The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-03
Jailed MINERS
In APPEAL TO
SAVE The UNION
Officials Aid e d the
Prosecution
BY GEORGE PAPCUN.
Especial TO The Daily Worker)

PITTSBURGH, Nov. e.
From behind prison walls comes
the voice of imprisoned left
wing coal miners advising and
counseling their brothers what
must be done in order to save
the union that they went to
prison to save.
OF all the crimes and betray-
ais attributed to the crooked
and reactionary officialdom of
District 5, there is none more
hideous and damnable than the
desertion and betrayal of the
men arrested and convicted on
account of the now famous Cliff
tonville mine riot, which oc-
CURED early in the strike days
of 1922.
When scabs attempted to work the
mine the miners OF the Pan Handle
region marched to the mine in an ef-
fort to convince the strike breakers
to join their ranks. They were met
by fullisade of shots from the thugs
and guards employed by the coal COM
pany and in the riot the sheriff of the
county was killed along with many
union and non-union men. Today
there are 3S men in Moundsville pris-
on, SS union men, serving indefinite
sentences for their alleged part in the
affair.
Last Moment Ruse
When their trials came up, the off,
cials as usual betrayed them. Dur
ing the closing minutes Of the last In
ternational convention Of the U. M.
w. A., with over a thousand delegates
on the floor, and the convention in an
uproar over the steamrollering of the
Howat issue the following resolution
was supposed to have been adopted,
but the delegates did not know any
thing about it until they received the
final days proceedings after they re-
turned home:
Whereas, there are forty-two men
incarcerated in the Moundsville, w.
Va penitentiary charged with com
plicity In the march of the miners in
Brooke county, West Virginia; and
Whereas, these men have now been
in prison for many months leaving
their families and dependents in want
and restitution; therefore, be it re-
solved that we petition the Honorable
e. It. Morgan. governor Of West. Va,
20 pardon these men so that they may
take care Of thei~ families, and again
mingle with their rellow men, as we
believe they have been sufficiently
punished, as they were victims of
Communistic and anarchistic propa-
ganda Hence, we appeal to you to
temper justice with mercy, and liber-
ate these brothers now in the peniten-
larry at Mounsville, in your state"
Aiding The Enemy
The resolution is signed by Pagan,
Patton, largest and Wolcutt, presi-
dent. vice-president, secretary-treas-
urer and organizer of District 5.
These men who are supposed to
lead the miners have the gall to write
that I'VE appeal to you to temper
justice with mercy, as we believe they
have been sufficiently punished"
which is an open and frank confess
sion that in their opinion the men in
Moundsville are guilty, are respon-
sible that these brothers are in prison
at the present time. The bitterness
OF those imprisoned can be des-
cribed only by the men themselves.
The Progressive Miners Committee
is in receipt Of the following letter
from one OF the imprisoned men. I'm
til later date the name and number
Of the writer will not be made public.
The writer is foreigner.
Pat H. Toohey, Secretary, Progress
i've Miners Committee, sos James st.
N. S. Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dear Brother: We see by the
papers that you have a ticket in the
field against Pagan. We hope you de-
feat him. If the membership under