1914.07.13: ‘SWEET MARIE’ RIPS CITY OFFICIALS IN SIDEWALK TALK

July 13, 1914

‘SWEET MARIE’ RIPS CITY OFFICIALS IN SIDEWALK TALK

Mounts Soap Box to Tell of Troubles During 60 Days on the Island

PRAISE FOR MISS DAVIS.

Says Board of Estimate Withholds Money to Clean Up Blackwell’s

Sixty days of confinement in the "pen" appears to have taken much of the "pep" and ginger out of "Sweet Marie" Ganz. It was a subdued and perfectly lady-like Marie who mounted a soap box at the north end of the Municipal Building shortly after noon and told less than a hundred onlookers--all she was able to muster during a harangue of more than an hour--of the conditions on the Island as she saw them. the police did not expect trouble and the two patrolmen sent from the Sixth precinct to chaperon the affair had nothing to do.

Marie is positive the Board of Estimate has a grudge against the Department of Correction and to the board she attributes most of the blame for the recent prison riots. She scored Warden Hayes.

"The Administration takes less interest in the Department of Correction than any other in the city," declared Marie. "Their appropriations are turned down right and left and when Miss Davis, whom the prisoners regard as blameless, wants money she has to go out and beg it from her friends.?

Marie urged the need for the classification of prisoners on the Island, pointing out that the present system of herding drug fiends, drunkards and victims of tuberculosis and other diseases together makes it impossible for a person in normal health to maintain it during a term in prison.

After an hour of oratory, "Sweet Marie" explained she was too weak as a result of two months' incarceration to tell all her troubles. She promised to be back on the job later in the week with data enough to convince any reasonable person of the "unbearable" conditions on the Island.

To get this she explained she would conduct her own investigation on the Island, but she failed to state just how she was going about getting the permission of the Correction Department for this particular research.

Miss Ganz, in a tirade on the newspapers that have referred to her as an "anarchist orator" says she is going to sue any publication that refers to her as a "red" after today. She had several copies of newspapers in which that reference was made.

"I have been to see Deputy Commissioner Rubin this morning," said Marie, "and he informs me I am not on the prison records as an anarchist. I am not an anarchist and never will be. I am for the workingmen."

1914.07.12: 1,000 MEN HOLD REDS IN ORDER AT FUNERAL FOR BOMB VICTIMS

July 12, 1914

1,000 MEN HOLD REDS IN ORDER AT FUNERAL FOR BOMB VICTIMS

1914.07.10: JANE EST AGAIN ARRESTED FOR DISTURBING MEETING

July 10, 1914

JANE EST AGAIN ARRESTED FOR DISTURBING MEETING

NEW YORK, June 9.—Jane Est, an Industrial Workers' of the World leader, who took an active part in the descent on the churches by that organization last winter and was arrested in April after a disturbance in Dr. Parkhurst's church, was arrested again today when she interrupted a religious meeting of the Peace Forum. She demanded that she be allowed to take the stand and address the audience.

1914.07.09: FOUR ARE KILLED IN ANARCHISTS' DEN

July 9, 1914

FOUR ARE KILLED IN ANARCHISTS' DEN

NEW YORK POLICE BELIEVE BOMB PLANT HAS BEEN DESTROYED

THINK EXPLOSION ACCIDENTAL

Friends of Victims Charge Murder, However--Much Inflammatory Literature Gives Officers Clew [sic] to Work on.

New York, July 7.--In the ruins of the Lexington avenue tenement house,wrecked Saturday by the premature explosion of a powerful bomb which killed Arthur Caron and three other persons, the authorities have found evidence that Caron's apartment was a center for the distribution of inflammatory literature which was printed there and that at the time of the explosion it was apparently a bomb factory, filled with the ingredients of death dealing missles [sic]. A small printing press, revolutionary pamphlets and circulars, an electric dynamo, two electric batteries, cartridges and bits of steel, were among the articles uncovered which tend, in the opinion of the police, to show an anarchistic plot at assassination.

Theory of Police

That a demonstration, halted by the bungling of some one who was preparing an infernal machine for its mission, was planned against the Rockefeller family in Tarrytown, is the theory upon which the authorities are working.

Two of those killed in the wrecked, apartment were prominent agitators who were to be placed on trial at Tarrytown today on charges of disorderly conduct in connection with the campaign of demonstration inaugurated against John D. Rockefeller, Jr., as a protest against his attitude in the Colorado coal mine strike.

The body of the fourth victim of the explosion has Just been found. It is that of Chas. Berger [sic], known in I. W. W. circles as "the big Swede," an associate of Caron. The other victims were Chas. [sic] Hanson and Mary Claves [sic]. 

