The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-27


her freedom II she got out of Harlan
and did not interfere with the rail-
reading of the miners. She refused
to leave, was re-arrested and now is
indicted.
A reign of terror that equals the
worst ever known in the bloody his
tory Of the American class struggle
now RACES in Harlan, KY. The COM
pany gunner, deputy sheriffs and
judges are trying to terrorize wit
nesses so that the courts will have
an easier time in ensuring a Sacco-
Vanzetti fate for the scores of min
ers indicted on the framed-up muir
der charge.
WASHINGTON, Pa, August 90
Pat Pagan and lesser officials Of the
UMWA and their relatives and their
stool pigeons joined hands with the
Canonsburg police department in an
all-day-long attempt today to per-
jure Leo Thompson, Stella Rasefsky
and nine others, four of them Negro
miners, to long prison terms.
While Pagan was on the stand, at
the end of today's session, the court
ruled that no testimony of the wage
cutting, strike breaking activity Of
the United Mine Workers Of America
would be allowed in. AS Judge Cum
Minis put it, when International La
Dor Defense Attorney Marine asked
Pagan whether the UMWA didn't
feel that it needed rehabilitation"
nj this district pretty bad, 1.-THE court
does not wish to go into the issues
between the rival unions"
Neither has the prosecution yet
raised the Red ISSUE" as all their
newspaper propaganda previous to
the trial would cause one to believe
would be their tactics. The Red
issue" although it doesn't any longer
rouse the excitement in a miner
starving to death through a UMWA
contract that the bosses and UMWA
would like to have it raise, is prob
ably being saved for later on in the
trial-perhaps for the prosecutors
closing speech.
The defense gained point by the
admission Of the public to the trial
today. Yesterday, while the jury was
being selected, the public and the
press were barred s- -
But when Ray Greene, Information
al Labor Defense Organizer for this
district walked into the court house,
she didn't even get very close to the
court room. The deputies seized her
by the arms, dragged her into the
district attorneys office; the .prosec7,
utor assailed her for falling to heed
his orders issued yesterday that she
was not to enter the court house,
and told her to leave washington at
once"
Another defendant, Steve SAVIOR,
pleaded guilty today, making three
in all. Testimony of the prosecution
witnesses was SO contradictory that
any but a packed jury will certainly
have to disregard practically all that
was offered today.
Thus, the Canonsburg police, Chief
Adds and officer James Haney have
a story which may be summarized:
The police went to the National Min
ers Union mass meeting Of about 1900
miners in Becks Field, on July 1s.
There they heard all the speeches
of nearly dozen speakers but can
remember only two things. Leo
Thompson said: I'VE have had
enough Of Faganism-shall we stand
for more?" and the crowd yelled
mol" Then Stella Rasefske said:
We've got to get Pagan off that
stand even If we have to stone him
off, anyway to get him off" and
the 1900 miners applauded tremen-
dously. They don't remember an
other single word. Then they allow
ed the parade, allowed It to enter
Curry Field, where Fagan's meeting
was in progress because the police
thought It would march in a circle
and 60 back to Becks Field. But
the paraders marched into Fagan's
meeting, and a fight started, IN which
Leo Thompson was lifted up on mems
shoulders and made a speech, no
words of which could be heard on
account of the noise, and after pop
bottles and sticks and stones were
thrown, the UMwA gang fled. Haney
says the missiles we're thrown, by
everybody in all directions" and Ad-
dis ssys they we're thrown "by the
NMU members at Fagan's platform"
Burgess Cooke, with much assist
ance from the prosecutor, picked
Thompson out of the group in the
dock, corroborates the police gem
orally on other events in Curry Field,
and describes Fagan's generally dill
apidated condition as he sat on the
ground after the fight with his CO.
horts bathing his head. But on
cross examination, Burgess Cooke
goes all to pieces, says the crowd
was SO mixed he couldn't tell wheth-
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