The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-11-12


been one of those who fired on /
been lynched tonight by citizen.
At least eight supposed Industrial
Workers of the World are in the local
jail, guarded from = mob of several
hundred friends of the men shot down
today.
The dead, Arthur McElfresh, Cen
tralia; Ben Casagranda, CentraIia
Warren Grimm, Centralia.
The wounded include. Dale Hub
bard. Centrnlia, probably fatally; John
Watt, Chalis. probably fatally.
McEIfresh was killed instantly.
Grimm. formerly lieutenant, was
leading platoon in the parade and
fell at the second burst of FIRE, MORTAL
ly wounded.
George Stevens of Centralia attempt
ed to disarm alleged l. W w. and
WINS wounded in the struggle which
cnsued.
Hubbard sustained his wound in pur-
suing a supposed !. w. W., who fired
as he ran from the group OF men head
1t was this man. according to re-
ports, who was hanged by a mob to-
night.
Casagranda was i'm the ranks and q
rifle bullet struck him in the body.
The crowd, uniformed and in civilian
clothes. started the chase. Gathering
up persons suspected of utilization with
the radical order, some of the service
men too them to Jail, while others of
the marchers tore out the front of the
building where the l. w w. headqutr-
ters is located, seized and burned
quantity OF literature and all the fur
niture and distributed among them
selves and Centralia citizens the arms
and ammunition stored in the head
quarters
Meanwhile crowd was gathering
about the Jail. Former service men,
some of them armed with the seized
weapons and others unarmed patroIled
the ground near the Jail to prevent fur
Their violence.
t. c. Rogers, mayor of Centralia A
c. Hughes, chief of police. and other
citizens. addressed the crowd in front
of the jail tonight, asking the citizens
not to attempt to lynch the prisoners
Later meeting to discuss the situation
was held at local club and soon aft
erward the city's electric lights failed
In the darkness one man was removed
from the Jail.
The best available account said the /
man was placed in an automobile.
which was waiting in readiness
thanked by six other cars filled with
men. and hurried into wood near the
town. This man, reports said later.
was hanged to a bridge. 1t generally
was believed tonight that the lynching
had\ taken place
Rumors of additional violence here
were current late tonight. More than
one citizen declared:
There will not be any l. w WsI
left in jail by morning"
Governor Hart has ordered one com
pany or the state guard, numbering
about rs men, here from Tacoma
CITY WAS CELEBRATING
The whole city had turned out to
celebrate the anniversary of the sus-
pension of hostilities and large
parade was formed, headed by the city's
boys who had helped bring about the
glad day year ago. Wearing the uni
forms that sheltered them in the
trenches OF France and on the picket
lines of the German border the service.
men were the cynosure of the hun
dreds OF women AID children who lined
. the streets
AS the column swung around the COR
ner OF Tower avenue and Second ave.
nue., the band struck up patriotic
march. e Then bullets came into the
ranks from an unseen enemy Men fell
to the pavement and tiny riyulets of
blood showed the spectators what had
taken place, the crack of the rifles OF
the assassins having been drowned by
the blare Of the band
Tiny puffs of smoke from the roof of
nearby building indicating whence
the bullets had come and the nearness
of the l. w. w. hall led to the quick
decision that the heroes. who had
weathered the sanguinary batlefields
of Europe had been slain from ambush
by radicals who opposed the American
system of government
The marching soldiers did not linger
to await the order to fall out, but with
seeming intuition. rushed into the
nearby structure and sought their way
to the roofs. The snipers had disap-
peared, but the service men sought
highways and byways for all Suspicious
persons and then sent out pioneers into
the timbered country around the CITY.
Wives. daughters and sweethearts Of
the paraders. after . momentary pause
, from the sudden terror of the situation.
rushed to the aid of the fallen
That the firing was intended for sol
diers was shown by the fact that all the
killed and injured were in the military
section Of the parade. which was made
up PARTLY Of residents Of Cehalis.