The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-08-13
MASS FUNERAL OF STRIKERS
CHILD ATTACKED BY STATE
THUGS AND MOUNTED POLICE
Priest Bars Mourning Thousands From Church
Despite Protest of Victims Father
Gitlow, Communist Nominee Is Spea ar at
Enthusiastic Mass Meeting
Especial To DAILY WoRKER.l

Especial To DAILY WORKER.l
FALL RIVER, Mass, Aug 12.-
Openly declaring his intention to
smash the growing strike of textile
workers here, and to drive out union
organizers, Judge Hannify in the
Second Bristol Court yesterday sem
fenced James Ried, head of the Fall
River Textile Mill Committees, S.
Weismann, Jack Rubinstein and
Bill Sireka, organizers to six months
prison sentences each. The partic-
ular charge upon which they were
tried for was, disturbing the peace"
while addressing a large gathering
Of textile workers from a tenement
rented by the union. The workers
at this meeting had defied an order
of Police Chief Feeney forbidding
congregations of strikers near the
mills.
Judge in Cold Sweat.
The labor hating Judge also i'm
posed an unparalleled demand for
bail of $1,000 from each of his vic
tins as a guarantee that they
keep the peace" This bond is to
be forfeited in the event of another
arrest being registered against the
sentenced while they are free on the
appeal bond.
Scarcely able to hide his fury, the
1 tool of the mill barons said, 81 have
/ sat on many cases in the past few
days. Fall River has always been a
peaceful community and it should
be hastily restored to that condition.
Therefore to that end l will impose
Jail sentences that tend to restore
that peaceful situation"
Peter Hegelias, T. M. C. organ
izer was fined $50 for requesting
information regarding his arrested
comrades.
Sentences equally savage are ex-
pected to be imposed upon Hegelias
and about 80 other strikers who are
to come up for trial from Monday
to Wednesday. Defense forces of
the strikers, led by the Interna-
tional Labor Defense, are being
rapidly mobilized to fight against
the barbarous court terror of the
Massachusetts ruling class.
Attack Funeral.
Admission was made here to-day
by the police that they planned
holding under arrest the strike
leader while the funeral of six-year-
old Johnny Madieros was under WAY.
The child was drowned after being
chased into the water by a mounted
policeman last week, it is charged.
Parents and friends of the boy hadl
planned a mass funeral.
Over one hundred charging police
and troopers broke up the mass
funeral as the people were congre-
eating near the steps of Santo
Cristo Church. Thruout the entire
attack, the police received the fullest
cooperation of the priest, Manuel
Silvia. Police barricaded the APP
proaches to the church with slow
moving motor vans and other cars
in order to prevent the mourners
/ from getting near the church, this
maneuver proved unavailing, how
ever.
Mounted troopers kept riding
thru the massed workers trying to
follow the hearse that started out
from the church to the home of
Madieros. At the church the priest
came out and closed the church
doors, permitting only the body and
the dead boys family to enter thru
a small basement door. The father,
striker, requested that his fellow
strikers be permitted to accompany
the funeral, but was ignored by the
priest and police. The religious ser
vices were then rushed thru in five
minutes. Red flowers, sent in by
4 the Textile Mill Committees MEM
bers, covered the white casket.
Workers then took up collection
to help the striking father defray
the funeral expenses.
The city's working population
Continued on Page Three