Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-03-11
Attorney for Defense m Jis-
bee Case Says Sheriff
Wheeler Believed He Was
Pursuing Proper Course.
WOOTT0N'S TRIAL IS
BEGUN AT TOMBSTONE
Witnesses Tell How They
Were Rounded Up, Load
ed Into Box Cars and
Shipped to Columbus,
sv MORNING JOURNAL srserA. trAsrD w'Tsl

Tombstone, ArlZ., Maftn lu'-
Deportation of a large number of
striking copper miners and their
sympa thizers from the Warren
mining district in July, 1917, was
by former Sheriff Harry
c. Wheeler of Cochise county as the
only means of protecting the lives
and property of the people of Bis
bee and of thwarting part of n
conspiracy to overthrow the gov
ernment of the United States, ac-
cordlng to the opening statement
made by Frank E. Curley, of coun-
sci for the defense, during the eX-
animation today OF the first wit
ness to be called In the tr!ll OF
Harry Il. Wootton Of Bisbee,
charged with kidnapping In con-
nection with the deportations,
. The statement was made after
the Jury had been excused, in the
course OF an argument over tfe
admissibility of testimony regard
ing the strike in the Warren min
ing district, called June 26, i@i7.
Although no formal opening
statement was made by the state,
Robert French, county attorney,
who today resumed charge of the
prosecution after an absence from
his office of three weeks, due to
illness, energetically denAhd that
the deportations We're justified,
either by the law of the United
States or by the law Of Arizona,
and contended that he had gov
ernment reports to prove his state
ment.
Defense Is Outlined.
In outlining for the first time
since the trial began the precise
nature of the defense palnned by
counsel for Wootton, Mr.. Curley
said in part.
ain the year 1908, William d,
Haywood, Vincent st, John, and
many other persons throughout the
United states, feloniousiy conspired
to overthrow the government OF
the United States. These con-
spirators designated themselves in
dustrial workers OF the world.
III lIIl1ltibIlNG VI Allt VAlN's -
this conspiracy, they immediately
proceeded to apply the axe at the
roots of civilization In dn ctfort
first to rob those who could be
reached by an insidious propag-
anda. of the comforts of n religion
rendering them less immune to tho
virus of anti-patriotism and anil
government.
1--WE expect to show that this So
called Bisbee strike was not called
for the purpose of securing fetteI
conditions or higher WAGES, but fof
the sole purpose of cmpArr 'Sslne
and defeating the United State'
government in the prosecution OF
its war against Germany"
French Enters Denial.
Denying that there was "ont
scintilla of evidence" to suppor
the claims made by Mr.. Curley
County Attorney French said:
"If there were any force in thu
contentious of the defense, there
would be no trial today; investiga
ton by a comm mission headed by
Secretary of Labor Wilson showed
that the deportations were rot nee
essary. We have certified cClie'
of these findings"
Judge Samuel L. Pattee sus
tanned the states objection to ad
mitting testimony regarding th'
strike.
The greater part Of the cay wa
taken up with the examination o
Fred w. Brown, deputy sheriff o
Cochise county, who gave the de
tails of Wootton's alleged particl
patton in the deportations.
"Wootton forced me at the poin
of a gun into ring of armed guards
wearing white handkerchief
around their right arms" Brown
said. There were six or eigh
others in the ring. They took u
from the postoffice at Bisbee t
the Warren baseball park, an
there we were loaded into boz
cars and shipped to Columbus
N. NJ"
Armed Guards on Cars.
Brown described in detail the va
rlous stops made on the way t.
Columbus, declaring that arme'
guards were stationed at the top o
each car.
Freeman Crouch of Bisbee, tn
next witness, said he saw Wootto'
force Brown into the ring in iron
of the Bisbee postoffice. He testi
fled that the defendant gave as tn
reason for his action that Brow
had said his "place was unfair.
| Wootton owns a hardware store Il
Bisbee.
III. l.. Granard, a rancher of Bis
bee, was next called to the STAN
! bv the state, His testimony wa
brief, and added scarcely any de
tails to the account of the deporta
tions given by previous witnesses
He was not oss-eXamined.
Thomas Grady Green, a railrna'
| fireman of Tombstone. enlivene'
his testimony by bits of profanit
he ascribed to an armed man VIII
\ accosted him as he was on his way
according to his testimony, to tn
! navy recruiting station at Bisbe
to enlist.
"To with the navy" Gree
said the man told him. "We ar
going to send you - - ava
| from here. You will get YOU
choice to join the navy later"
Green said he was put on
street car. taken to Warren pari
and then put on freight car an
shipped to Columbus.
The examination Of Green wa
not finished when court adiourne