The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-02
Sister Of Slain
CrOPPer Tells
Her O1Un Story


rade; am faithful worker, and
strong believer in the Communist
Party. and believe it is the only
party that is standing for the Negro
People, and for the working class.
Under the leadership of the Com
muntst Party, I believe is the only
way out to true freedom and eman-
cipation for the Negro people, that
have been tied hand and feet for
several centuries. I believe if both
white and Negro will stand up side
by side, and fight together as one
mighty man under the leadership
of the Communist Party, that we will
gain and have the great victory Of
freedom of all the working class. In
1881 was my first view of the great
moral for the well-being Of people,
especially the negro people. I
CHANGED TO get in touch with great
speaker, in the person of Jim, and
listened to him attentively, and 1 was
greatly enthused by his speeches. I
gave him my name, and pledged that
would do all could to help him to
get in touch with other people. Jim
appointed me as an organizer Of the
section in the neighborhood where
] lived where I succeeded in building
a club. One or two meetings before,
the sheriff snd thugs ran in on us,
that was on July IA, 1881, when the
first terror started.
I and my friend Miley was the
first to be brutally beaten, and we
have scars of the wounds on cur
heads that will be there till we are
carried to our graves.
On the following night, my brother,
Ralph Gray was brutally beaten, then
moved, then killed and carried away
from home, and thrown out in the
yard of the jail house as if he was
dog, or poison serpent. Among the
great number that were railroaded to
jail, and my oldest son were two of
the members. When G. w. Chamlee,
from Chattanooga, Tenn. Scottsboro
lawyer, came to the Jail and told us
that those who were in Jail from the
terror, and he was sent to defend us,
the sheriff and judges came to us
prisoners trying to persuade us not to
have anything to do with the Chata-
nooga lawyer. stood out and told
them that it I had any case to be
defended in court, that G. W. Cham
lee would defend it. Because I
would not consent to the Sheriff and
the Judge to do what they asked me,
they imprisoned me and my son in
jail for two months.
AS soon as I got out OF Jail, and
got to where could walk again l
started out to work among the peo-
pie to get the movement started
afoot again. began to have small
groups, as was afraid TO have very
large ones, and began organizing
again in the best way I understood.
All that were willing to fight for
their rights gave me their names.
That was the way began organizing
after ] got out Of jail.
When M. came down to help lis
out in the summer Of 1882, had sent
to him in Birmingham over thou
sand names. After AL came we began
with working in the name of the S.
G. u, and was appointed by the
organizer of the I. l.. D. to organize
branches of the I. L. D. On account
of my activity in the union the land
lords, and bosses, and stool-pigeons
have been trying to make it hard for
me ever since 1881, when they
killed my brother. / have a family
to take care Of, and the landlords and
bosses won't let me and my boys
work on the r. F. C. and c. w. A. I
walk from one place to another until
I am bare of clothing and am bare
foot. Because they think I'm work
ing for the union they keep me
knocked out from work, and then
won't give me no aid from the r. F.
@. and the G. w. A. The bosses and
the landlords have been trying to
force me to leave here by trying to
make 1t hard for me. Since 1881 I
have had more threats from the
bosses and landlords, and you little
know Of what they threaten to do to
me. But I am still working and
irving to organize. may be knocked
off, but to mean to work until Death
under the leadership of the Com
murist Party, for it has done more
for the Negro and the working class
than any other political party eyer
did. Long life to the party.
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