The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-29
".

yer WHOM Iue OIL WOTh6TS union
had engaged to defend the eight
political prisoners" The union had
since become practically extinct,
and the young lawyer had been Won
dering where he was going to get
his pay. When Bunny came TO
question him it was a great relief
for surely this young oil prince
would put up something for the
defense of his friends! Or could 1t
be that he was sent as an emissary
from the other side, to feel out the
situation?
This young Mr.. Harrington talked
freely about the case. The thing
which the state was doing to these
eight men was without precedent in
our law, and if it could stand 1t
meant the end of American Justice.
Every prisoner was supposed to
know the charges against him, the
specific acts he was alleged to have
committed. But in all these "crina-
inal syndicalism" cases the state
simply alleged violation of the law
in it's vague general terms, and that
was all. How could you prepare a
defense in such a case? What wit
nesses would you summon-when
you didn't know the time, or the
place, or the particular thing a man
was alleged to have done, or said,
or written, or published? You were
taken into court blindfolded, bound
and gagged. Yet so completely were
the courts terrorized by the bust
ness crowd no judge would order
the district attorney to make a de-
tailed statement of the charges.
Bunny went away, and in his des-
peratiOn played dirty trick on Yer
non Roscoe-he went to see Anna
belle Ames. Annabelle was kind
and gentle, and he would wiring her
soul, and see if in that way he could
not get under the hide of the old
petroleum pachyderm! He told her
about these boys, one by one, what
they looked like, what they believed,
what they were suffering in the jail.
Annabelle listened, and the tears
came into her eyes, and she said 1t
was horrible that men could be 50
cruel. What could she do? Bunny
told her that the strike was over,
the spring lamb had been slaught-
cred and eaten, and Verne ought to
be willing to cJY quits. 1t would be
of no use for him to plead that he
couldn't do anything, that the law
must take it's course; that was all
rubbish, because the district attor-
ney had the right to ask for the dis
missal of the cases, and he would
surely do it if Verne said the word.
Well, Bunny got under the hide
of the old petroleum pachyderm!
The way Bunny heard about it, Dad
came in in a terrible state, Verne
had jumped on him, Verne was mad
as the very devil, Bunny sneaking
into his home and plotting against
his domestic peace! He wanted it
understood, by Jees, if Dad couldn't
control his son, Verne would. Bunny
wanted to know what Verne meant
to do, spank him? Or have him
locked up with the others?
Bunny had made up his mind and
stood his ground-he had a per-
feet right to talk to Annabelle, she
was a grown woman, and there was
no way Verne could stop him. He
was going to do more talking before
he got through-he was sorry
enough to make his father unhappy,
but here was the fact, if that case
ever came to trial, he, Bunny Ross.
was going to take the stand as q
witness for the eight defendants.
and not merely character witness.
but one with first-hand knowledge
of the facts; he had sat in the Ras-
cum cabin night after night, and
heard them discuss the problems of
the strike, and their own attitude to
it, and he could testify that every
man of them had agreed on work
ers' solidarity as the way to victory,
and acts of violence as a trap TIE
operators would try to lure them
into. II there was no other way to
get money for the defense OF these
boys, Bunny would sell the car that
Dad had given hint suppose
Verne won't have any right to keep
me from walking to the university!
Poor Dad, he couldn't stand talk
like that from his darling son; he
began to give way, and revealed that
he and Verne had discussed the pos
sibility OF a compromise with the
rebels. Would they agree to get
out Of the state, or at least to keep
their hands off the oil industry?
And Bunny said, by God, II Vernon
Roscoe wanted to make any such
proposition he could be his own
messenger boy! Bunny knew what
PauPs answer would be-Paul had q
right TO try to organize oil workers,
and he would never quit while he
lived. Bunny was sure the whole
eight would respond with a unani-
nous shout, they would rot In Jail