The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-09-15
: 4AI5HEVISTS
LED HERRIN
MASSACRE
Charge Made by United Mine
Workers That Lithuanian
BOlshcvists Led Riot
WENTY-T WO KILLED
Revolving Caused an Il
Planned by Communists
Says Mine Writer

Lithuanian Bolshevists led the Her !
rim massacre of non-union ILLINOIS
miners. the United Mine Workers
of America charges in making pub
lie today the third Of series OF
articles exposing an alleged plot by
Moscow Communists to gain control
of organized labor in the United
States and Canada, stage revolu-
ton and overthrow the existing gov
ernments.
The mob leaders--67 Of them
were members at Herrn of the Boil
shevist Lithuanian branch of the
Communist party of America, ac-
cording to the miners article, ~
other members of the same party
were imported as agents to foment
the attack on the strip mine, OF the
Southern Illinois Coal Company
which eliminated in the violent
death of 2 men in June last year.
''This revolving, inexcus.ble crime
was fomented, promoted and caused
solely by Communists" says the
writer. TT was carefully planned
affair, schemed with all the diabolIc
cruelty and disregard for law that
charterizes the Communist move
ment."
William z. Foster, promoter of the
zone big union" idea i'm America,
is alleged to have been the dominat-
ing figure in events preceding the
massacre numbering among his aides
Jack Carney, Chicago editor of the
radical VOICE OF LABOR, Nick
Dozenburg, Carney's business man
ager, Arne Swabeck, of the central
executive committee, Communist
Party of America, Oscar Larson OF
the Young Communist League, Gus
Fraenckel, "Red" worker among raj
employees, Charles Krumbein, dis
trict Communist official, and Nels
Kjar, convicted in Chicago courts
for conspiring against the govern
ment during the war.
The authors history of the mass
acre follows:
History of Massacre
Formore than seven weeks pre-
parations had been in progress il
Franklin and Williamson counties II
bring about the attack upon strik'
breakers and armed guards at thu
strip mine. Violence and disorde
were rampant in Southwestern
Pennsylvania. Communist groups i
New York, Cleveland and Chicag
were active in their efforts to caus
the strike in southwestern Pennsy
lyania to expand into a great revol
utionary movement in which the orr
ri1al causes for the cessation Q
work in the mines would be los
sight of and IAN armed insurrectlo
having for its purpose the establish
ment of Bolshevist dictatorship i
this country and enforced recogn
ton of the Russian dictatorship an
the Communist international, woul
be brought about.
0The plan was to have simultal
eous uprisings in southern limo
and, if possible. in the vicinity
Bellaire, Ohio, which also was no
bed of Communist agitation and pr
paganda, and in the region SURROUND
ing Uniontown, Pa.
"A telegram sent to local unit
officials at Herrin by John l.. Levi
president of the United Mine Wor
ers, placing workers of the str
mines in the category OF 'strii
breakers was shrewdly twisted al
distorted, according to the boats
the Communist leaders of Chicag
into an Invitation to attack Il
strip mines and the workmen er
ployed there.
"Officials of the United Nil
Workers had no intimation that :
attack was contemplated, or that
conspiracy within the Communi
Party of America existed at the tin
to precipitate tragedy such as to-
place the day after the telegram W
received from President Lewis.
Agitation By Communists
AAgitatiop under the active effor
of the Communists continued duril
May and June. The strike area
southern Illinois was carefully e
amined and the points where ri'
violence Of armed insurrection mig
be started were charted and catalo
ued. In the list of these plac
were Christopher. Zeigler, Sess
and Herrin.
with the local Lithuanian mine
as a nucleus, Communist Par
chapter was organized in HERR
holding meetings secretly in t
Lithuanian Language but taking j
structions from agents of Doze
burg in the offices Of Carney
Chicago. Quietly and -stealthilX tn
worked among the idle miners
He4rin, preaching armed attack U
on the strip mine.'
Union strikers at Herrin inquiry
Of President Lewis the status of &
non-union miners who continu
II voting the strip mine while the n
tional strike was in progressA In
telegram on June 20 he classifi
them as strike-breakers.
P0unce On kilograms
This telegram was pounced up
81 the Communist ACCEPTS and d
fortSd into an excuse Tor an alta
up6f, the strip mine," continues T
na1fative. 1.-THE workera there we
caDEured and, under the leadersh
of The Is Communist agents who, 9
corlj1ng to Dozenburg, had been il
ported for the purpolD ct stsrti1
irsiNrection and revolution, the "a
WSf4 shot down.
I4eshly encouraged BY this ~
eesf sthe Communities are said to hA'
slEpubled activity among railroa
y he -trausporf and farm worker
Ite seamen already rere oraAnizd
y sstae Bis pnion., q ths miilimn
=