Warren Grimm Lt . Warren O . " Wedge " Grimm ( March 9 , 1888 – November 11 , 1919 ) , was born in Lewistown , Pennsylvania . An All - American at the University of Washington and an officer in the United States Army , he served with distinction as part of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia stationed in Russia in 1918 – 1919 . He was killed on November 11 , 1919 , by members of the IWW ( Wobblies ) during the Centralia Massacre in Washington State . Youth . Warren Grimm moved to Centralia , Washington at the age of four . He regularly achieved high academic marks and was a star on the local high school football team . Upon graduation , Grimm worked as a clerk in the Assessor ’ s Office of King County , Washington , to pay for college . This experience led to his interest in the practice of law . Grimm then attended the University of Washington , entering in the fall of 1908 . During the following years , Grimm was best known for his athletic prowess , earning All - American honors on Washington ’ s famous football teams of the era . The leader of his freshman class , Grimm also joined the Sigma Nu fraternity . In those days , hazing was still an acceptable practice . The University of Washington had a traditional melee between each year ’ s freshman and sophomore classes , the goal of which was to identify potential Huskies and to see who could tie up the others . It was at this inaugural event that Grimm earned the nickname “ Wedge ” that would identify him on football fields throughout the Northwest . Chosen Captain of the Freshman “ tie - up ” squad because of his size , Grimm actually showed his tactical acumen and organized his classmates into a tightly focused wedge that charged the sophomore formation . This highly successful maneuver became a staple of Husky football teams and contributed to his later All - American honors . In 1910 , Grimm was awarded the Flaherty medal by the University of Washington . He was also honored with memberships in every honor society to which he was eligible including the Oval Club and Fir Tree . His growing potential in the practice of law was also noticed and he was awarded membership in Phi Delta Phi , a national law school honorary fraternity . After graduation from law school he returned to his home in Centralia . He was made deputy prosecuting attorney but , at the end of his term , decided to enter into private practice with his brother , Huber " Polly " Grimm . In 1914 , Warren married Ina Olive Gilbert . Unfortunately , Warren would soon become a widower when Ina developed diabetes and died on April 12 , 1917 . World War I . When the United States entered World War I , Grimm put his private practice on hold and volunteered for the Army . Sent to Officers Training Camp , he earned a commission of First Lieutenant and was assigned to the 12th Infantry . The 12th was ordered to Camp Fremont in January , 1918 . On April 15 , 1918 , Lt . Grimm received exceptional leave as he would once again tie the knot , this time to Miss Verna Barstad , Kappa Sigma , who was Centralia ' s librarian . In August , 1918 Grimm ' s regiment was ordered to Siberia as part of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia ( A . E . F . Siberia ) , under the command of General William S . Graves . Upon arrival at Vladivostok , Grimm was assigned to Co . I of the 31st Infantry and was stationed on guard duty about one hundred miles north of the Siberian seaport . Lieutenant Grimm was then transferred to Hardin , Manchuria , and assumed command of the 50 man detachment . In December , 1918 , Grimm was rotated back to the HQ Company of the 31st Infantry and served as legal attaché for General Graves . Successfully completing its tour of duty , Grimm ’ s company left Vladvistock on April 1 , 1919 and returned to San Francisco . Grimm returned to Centralia to greet his wife and see his infant daughter , Shirley Ann , who had been born during his deployment . The town of Centralia decided to reward him for his combat service and elected him Commander of the Grant Hodge Post of the American Legion . Grimm also resumed his private law practice at this time . IWW . The Industrial Workers of the World ( Wobblies ) was a radical syndicalist labor union . Composed primarily of unemployed and homeless workers , including dissatisfied elements from the lumber industry , the IWW had a contentious relationship with the town as far back as 1914 when 47 members descended upon Centralia and tried to take up residence . After run - ins with local authorities led to the group being escorted from town , eight union members returned to Centralia and looted the local stores for food and other supplies . Creating Union Halls was a key part of IWW strategy at that time since the vast majority of its members were homeless . In 1917 , the IWW was finally able to open a Union Hall in Centralia at which point the already bad blood with the town of Centralia worsened . The hall was attacked in 1918 during a Red Cross parade , most probably at the hands of the local lumber companies and with support from Centralia ' s Elk Lodge . Consequently , by the fall of 1919 , the Wobblies were spoiling for revenge . Whether by design or unfortunate circumstance , Warren O . Grimm , war veteran , local hero , All - American football player , husband , and new father , would become most famous as the first victim of the Centralia Massacre . Centralia Massacre . In Centralia , Washington , where the IWW had been organizing lumber workers , the lumber interests made plans to get rid of the IWW . On November 11 , 1919 , Armistice Day , the Legion paraded through town with rubber hoses and gas pipes , and the IWW prepared for an attack . When the Legion passed the IWW hall , shots were fired – it is unclear who fired first . They stormed the hall , there was more firing , and Warren Grimm and Arthur McElfresh of the Legionnaires were killed in this initial confusion of shots . Of the seven Wobblies inside the hall , only Wesley Everest and Ray Becker fired any shots . It is unclear , of the men posted at other stations , who or how many fired upon the raiding Legionnaires . Inside the headquarters was an IWW member , a lumberjack named Wesley Everest , who had been in France as a soldier while the IWW national leaders were on trial for obstructing the war effort . Everest was in army uniform and carrying a rifle . He emptied it into the crowd , dropped it , and ran for the woods , followed by a mob . He started to wade across the river , found the current too strong , turned , shot the leading man dead , threw his gun into the river , and fought the mob with his fists . They dragged him back to town behind an automobile , suspended him from a telegraph pole , took him down , locked him in jail . That night , his jailhouse door was broken down , he was dragged out , put on the floor of a car , his genitals were cut off , and then he was taken to a bridge , hanged , and his body riddled with bullets . No one was ever arrested for Everett ' s murder , but eleven Wobblies were put on trial for killing an American Legion leader during the parade , and six of them spent fifteen years in prison . Aftermath . As a sad conclusion , Grimm ’ s wife and infant daughter attended every day of the trial and subsequent convictions and sentencing . However , by this point , the enraged IWW was sending death threats to Mrs . Grimm , Judge John M . Wilson , who presided over the trial , Lewis County and Centralia officials , and some of the testifying legionnaires . As a result , Mrs . Grimm and her daughter were placed under Federal protection and relocated .