The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-21
Mass Anger GreetS
Savage Terms for
6 Chicago Workers
Continued from Page u

| ~ ~ - ~ ~
Continued from Page y
hesitate to begin for fear Of a mas
saere.
A police officer comes over to one
Of the leaders of the demonstration.
Come on, boys, why don't you
start. It's cold and We want to go
home he says.
Launch Vicious Attack As Meeting
Is Begun
Finally David Pointdexter. mill
tant Negro leader in the 1881 Hunger
March to Washington, gets up on
] the chair and begins to talk. Police
later were forced to admit that the
meeting was orderly.
After Pointdexter has spoken a
few moments, the order is given to
the police to attack the crowd and
disperse them.
In few moments, workers are
falling under the brutal blows of
the police clubs. Fists smash into
coppers' faces, and a general fight
develops Finally the crowd is
broken, and runs.
Young Worker Nearly Died of
Injuries
These workers who were beaten
down were arrested, beaten uniner-
cifully. and finally taken to Bride
well Hospital. Mae Wernick, a YC.
L. organizer, and the only white
person arrested, nearly died of her
injuries. Pointdexter, Henry Coe,
Hampton, Smith, and Della Page
were also badly hurt and arrested.
A few cops, including Captain
Mooney, who was in charge of the
thugs, received injuries.
Immediately the frame-up appa-
ratus of the police and capitalist
courts began to move. A lying in
dictment, charging all six with %
crimes, including attempt to MUIR
der, attempt to commit mayhem.
riotous assembly, disorderly conduct
and SO on is brought in by the
grand jury.
Negroes Barred From Jury; Jews
Excused"
The case dragged through the
courts for over year. Time after
time, Negro and white workers
packed the courtroom, putting mass
pressure on the judges who had the
preliminary hearings. On Monday.
May IA, the case finally came for
trial.
The rotten jury packing tactics
of the prosecution have been al
ready exposed in the Daily Worker.
Negroes were barred without cause.
Jewish people were excused. Every
person who was receiving relief
was prevented from serving.
Mae Werniok was accused of
breaking through a defense squad
OF nine cops surrounding Capt.
Mooney and clubbing him with an
iron bar 312 feet long, which she
is supposed to have concealed under
her dress. Mae, who is very short,
wore a dress 31a feet long that day.
How she could have concealed the
bar, and how she, small as she
is, could have broken through the
mass of husky police to attack
Mooney was not explained.
Cop Admits Police Started Attack
Many contradictions developed in
the police stories of the fight. one
Of them, apparently not properly
coached, admitted that the police
began the attack. Different cops
told different stories about who had
what weapons.
Over 20 witnesses, including four
white relief workers, one of them
now a professor at Northwestern
University, told the same story of
an orderly meeting, no weapons
visible, and vicious, unprovoked
attack by police who had told the
workers to go ahead and hold their
meeting.
The jury was out II hours. When
they returned the courtroom was
packed with police to prevent a
demonstration among the workers
present, all of whom had been
searched.
The verdict of capitalist Justice
was, guilty on every one Of the %
counts, for every one of the six
defendants. Miraculously, the jury
decided that every one of the de-
PENDANTS did exactly the same
things that day.
Immediately the Judge denied
motion for a new trial and stay of
judgment. He ordered bonds raised
to $500 apiece. He passed sentence
of one to five years, with $3.50
fine. They were ordered to the
penitentiary on May % pending
appeal.
Preparations
for an appeal are under way. A
mass campaign of protests to AL
legretti, to Governor Horner in
Springfield is being organized and
flood of resolutions is descending
upon the heads of these gentlemen.
The LID. is raising funds to bail
! Oiif tho lafanJopfe o-I m % ,.,.1y