Angelo Herndon, writing from prison, remembers his murdered comrade, Harry Simms. Simms was a Young Communist League activist originally from Springfield, Massachusetts sent to the south to help organize the National Miners Union, and was in Harlan County, Kentucky during the 1931-1932 NMU strike there. On February 10, 1932, Simms was shot by a sheriff’s deputy and mine guard as he walked along the railroad tracks to a food and clothing distribution meeting. Badly wounded, Simms was left bleeding in front of the town hospital which refused to treat him without guarantee of pay. He died the following day; comrade Simms was 19 years old. 25,000 people attended his funeral in New York City. ‘The Death of Harry Simms’ a folk song written by Jim Garland and ‘Aunt’ Molly, who knew Simms and were in the area when he was killed, was later made popular by Pete Seeger.

‘In Memory of Harry Simms’ by Angelo Herndon from Labor Defender. Vol. 10 No. 2. February, 1934.

Harry Simms, young courageous fighter is today sleeping in his grave. But the cause for which he gave his life shall never die. The capitalists–robbers and murderers of the working class–will soon learn that they cannot kill the fighting spirit of the workers, even though they may take the lives of some of the best leaders.

When Harry Simms first came into the south, he was greeted by the young as well as the adult workers. As soon as he became adjusted to the work in the South he won the comradely love of both Negro and white workers. Through his persistent and painstaking methods of work, he was able to organize many successful struggles of the unemployed workers of Birmingham. These later caused him to be thrown in jail time after time. However this did not cut down on his activity. Not in the least bit.

He was a most valiant fighter for the Scottsboro Boys. Before and during the preparation of the “all Southern Defense conference” held in Chattanooga, May 31, he spoke before many organizations that elected delegates to the conference. As I was a delegate from Louisiana it happened that I arrived in Birmingham in time to help him with the delegation there. After final arrangements had been made we were supposed to meet him on the out-skirts of the city at a certain time. As the time went flying by, he failed to show up. We were so perplexed that we were in a round about as to whether we should proceed or not. Finally we decided to go on.

When he was in Atlanta with me, where the atmosphere was a little different, he would often say to me, “Gee, you have a hell of a sight better place to work here. In fact it is a paradise in comparison with Birmingham, etc. etc. At least you haven’t always got someone on your tail which means that you have a chance to get a deep breath.”

At the same time that he was saying this, he had in mind to go to Kentucky, where there was almost a Civil War going on between the coal operators and the miners. Dozens of miners had been mowed down with machine guns and for a “dirty Red” to plant his foot on that hot soil meant almost death instantly.

But did Harry Simms think of such important things? No. He only thought of the performance of his working class duty. Casting aside all things of a personal nature putting in the forefront the liberation of the working class, he went bravely into the midst of the battlefield where blood was being spilt like water.

Certainly, he had done some excellent work when I got the sad news that he had been shot by a gun thug in the pay of the coal operators. Then I read the Daily Worker that carried the story and the first thing I saw was that Harry Simms had bled to death after the hospital had refused to accept him unless they had assurance that the bill would be paid.

Could this be true? Harry Simms dead? I couldn’t believe my own eyes. I didn’t want to believe it. Harry Simms dead. After I had finished reading I just couldn’t keep the tears from rolling down. I caught myself and said: “Am I sentimentalist or not? No, not altogether, for maybe if I had not ever worked with him it would have been different. Hence each tear K.K.K. stalks the streets of Atlanta, Ga. began to grow into a solemn pledge.

After the conference was over we received a telegram from him. He and the rest of the delegation (which also included sharecroppers from Camp Hill) had been held in the Birmingham County Jail.

They, the capitalists have killed Harry Simms, like thieves and blood robbers by night. We shall some day get revenge for our heroic comrade, and I shall never content myself until the system that killed Harry Simms, will be wiped off the face of the earth.”

My dear Comrade Harry Simms. You have not died in vain. The capitalist class took your life, but you shall always live on in the hearts of all oppressed working men and women.

Labor Defender was published monthly from 1926 until 1937 by the International Labor Defense (ILD), a Workers Party of America, and later Communist Party-led, non-partisan defense organization founded by James Cannon and William Haywood while in Moscow, 1925 to support prisoners of the class war, victims of racism and imperialism, and the struggle against fascism. It included, poetry, letters from prisoners, and was heavily illustrated with photos, images, and cartoons. Labor Defender was the central organ of the Scottsboro and Sacco and Vanzetti defense campaigns. Not only were these among the most successful campaigns by Communists, they were among the most important of the period and the urgency and activity is duly reflected in its pages. Editors included T. J. O’ Flaherty, Max Shactman, Karl Reeve, J. Louis Engdahl, William L. Patterson, Sasha Small, and Sender Garlin.

PDF of original issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/labordefender/1934/v10n02-feb-1934-lab-def.pdf