The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-20
BY OTTO KELLER

bV OllO htbEEh
II went to the plant to follow up
our organizing work. That night I
had meeting of local forces who
we're to help me in distributing an
other leaflet the next day in front
of the WalWorth Co. and other metal
shops. Ingar johnson went with me
to Kewanee to help us on that. We
could mobilize but a small force for
that purpose, and met near the Wal
worth Co., dividing our forces as fol-
lows: Johnson, who is from the Steel
and Metal Workers Industrial Union
from Chicago, with Williams, Pope
joy and his son, who lives in Kewa-
nee, covered the main entrance.
Mcknight, from Kewanee, took the
north gate, and I the west gate. 1
started to hand out leaflets about
$50 am. Gas the men start working
at y near the gate. I had been
there but a minute or two when I
heard the Waterman calling over the
phone something like this; There's
one here at the gate, yes, west gate.
I Immediately sensed he called the
police and moved out on the street,
about half block away from the
gate, and continued handing out
leaflets. In about another minute or
two large blue touring car drove
up, going about 40 miles an hour,
and stopped right in front of me.
Four men jumped out and one COW
cred me with shotgun and the
others overpowered me and ordered
me in the car. At once they put a
black cloth over my face, blindfolded
and handcuffed me and then pro-
ceeded to speed away. On the way
they asked me all sorts of questions
such as: What am here for? Why
do we want to pull a strike? If I
had attended the meeting last night?
Where's Joe Weber (union organ
izer))? My name and history, re-
ligion, what politics? Where and if
I ever worked?
Most of the way I lay on my face.
After about one hours driving they
stopped and I could hear screams;
they were beating up Johnson some
where nearby. heard three shots
fired and we started off again. They
were all laughing about a fellow
called Smoky, saying the reason they
let him shoot at him was because he
couldn't hit a barn, and it would be
fun to watch the damn fool
Smoky.
"They tore out the label from my
coat and took my belt and destroyed
everything that may have identified
me. I lost my watch, keys and 81;
as for clothes, neither one of us can
wear thing any more.
1--WE drove about another ten min
utes and stopped. They pulled me
out of the car, put rope around me
and laid me face down, beating me
with something like heavy leather
straps and a rope, telling me not to
come back in town, also asking me
if I were a Communist, union man,
etc. They then dragged me down an
incline and pushed me into a dirty
ditch or creek They pulled me out
and carried me back up and turned
me face up. One man said. Now
give him the boots (meaning to kick
my face). But at that time another
man called to him to get away and
beat it fast. Someone took off my
shoes and threw them away (Which
I found later in the creek. 5
Another thug held q nnuzzle OF a
gun against my temple, telling me
not to get up before two minutes or
I would get plugged. They pushed
my hat over my face and pulled off
the black cloth from my face, also
removing the rope. The car started
to move and someone fired one shot.
AS I came out on the road truck
passed by and I tried to stop 1t, but
the driver did not want to pick me
up. then walked to the nearest
farm house and found the same