.


Chief of Police A. c. Hughes
positively declared this afternoon
that the man hanged yesterday
was not "Britt Smith," the I. w.
| w. leader as previously reported.
1--WE have Smith in Jail here"
said the chief. He said he did not
know who the man hanged was.
Four Of the nineteen !. w. WIS
in Jail here have been identified
by police and returned soldiers as
among those who were In the hall.
| The man who was hanged is
said to have yelled:
"You fellows can't hang me-"
he shouted. "a was sent to do my
| duty and | did it."
| District Attorney Herman Al
len arrived on the scene last night
| and started his murder conspir-
acy." He says he will send ev-
cry man who was in the I. w. w.
| hall to the gaIIows.
Centralia, Wash, November H.
State troops are patrolling this city
where during the Armistice day cele-
bration four members of the Ameri-
can Legion were shot and killed by
men said to be members of the I.
W. W., and in which Britt Smith, Sec
rotary of the J. w. w. local was hang
ed.
Citizens today planned to drive all
radicals from Centralia where they
have been increasing for some time.
One OF the twenty men IN custody
| is said TO have contested that plans
were made months ago To hsets war
rem Grimm and Arthur McE1fresh.
two of those killed, and others active
in suppressing radical activities.
Oakland. Calf, November r.
Crowds of citizens entered the head.
quarters of the communist labor party
late last night, wrecked the interior,
brought large quantities of literature.
red flags and furniture in the street
where they were burned.
Centralia, Wash, November H.
The dead are Arthur McElfresh, Ben
Casagranda, Warren Grimm and Dale
Hubbard of Centralia
John Earl Watt of Chehalis is not
expected to live.
Federal Agents Are Gathering.
Centralia, Washington, November
12.-Operatiyes of the department of
justice and state authorities were
gathering here today, planning to con-
centrate their efforts to wipe out the
nests of |. w. w. and red agitators
that are located here. At four o'clock
this morning four members of the
American Legion, veteran soldiers
from abroad, were dead following
volley being fired on a parade of the
legionaires as they marched past /.
w. w. headquarters here today.
Bullets From Shippers.
Bullets from snipers nests in the
building cut short the parade and
killed four of the veteran patriots.
Dangling from a bridge on the out
skirts of the city this morning was to
be seen the body of Britt Smith, one
of the I. w. w. agitators. He was
lynched by small body of men when
he was seen to run from the l. w.
w. hall with a smoking rife in his
hands.
Washington Waking Up.
UNITED Press Dispatch.J
Washington, November 12.-The
department of justice today started
an immediate investigation of the /.
w. w. attack on members of the
American Legion who were parading
at Centralia, Wash, yesterday after
noon. Early advices here were that
three members of the legion were
dead.
Story of Centraiia Trouble.
Centralia. Wash, November H.
Three members of the American
Legion are dead, two other service
inen are in a precarious condition.
and several others were wounded
when persons said to be members of
the l. W. w fired on an Armistice
Day parade here yesterday after
noon.
At least eight supposed I. w. w.
are IN the local jail. guarded from a
mob of several hundred former COM
rades of the men shot down.
The deal are Arthur McElfresh,
Centralia; Ben Casagranda, Contra
liza; Warren Grimm. Centralia.
The wounded include: Dale Hub
bard. Centralia, dying; John Earl
Watt, Chehalis, not expected to live.
Fired On BY Shippers.
The shooting began when the
parade drew abreast of the Industrial
Workers of the World hall, accord
ing to witnesses. the tullets going
above the heads of the crowds
watching the parade. Onlookers say
shots came from every direction and
that snipers in the upper windows
of the l. w. w. headquarters build
ing fired into the line.
McElfresh was killed instantly.
Grimm, formerly lieutenant, was
leading a ulatoon In the parade and
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