The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-03-23

before federal relief came, actually /
had detailed plans as to what sec
ton of the city each group was to
take. They planned to take this
wholesale house and that whole
sale house, this store and that
store-food, clothes, shoes, you
kn6N3g afar1as ~
81 tell you it was serious here
and the city officials and oil men
were pretty white around the gills.
They were scared because this is
tough country and if these oil
workers ever started, no telling
where they'd finish. That's when
they employed me to organize the
unemployed racket and keep them
down. They told me to spend
whatever l needed and l just ar
ranged things to keep them busy
put them to work cutting wood,
farming - anything to separate
them and keep their minds off
rioting."
"What did you do first ?"
81 called meeting and when L
got them all together told them we
had to do something about this
starvation business"
He broke off to grin affably.
"Then l told them that I'd get
them work and food and we'd all
pull together. Some of the Reds
in the mob got tough So l pulled
my gun and fired a few shots and
told them 1 was running things
and from now on l was in charge"
Didn't any of them object?"
ooh, sure. Some of the radicals
would come in here all hot and
bothered, with a delegation asking
for this and for that and I'd listen
till l got tired Of it. Then I'd pull
my gun and fire a couple of shots
over their heads-like this!"
The blue pistol flashed in my
direction and two terrific detona-
tions shattered the quietness of
of the office. An Grid smell of
powder filled tn Groom. l turned
to look at the wall behind me but
l couldn't tell which were the two
new bullet holes. The wall was a
sieve.
"And what happened when you
fired the shots ?"
They'd scatter" ne laughed
"Scared. l just run 'em out. I'd
fire couple of shots and say I'd
heard enough"
"Did you ever shoot anyone 2"
~ was in two shooting scrapes
but no one was hurt. They were
with the Reds when they got a
little too tough. But I've been il
seventy-eight pistol whippings-
you know, you hit 'em on the heaC
He demonstrated upon a shadow
adversary.
, Glow many did you say? Sew
enteen? ?"
Seventeen" he cried indignant
ly. Seventy eight"
He apparently keeps a set O.
books to tabulate them.
"It's been lots of fun" he said
l used to know some gunner il
the West Virginia mining regions
ad in the course of many years O.
newspaper work 1 met few more
On the basis Of what 1 know O.
gunner l am inclined to credi
Wildcats makeup with a high per
centage of fertilizer.
So far, however, he has appar
: emily kept the oil workers prett,
, well terrified with his gun displa,
despite the widespread disconten
at the unions inactivity and fail
ure to accomplish anything for
them. Workers with whom l hav1
talked were restless. There is /
growing insistence that at least OF
code provisions be enforced-a ma
ter which the union ignores. The,
are tired of the speed-up and tn,
wages that are not equal to tn
rising cost of living.
So far no one has called Wild
cat in his gun play. But unless
am very much mistaken one O.
: these days a delegation will call o.
him to demand that the union d,
something about the oil compan,
abuses and when he pulls his gul
to shoot over their heads, one o.
them will misunderstood the move