The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-06-19
Meeting in Gastonia.

WIN intent 10 XIII,
Meeting in Gastonia.
GASTONIA, N. c., June 18.-A
successful meeting was held here
last night, addressed by Bill Dunno,
Paul Crouch and others, at which
defense and strike plans were out
lined.
Fifteen affidavits submitted by
order of the court by the prosecu-
ton to the defense, constitute the
mill owners case against the strik-
efs and organizers for the hearing
fnnoCharlotte today. The out
standing feature of these documents
eisofha attempt to fasten charge of
murder on Beal by statements pur-
porting to quote from his speeches
snd other utterances before the bat
tie. Occurred. The attempt tc make
s&Es6 against other organizers and
9ssfikefs follows the same line.
s.y> Typical Affidavit.
bnr0ne affidavit, sworn to by c. L.
afiifmp; is typical and says: Il live
susd325 Read Vance St., Gastonia. I
sMtntadown to headquarters on the
anightspf the shooting. | heard a
3hsoIs1an make a speech, but don't
know her name, but would know her
nif + saw her again, and she said,
that the time was not long now
1afntiIs they would form a picket line
Sand was going to that mill and drag
Them ont, that if it took fighting
'ltos,det it they would fight, and if
tgiooa had to be shed it would be
she'd
~! sasAFhen she was through speaking
BeaI got up and he said, the time
twas now and they were going to
form picket line And / went
back to the mill office"
m $50 Shows Himself Spy.
The phrase event back to the mill
office" shows that this deponent is
one of the Loray mills "local' en-
pIoyes, that is, hired spy. He
'goes back to the mill office" to
report, he does not go to the mill.
An affidavit, sworn to by Eunice
Mason says:
81 live next door to strike head
quarters. On the night of the shoot
ing, / heard the defendant, Fred
Beal, instruct the guards to arrest
anybody who came about the grounds
and turn them over to him and he
would give them a-plenty of what
they had been giving him.
"After the shooting began, ]. R.
Pitman ran in the back door of our
house and clapped his hands and
said, They got Tommy meaning
Policeman Gilbert"
Did Not See Shooting.
Mclaughlin, Carter, McGinnis,
Vera Bush, Amy Shechter, Bob
Allen, Hendricks, are named in var
ious affidavits but none of them
states directly that they did any
shooting.
Another affidavit sworn to by
George Franklin shows to what
lengths the prosecution is forced to
go to build up case. 1t says:
81 live near Myrtle Hill above
union headquarters. l do not belong
to the union but did at one time.
About three days before the shoot
ing occurred / was at union head
quarters and heard Fred E. Beal
give instructions to his guards. He
told them that he had rented that
land out there and that the police
men had no business out there and
if they came out there, especially
Chief Aderholt, to pour it into them
if they got to messing up"
- Police Were Attacking.
The. affidavits clearly show that
the police were the aggressors al
though they do not admit that the
sb6ficey began the shooting. But
Numerous defense witnesses can and
.9sillS testify that they did. The af-
#Sdavits show clearly that the strik-
rs believed that they were in con-
stant danger of attack and subse-
Mguent events have proved they were
#5orrect.
H Arrested and Whipped.
n Iran effort to drive the striking
{orxers back to the mill, the Man
kille-Jenckes Co. is having all strik-
Mrs who cannot show as much as
$40 in cash, arrested on "vagrancy"
tharges, which means at least a
month on the chain gang and whip
bing by the prison officials.
IN The re-establishment Of the w. /.
. tent colony will prevent the mill
wners from using this excuse when
#rresting the striking workers.
n The, Workers International Relief
3s making every effort to set up this
new colony at the earliest oppor-
htlinity. Negotiations for lots are still
being conducted. The relief distribu-
ton is forbidden on the roads and
! streets.