Local I.W.W. leader C.L. Pingree reports on the strike of largely Polish and Greek mill workers in Ipswich, Massachusetts during which police killed a young worker, Nicholetta Paudelopoulou, and then charged union militants with the murder.

‘Incidents in Ipswich Strike’ by C.L. Pingree from Industrial Worker. Vol. 5 No. 15. July 3, 1913.

(Fellow worker Pingree was arrested charged with murder after the “riot.”)

The Ipswich strike started on April 22nd against the most miserable conditions in the knitting industry. The Ipswich mill employs about 1500 workers, who are mostly Greeks and Poles. The pay is the lowest of any knitting mill in the country. Girls working from one to three years receive from 1.50 to $3.50 a week. The men average between six and seven dollars a week. It was common for the boss to kick and strike workers on the least provocation. There are many other things equally as bad.

On April 22nd the Poles walked put demanding a 20 per cent raise, The Greeks immediately lined up with them. The strike is now in its ninth week and the strikers have not had a cent of outside aid. Despite all the dirty means used by the bosses and their degenerate tools, the politicians and police, the strikers are now more solid than ever. They are more determined to stay out until their demands are granted.

At first the mill closed down for four weeks. The bosses threatened to keep it closed all summer. At the end of the four weeks, the mill opened its doors and a couple hundred Canadians and Americans went back. The Poles and Greeks stood solid–despite every effort of the bosses to split the ranks of the strikers. Though there were over 200 thugs and specials here trying to create trouble everything was quiet up to the 10th of June. The business element began to kick against the expense of keeping the unnecessary thugs here. The political machine in power had to put something over in order to get more money for police expense. The selectmen called a special town meeting for that purpose and gave out orders for the police to start something. This was June 10.

The evening of the 10th we had the usual picket line out. Nat. Herman and myself had instructed the strikers not to start trouble. They all marched in double file wearing “Don’t Be a Scab” tags. We kept half of the sidewalk clear as usual. The thugs began to yank the strikers off the sidewalk without the least provocation, to arrest them. They began with the Greek girls. Immediately after, the police and thugs began to club and shoot at the strikers. One Greek girl, Nickoletta Pendetopoulou was instantly killed by a police bullet. Six others were badly wounded, and eight or ten more were beaten so bad that they had to be taken to the hospital. There were nineteen arrests including Herman, myself and wife. About fifteen more warrants have been issued, but the detectives have not located any of these workers to date. We were all charged with riot and Herman, myself and my wife were charged with murder also.

Other fellow workers and socialists from near here got on the job at once and made things hot for a while. Last Sunday a good number of I.W.W. members and socialists held a red-hot strike meeting. The strikers cheered for the revolution and the red flag. God! But didn’t the police and cockroaches squirm!

As a result of that meeting and Biscay getting immediately on the publicity end of the job, the murder charge was squashed. We are all out on heavy bail charged with riot.

The bosses and their tools are boosting our advertising. They have arrested three of last Sunday’s speakers and are hunting for three more. They are charged with being disorderly persons and making incendiary speeches. B.J. McMillan, a socialist of Beverly, was the first arrested; Fellow Worker L.J. Grikstas was arrested in the socialist hall in Boston, brought to Ipswich, balled out and made a speech the same night. John Murphy of Lawrence was arrested the same evening. The last two are members of the I.W.W. and the S.P. The three cases were postponed for one week.

Now, fellow workers, we need money to carry on this strike, and also for the defense. Publicity is our strongest weapon in the defense and it takes money. We have competent members on the defense. We are forming defense leagues in the Eastern cities and want you to get busy out West. It is up to all radicals who believe in a square deal to get busy.

The riot cases come up the second Monday in July. Hold meetings, make protests, raise money. Send all money to Ipswich Defense League, Box 282, Ipswich, Mass.

The Industrial Union Bulletin, and the Industrial Worker were newspapers published by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) from 1907 until 1913. First printed in Joliet, Illinois, IUB incorporated The Voice of Labor, the newspaper of the American Labor Union which had joined the IWW, and another IWW affiliate, International Metal Worker.The Trautmann-DeLeon faction issued its weekly from March 1907. Soon after, De Leon would be expelled and Trautmann would continue IUB until March 1909. It was edited by A. S. Edwards. 1909, production moved to Spokane, Washington and became The Industrial Worker, “the voice of revolutionary industrial unionism.”

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iw/v5n15-w223-jul-03-1913-IW.pdf