The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-18
ky. STATE PROSECUTOR
CALLS FOR DEATH OF
3 IMPRISONED MINERS
Tents and Relief Will
Pull Out Miners
In West Va"
KY. Trial To Open
LID Organizer Refuses
To Leave Strike Area

L o Leave OCrlk6 Area
From Harlan, Kentucky, comes the
report, via the Associated Press, that
the trial against the first group Of
335 miners, who have been arrested
here by order Of the coal companies,
is on the eve of opening. States
Attorney w. A. Brock has called on
the courts to supplement the terror
of the company gunner by ordering
the death of the striking miners.
The Associated Press report quotes
Brock as stating:
We've got to put the cold chiIls
of steel down the backs OF the
criminal element in the country"
BY criminal element" Brock re-
fers to the striking miners who have
been carrying on a fight against
starvation and against the company
gunner who rule the coal fields in
Kentucky through the sharpest ter
ror ever heard of in any part of the
country. States Attorney Brock
tool of the coal company, and paid
by them, is demanding the death
penalty for all 80 now on trial.
The same Associated Press report
tells Of the falling again of Jesse
London Wakefield, representative of
the international Labor Defense,
and Arnold johnson, representative
of the American Civil Liberties
Union Both are in Jail, the Asso-
ciated Press telegram says. II goes
on to state:
County officials offered to- drop
the charge against Mrs Wakefield
(she is charged with criminal syn
dicalism) if she would leave the
community" This she refused to do.
HARLAN, KY, Aug. 18-The home
of Henry Thornton, Negro miner
of Harlan and active member OF the
National Miners Union, was invaded
by four deputized gunner Saturday
night. Thornton was dragged out of
his bed, beaten by the gunner and
ordered to leave the country The
miner replied that he would not
leave his home, that he saw no rea-
son for going away. They took
Thornton out on the road and held
a conference among themselves to
decide what to do with him. First
they suggested killing him and then
compromised on beating him again
with the butts of their guns and
taking him to Jail
Late the next day the prison doc
tor dressed his wounds. Two days
later he was hailed before a Judge
and charged-with being drunk.
But when it was established that
Thornton never drank they put him
back in Jail until another charge
against him can be brought up.
When Jesse Wakefield, local repre-
sentative of the International Labor
Defense who was arrested and
charged with criminal syndicalism,
came up for trial here, two women
were brought in to swear that Jesse
Wakefield had spoken at mass
meeting in Evarts and talked about
"egg shells and killing John Henry
Blair, high sheriff of Harlan County,
and others" They couldn't remem-
Der anything else.
Since Wakefield never spoke in
Evarts in her life, these witnesses
obviously perjued themselves. Bond
for $4,000 was set-s5,00o of this,
however is a peace bond" good
for period Of six months, binding
her to be peaceful" Since her
crime consists in representing the
International Labor Defense in de-
Tending miners as result of class
war activities, continuing this work
would involve forfeiture of the bond.
Eight surety companies refused to
handle the peace bond. They know
what it means.
Thugs are raiding every house In
Catrous Greek. Their excuse is that
they are searching for guns. In this
state, however, there is no law
against keeping a gun. Everyone
has at least one that is used for
hunting rabbits, squirrels, birds and
for protecting their homes. OBJ
viously these thugs, who are raiding
homes, attacking miners whom they
drag out of bed, rowing around
bombing and shooting and Destroy
ing, wanting to disarm the workers
and terrorize them into submission.
Again, the trial of the 40 striking
miners is coming up very soon, and
the thugs fear the mass protest Of
the miners in the coming trial and
want to terrorize them into staying
away. The results, however, show