You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Monday September 28, 1914
From The Labor World: "John H. Walker Makes Plea for Freedom of Carl Person"
John H Walker
Saturday's edition of Duluth
Labor World features a plea from John H. Walker, President of Illinois State Federation, for freedom of the young Clinton, Illinois, labor editor, Carl E. Person. Person is set to go on trial soon for shooting and killing the thug who attacked and very nearly killed him last December. Walker asserts that the thug was a-
jailbird, wife beater, beast, and would-be assassin, retainer of the scabby Illinois Central corporation,
Walker also maintains that Person was slated for assasination due to his work on behalf of the strike against the Illinois Central railroad corporation.
From The Labor World of September 26, 1914:
JOHN H. WALKER MAKES PLEA FOR FREEDOM OF CARL PERSON
----------
Having Failed Twice to Murder Labor Editor Predatory Wealth Making Final Attempt to End Life of Fearless Defender of Labor's Rights.
----------
UNDERHANDED ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY OR CRIPPLE ORGANIZED LABOR
----------
Illinois Federation President Calls for Support of Person, "Morally, Financially and In Every Other Way" Possible for Union Men.
----------
SPRINGFIELD, Iil., Sept. 25.-The day for the trial for murder of Carl E. Person is drawing near in Lincoln, Ill., and no more cruel travesty on justice has ever taken place in human history.
Twice the emissaries of predatory wealth tried, deliberately, and in cold blood, to murder him. Once in Decatur, in the dark of the night, they pounced upon him from behind, slugged him fearfully, beat him into unconsciousness and left him for dead. And after learning that he had come to life again, and that he still persisted in using his voice and pen in the interest of down-trodden labor, his fellow workers and their families who were on strike against the injustice and despotic tyranny of Illinois Central railroad corporation, once again they determined to try to murder him, and finish their bloody work.
And the big brute wife beater, the town bully, chief slugger, scab herder and strike breaker, over 200 pounds of beast, decoyed this boy, Person, who weighs less than 135 pounds, to a place where he lay in ambush, ready to attack him, by telling him over the phone that he was another man and when Person went along the sidewalk looking for his friend, this degenerate throwback to the beast, with murder his heart, pounced upon his victim from behind, like the cowardly would-be assassins did, who tried to murder him, in Decatur.
He struck the boy over the head, splitting open his scalp, blinding him with blood, then crashed his head against the concrete sidewalk again and again, until the crowd tore him from off his prey. Then, while the boy was reeling and dazed, half-unconscious, this mad beast tore himself loose and started back to finish the job, by taking Person's life.
Then, because Person refused to allow his life to be taken by this jailbird, wife beater, beast, and would-be assassin, retainer of the scabby Illinois Central corporation, and shot in self defense, he is tried for his life on a charge of murder.
If justice were done, in my judgment, those in charge of the Illinois Central railroad company at Clinton, Illinois, would be held responsible for Musser's death. They would be compelled to pay the penalty for the double assault, with intent to murder, committed on Carl Person.
They would be compelled to pay heavy damages to Person for his injuries and suffering, and the whole lawless, heartless, inhuman combination involved in this foul conspiracy, the third attempt to murder him (this time judiciously) would pay the full penalty for their crimes.
We must not forget that this whole brutal, inhuman outrage on him, is a part of the plan of this unspeakable coterie of labor haters and crushers, to destroy or cripple organized labor, and we must do all that is within our power to see that justice is done, and we must not forget that until we have organized, organized fully, and educated ourselves, so as to be able to use our powers intelligently, effectively and unitedly and established by law, conditions that will make a repetition of this thing impossible, that no organization or individual will be secure, that the best men and women in our ranks, and that the most effective organizations which we have will always, for those very reasons, be the especial targets of predatory wealth, their brutal thugs, venal courts, and corrupt politicians.
Let us all then rally to Carl Person's support, morally, financially, and in every other way, with every atom of influence we have, and see to it, that he gets a square deal.
Respectfully,
J. H. WALKER,
President, Illinois State Federation of Labor.
[emphasis and photograph added]
----------
SOURCES
The Labor World
(Duluth, Minnesota & Superior, Wisconsin)
-of Sept 26, 1914
http://www.newspapers.com/...
Railway Carmen's Journal, Volume 19
Brotherhood Railway Carmen of the United States and Canada, 1914
http://books.google.com/...
(search with "Carl E Person" & choose p.531, click up to p.530)
-from August 1914 issue which begins on p.473
IMAGES
John H Walker
http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/...
Carl E Person Defense League Button
http://www.hakes.com/...
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Sunday September 28, 2014
More on Carl E. Persons, Labor Editor, Tried for Murder of Would-Be Assassin:
From the Person Papers of Reuther Library:
Carl Emil Person was born in Kronedergs Lane, Sweden in 1882. The
Person family came to Illinois about 1890. At the age of 10 Mr. Person and
his older brother began working in a starch factory. At 18 Mr. Person began
working in railroad shops. During the September 1911 to June 1915 strike
against the Illinois Central and Harriman Lines Mr. Person worked as strike
secretary. He wrote and distributed weekly strike bulletins. In December
1913 Person was attacked by a strikebreaker. Mr. Person killed his assailant
setting a precedent for the times. Person was acquitted on the grounds of
self defense. After the strike was ended by top officers of the union
involved, Person was expelled from the International Association of Machinists
for his protest against the action of the officers. The Lizard's Trail by Mr.
Person gives his side of this dispute. In June 1919 Person received his
bachelor of Law Degree from the Chicago Law School. On April 2, 1927 he was
admitted before the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals as a qualified attorney.
SOURCE
Web Site: reuther. wayne. edu
Papers of Carl E Person
pdf!http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/...
See also:
The lizard's trail: a story from the Illinois Central and Harriman Lines Strike
of 1911 to 1915 inclusive
-by Carl E. Person
The Lake Publishing Company, 1918
http://books.google.com/...
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Which Side Are You On? - Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman
Across this great old nation
Tell me what you gonna do
When there's one law for the rulers
And one law for the ruled?
-Florence Reese
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````