The woman lived in an apartment; next to the one occupied by Caron and his associates.

Identification of Berger's [sic] body was made by Louise Berger, step-sister of Hanson, who lived in the flat where the explosion occurred.

Not An I. W. W.

Equally as interesting as the discovery of anarchistic literature and electrical machinery in the ruins of Caron's room, was the assertion by I. W. W. leaders that Caron was not a member of that organization, having recently been refused admission.

They declared that the I. W. W. had nothing to do with the explosion. Why Caron was denied a place among the workers was a point they did not make clear.

A gruesome but suggestive piece of evidence was a severed hand which clutched two small pieces of wire made ready for connections. The authorities believe that the owner of this, hand' was in the act of making an electric connection for one of the bombs and a battery when the explosion occurred
and he was blown to pieces.

Attack on Christianity.

The search for papers and notes was minute and some note books with the names of several anarchists were, found, but the police would not say any of them was important as documentary
evidence of a plot. There were also pamphlets which had been sold at I. W. W. meetings. One poem,
a vitriolic attack on Christianity is believed to have been on the little press.

Louise Berger declared that the three men who died in the explosion were murdered. She made this statement as she was being taken from the morgue, where she had identified Berg's body, to a police station for further questioning.

"Those boys were murdered, I know they were," she said.

Asked if she would continue her membership in tbe anti-militarist association, she replied:

"Why, of course. Why shouldn't I. Do they think that by killing some of our members they can destroy our organization. Well, they can't, nor will I rest until 1 have run down the murderers of my brother and the other boys."

1914.07.08: MISSING MURPHY HAS BOMB SECRET

July 7, 1914

MISSING MURPHY HAS BOMB SECRET

Police Unable to Locate Man, Who Survived Explosion.

SAY FOES SENT DYNAMITE.

Police Anxious to Locate Man Who Disappeared — Berkman Insists That No I. W. W. Members Were Manufacturing Bomb — Thinks Enemies of Caron Responsible For Outrage.

New York, July 6.--The whereabouts of Michael Murphy, the young I.W.W. sympathizer who escaped death in Saturday's bomb explosion in the flat of Charles Berg on Lexington avenue is still unknown to the police. It is believed that with his reappearance would come at least a partial solution of the bomb mystery.

The police feel sure that Murphy was in the flat at the time the explosion killed Arthur Caron. Carl Hanson and Charles Berg. I. W. W. sympathizers, and Mrs. Marie Chavez, who lived in another flat in the same building. Murphy fell through two stories in a mass of debris. With his clothing all but torn from him he ran to the East One Hundred and Fourth street police station, and, claiming that he had been slightly injured in a subway explosion, obtained a coat to cover his almost naked shoulders. He then telephoned news of the disaster to Alexander Berkman and was told to go to Wesheld, N. J., where Leonard Abbott, head of the Ferrer school, was giving a ????. He then dropped out of sight.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Rubin and Acting Captain Jones, who are in charge of the case, say that Murphy, so far as they know, has committed no crime and cannot be brought back to the city if he desires to stay away, but it is thought that Murphy's hands [hold] the secret of the death dealing bomb and its makers.

Says Foes Sent Bomb.

Berkman still insists that the bomb was not made in the Berg flat, but that the three men and Mrs. Chavez were murdered by enemies who sent the bomb to the flat. Berkman and other friends of Caron insist that the dead man always was opposed to violence and never had preached it in any of his public speeches. The fact that his body was perfectly recognizable argues, his friends say, that he was not connected with the bomb plot. Caron was killed by a blow on the back of the head from a piece of flying debris.

Although Caron was violently beaten by the police last May in Union square, he never had threatened violence against them. His strong arguments, those familiar with him contend, have been always for organization. Throughout the entire winter and spring, as the young graduate of the Worcester polytechnic school waxed more and more violent of tongue, he continued to use the same plan. He did not fear violence, but he argued that the time for it had not yet come.

In speech after speech he declared that the anarchists were not strong enough for violence. he used vile language often and had a remarkable flow of invective, much of which was directed at John D. Rockefeller, Jr., but invariably avoided advocacy of violence. he spoke of Marie Ganz, the girl who declared she was going to "shoot Rockefeller like a dog," as a "poor little music hall fool."

1914.07.08: BOMBMAKERS ARE CREMATED DESPITE PROTEST OF ‘REDS’

July 8, 1914

BOMBMAKERS ARE CREMATED DESPITE PROTEST OF ‘REDS’

Berkman and Friends Follow Bomb Victims—Declare Meeting Will Be Held.

