The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-11-12
Centralia Prisoner Calls for
Fight to Win Freedom

An incident of the anniversary yes
terday of the American Legion raid
on the Centralia, Washington, l. w.
w. hall on Nov IL, 1919, which result
ed in the frarne-up and Imprisonment
of group of l. w. w. in Walla Walla
Penitent'ary, was made yesterday in
letter by Eugene Barnett, one of
the imprisoned men, which he has
sent to the International Labor De-
tense.
Barnett was sentenced to Walla
Walla Penitentiary together with
John Lamb, Bert Bland, James Nc
Inerney and others for defending the
II. w. w. hall on Armistice Day
against the deliberate assault of
armed American Legionnaires who
wanted to clear Centralia of the "wob-
blies' because of their activities in
behalf of the lumber workers of the
district. Wesley Everest, ex-soldier
and member of the 1. w. W., was kid
mapped by the lumber trust hench-
men and lynched by a masked mob
in the dead of night.
with You In Spirit"
IL cannot be with you in person on
this fortieth anniversary of the Hay
market martyrs" writes Barnett to
the International Labor Defense,
which is holding it's third annual con-
ference in New York beginning to-
morrow, "but l want you to know that
am with you in spirit and through
the international Labor Defense to
speak few words to the many. dele
gates who l know will assemble under
your banner on this memorable day
to pay tribute to those brave souls
who purchased the eight-hour day
with their lives forty years ago.
November 18th is not only the day
on which young capitalism murdered
the leaders of the movement for the
eight-hour day in 1887, but on No
vember II, 1919 in Centralia, Wash,
this demon killer sank it's talons into
the flesh of labor once more.
"I am one of the victims of the
reign of terror that followed,
Murder of Everest.
"This November 18th is the 9Th
anniversary of the American Legion
raid on the I. w. w. hall in Centralia
and the murder of Wesley Everest.
1t is the eighth anniversary of the in
generation of the innocent victims
whom the legionnaires and CONNER
cial Club members were unable to
murder before the light of another
day caused them to sink away after
their night of carnage to wash the
human blood from their hands.
"Can you imagine what it means
to man to be Shut up in place like
this, away from his wife and baby,
away from his fellow-men and the
bright sunshine for eight years be-
cause he cherished the ideal of a
world without a master or slave, a
world where poverty would be no
more?
"That was my only crime!
''The parole board admits Pm limo
cent but postpones action from board
to board, and refused to act. Only
the organized power of the workers
can compel action and it is up to you
as the leading defense organization
to make our case known to the worlds
workers.
To Intimidate Workers.
Remember that the men in
prison are kept there for the sole
purpose of intimidating the workers
on the outside, keeping them unor-
ganized and in slavery"
Dependent upon Eugene Barnett
are his wife and little son, who are
made to suffer by the vengefulness
of the lumber trust and it's thugs.
The labor defense organization in
tends to send $25 to each class war
prisoner, $50 to each of their fam
lilies, and S. to each prisoners child
as a Christmas gift from the work.
ers on the outside. 1t is now con-
Quoting campaign to raise the fund
fo1, +hic