The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-12-31
Embree's Story Epic of
Workers Struggle

OAAC oHSAlA1 1OICe. Anu lou OF
thugs were brought in from Ell Paso.
These 'vigilantes' made the rounds
of the places where the strikers were
living. They took US out of our beds.
And then they waited for the first
arrivals on the picket lines"
Left On Desert.
Embree told how the strikers were
herded into cattle cars, taken across
the state line into New Mexico and
left on the desert.
1--WE were without food for over
thirty-six hours" he said.
Questions across the table took
Embree back several years to the
time when he was working in the
copper mines of the northwest in
1908. Embree was sent to Alaska by
the Western Federation of Miners to
edit the Industrial Worker" at
Nome.
No Romance.
II stayed there, working as editor
and organizer of the union, four
years." he continued. "The paper had
many strong supporters among the
workers. They made many sacrifices
for it. Many OF them felt that it was
responsible for completing the organ
ization of the miners of Nome"
Embree described the terrible con-
cition OF the workers in Alaska at
that time.
"Talk about your romantic yarns
about the Klondike!" he said.
En1bree spent two years in the gold
fields but did not try prospecting.
No Gold-No Food.
"Ha1f of those who came had to
go back right away" he said. "The
camps were miserably overcrowded
and thousands were facing actual
starvation all the time. It's strange
how many people have fool ideas
about conditions there during that pc
Rod"
Periodic iai]ings in various sections
Of the United States have been the
only reason for Embree's periodical
inactivity in the militant labor move
ment. He has been arrested on
charges ranging from "trespassing"
to violations of the wartime "espion-
age act" always in connection with
the struggles of the workers.
Embree couldn't remember Just
how many times he had been arrest
ed during the past 80 years but he
mentioned several vindictive senten-
oes meted out to him bv Judges in
the service of labor-hating corpora
tons. His last experience with the
courts resulted in a long prison SEN
tence.
"That experience" said Embree
quietly. "was good example of the
kind of INTEGRITY the bosses and their
courts practice. l had been working
as business manager of THE Butte
Bulletin Bill Dune was the editor
Of the paper then"
Tmbree said that in Nav 1920, he
had gone to Wallas. Idaho, to ap-
pear as witness for fellow-worker
on trial for criminal svndralism.
"That SURF was grim joke" En-
bree said. "When I went as wit
ness the district attorney told me he
wouldn't modest me. But after had
testified 7 was locked IN for being
member of the T. w. w. And he
charged me with violation of the Grim
inal svndicalism law too.
Felix Yavonovitch, the fellow
worker I was witness for. was put
on trial. But before the thing was
over he committed suicide by slash
ing his throat with razor. He was
a miner, &c years old, Lead poison
inc bad rot him and his brain was
affected"
Gets One to Ten Years
Enbree said he was kept in Jail
for several weeks before being re-
leased or bail. Later he returned for
trial at Wallas in 1921.
"Sure / was convicted" Embree
said in answer to question "Of
the fifty-three veniremen called. only
two were workers. And, of these two.
one of them testified that he had
scabbed in every strike for Is years.
The other prospective juror was a
foreman of road gang working for
the mining company. But he seemed
too dangerous for the district attor-
ney and he was peremptorily chal-
lenged"
The Present Strike.
Embree was sentenced to serve
from one to ten years at hard labor |