The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-03-19
|. ". ". WITNESSES NOT
ALLOWED TO TESTIFY
Bv John Niholas Reffel

uidllc dCllOn VI Juuge JOnn y. Wi
son in shutting off all testimony show
ing why the I. w. w. in Centrali.
had reason to fear a raid, has shorten
ed by several days the presentation
of direct evidence by the defense il
Centraha labor case.
Elmert Stuart Smith, recalled t,
the stand, was asked by George F
Vanderveer, attorney for the defense
what he thought would happen whel
the threatened raid on the I. w. W
hall was carried out.
''I believed that the boys would %
taken from the hall, perhap: lynched
or at least tarrcd and feathcred,n h
replied.
"Why did you believe that7" asked
Nanderveer.
Here Special Prosecutor Cunningham
aud Abel objected loudly, saying, this
was immaterial. The Court sustained
the objection declaring that the de
tense must show direct connection
betewcn Warren Grimm, slain parader
and the overt act in the Armistict
Day tragedy, before il could have wit
nesses explain why the 7. w. "
expected violence.
"That is net the law" replied Van
derveer. "The law says that to prove
self-defense, we need only show SUB
staeial reasons for apprehension. If
the defendants had reason to believe
they were to be attacked by crowd
including Grimm, they had right to
prepare to defend themselves anl
their property.
Judge Wilson s ruling has been made
in the face of mass Of testimony
showing that Grimm, or a large man
answering his description, was close
to the l. w. W. hall - even at its
very doorway-during the raid; and
that this man was wounded in the OBJ
Gomcn, and held both hands upon his
stomach. Grimm saw the only man
thus wounded. This accumlative
evidence has been held insufficient by
the court.
When Dr. Frank Bickford was called
as witness by the defense. and re-
iterated the damaging statements
against tie Ccntralia mob given at
the corOner's inquest, the prosecution
failed TO shake his testimony. DR..
Bickford who is a dignified man about
50, swore that when the marching
soldiers stopped before the 7. w. ".
hail, he offered to lead a raid upon
the place if enough would follow; but
that others pushed ahead of him. They
forced the door, he declared; and then
! shots came from inside.
Made panicky by the onslonghts Of
the defense, the lumber corporation
attorneys now are prosecuting this
case against organized labor, have re-
sorted to old stage tricks. They got the
governor tc send troops here without
consulting the trial judge, though both
the Judge and the sheriff agreed there
was no need for soldiers. This was in
keeping with the prosecution S efforts
to throw an atmosphere of violence
around the defendants.
Then they had two defense witnesses
arrested for alleged perjury. One Of
these, Guy Bray, 16, is a relative of
Lieut.. Frank Van Glider, second III
command IL the parade. Bray declared
that he saw Van Glider and large
man in uniform within ) or 10 feet
from the |. W. W hall during the raid.
Van Glider had previously told Bray
that this large man was Grimm. The
latter had been wounded in the alb
domcn, Bray said, and was holding
10th hands over his stomach.
Jay Cook, rancher, 80, was the other
witness arrested. He and his brother
testified that they saw the paraders
attack the hail. and large man
answering Grimm's description was
close to the nall at that time
This trick Of arresting witnesses for
alleged perjury, was employed against
Naadcrveer in the Chicago !. W. ".
case, but none Of those witnesses were
ever prosecuted and Vanderveer de-.
clorcs none will ever be persceu "a
hre. Ir each instance he recalled tho
witness to the stand and had him
tell about his arrest, the defense coum-
sci holding this up to the jury as q
devise used to intimidate these and
other witnesses.
Vonderveer has asked Judge Wilson
for q warrant for Mrs. Carpenter
of Ccntrolia, who approached a de-
fensc witness, l3 year old Helen Mar.
TIM, and asked her If she "couldn t
forget some of the testimony that she
intended to give" Repeatedly ennis
sarics for the Centralia commercial
interests have smuggled their way
into the defense witness room, and
have learned what witness were to
testify. Then this information would
be transmitted to The prosecutors
through the several attorneys who act
rs crrand boys for them.
IL