The bodies of Arthur Caron, Carl Berg and Charles Hanson, victims of the premature explosion of their own bomb in the tenement at No. 1626 Lexington avenue Saturday, were cremated this afternoon at Fresh Pond, L.I. They were saved from potter’s field, where Health Commissioner Goldwater was ready to order them, by the submission of Alexander Berkman and his fellow Anarchists to the mandate of the authorities that there could be no public funeral and demonstration over the bodies next Saturday in Union Square.

But Berkman insisted that a demonstration would be held and that the ashes of the dead would be substituted for the bodies, despite objections of Mayor Mitchel and Police Commissioner Woods. His plans include speeches by himself, Charles Plunkett, Pietro Allegra, Arthur Sullivan, Carlo Tresco and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Berkman notified members of the Anti-Militarist League of a meeting tonight in the Ferrer School to raise money for this demonstration and for the funerals.

The removal of the bodies from the Bellevue morgue ended a situation which was becoming embarrassing to the authorities, who did not wish to appear to discriminate against the “reds,” it was accomplished, however only after a final protest from Berkman, who contended that he was not sure of the identification of Berg and Hanson, only parts of whose bodies were found, and a violent objection by Becky Edelson, who got Commissioner Goldwater on the phone from the morgue and demanded that the bodies be held till the missing parts had been found.

DECLARES PRECEDENT WAS ESTABLISHED IN TRIANGLE FIRE.

“Your department established a precedent in the Triangle fire,” declared the young woman, apparently in answer to Mr. Goldwater’s objection that he didn’t care to establish a precedent for the retention of bodies beyond the legal ninety-six hours.

“Those bodies were kept for two weeks and you are discriminating agains us because we are the sort of people you don’t like. If you are allowing your department to be bulldozed by other officials I am sorry for you.”

But Mr. Goldwater was firm, although he had already granted an extension from 10 o’clock until noon

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DEAD ARE CREMATED DESPITE PROTESTS OF THE ANARCHISTS

(Continued from First Page)

At the request of the undertaker, who declared he could not make the bodies ready, so it was a few minutes before 12 o’clock when the band of a score of Reds marched into the morgue and passed around Caron’s coffin.

Leonard Abbott and Berkman were there. Becky Edelson supported Louise Berger, in whose flat the explosion occurred and who collapsed when she found her half-brother’s body must be buried “piecemeal,” as she expressed it. Isidor Wisotsky, Charles Plunkitt [sic], Rose and Marie Yuster and little Lillian Rubel, in short skirts, were in line.

Each wore a mourning band of black, four inches wide, on which was sewn an inch and a half strip of red, and each carried a red carnation, which was dropped on the coffin as the line passed. Then the mourners lined up ten abreast in front of the morgue and followed the two hearses bearing the bodies to the Thirty-fourth street ferry.

OPERATORS HIRED BY BERKMAN CLICKED THEIR CAMERAS.

Moving picture cameras clicked as the procession advanced and dozens of policemen lined the streets, for large crowds gathered on every curbstone, but there was no disorder and the parade, being a funeral procession, was not interfered with.

There were no services when the crematory was reached, except the playing of the “Marseillaise” on the pipe organ and a short speech by Berkman, in which he repeated that there would be public memorial services in Union Square at 2 o’clock Saturday, to which the urns of ashes would be brought from the office of Mother Earth, No. 74 West One Hundred and Nineteenth street, by a band of paraders.

Then two big doors in the chapel were thrown open and the plain pine coffins were disclosed on the movable platform which was to carry them into the cremating furnaces. The platform began to move, the doors of the furnace swung open and the coffins disappeared behind them. Louise Berger, already faint with grief and excitement, nearly collapsed.

There was another spectacle in store, however for Berkman invited all who would—and nearly every one accepted—to a plate glass window in the rear of the furnaces, where the gas flames were seen playing about the coffins until they were concealed by the fire. Then sliding doors shut off this view and Berkman and the others returned to Manhattan.

Mrs. Marie Chavez, an innocent victim of the explosion, was not buried today. Her husband, Pastor Chaves, a Cuban cigarmaker, arrived from his home in Tampa Fla., and said he would take charge of the body, although he had been separated from his wife for several years.

1914.07.07: MURPHY FLEES CITY, FEARING FRAME-UP

July 7, 1914

MURPHY FLEES CITY, FEARING FRAME-UP

Police Can't Find Only Man Who Escaped Alive from the Room Where Bombmakers Died.

BERKMAN ADMITS HE'S GONE

Caron's Mother Won't Claim Body--Aldermen to Prevent Public Funeral--Delay Tarrytown Trials.

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