Tortured by the sadist sheriff, Charles Brown describes conditions in the ‘bull pen’; an unused school where hundreds of free speech fighters were interred during the Spokane free speech fight. The depravities of ICE are part of an established tradition in what has always been a regime of extraordinary violence for all those on the other side of the ‘land and order’ mob.

‘A Graduate of the School’ by Charles Brown from Industrial Worker. Vol. 1 No. 41. January 1, 1910.

Chief Slugger Sullivan of the Spokane law and order (?) force undoubtedly considered me a harmless, servile creature, whipped into submission; on a bread and water died for 34 days, behind bars of steel, tantalized, tortured covered with vermin and slugged by dupes and accomplices the (Spokane Darwinian missing links) police force for what crime? Talk on the streets. Is our constitution a farce? Some of us fought to uphold in the last war. Suppose we ask the Cuban and Filipino to help us defend the constitution in Spokane? Was President Taft arrested for speaking on the street? No! Workingmen should be seen (making profit for capitalists), but not heard. It seems the constitution and laws were made in the interests of, and also to be interpreted by the capitalists.

The Roman empire fell by such high handed methods.

On November 3, near the corner of First and Howard streets, while addressing a crowd of citizens, J.C. Knust was accosted by Officer Logan and another plain clothes brute. Both grabbed him from behind, by shoulders, knocking his hat off, refusing to allow him to pick it up. Walking him a few paces and both slugging him in back of head, jerked, pushed and choked him all the way to police station, where they tried to shove his head into the booking window. Knust never resisted in the least and cautioned the so-called officers of the law “Not to use any violence.”

Three days later I was arrested for street speaking and rejoiced at not getting Knust’s treatment, but after being booked in the station I got mine from the inside slugging committee, led by Chief, Slugger Sullivan. Sullivan knocked me down by a blow on my nose and kicked in my side. Others got theirs as they were marched in. One fellow worker, Henry Buchel, got a broken jaw. He is at present in Fort Wright hospital. He received no treatment under the city physician and five days later the surgeon at Fort Wright demanded his having attention in the hospital. The sluggers placed us, in our bruised and battered state, in the sweat box and bandaged our wounds with hot steam and sweat for twelve hours. We numbered 29 in the sweat box. This small dungeon is solid steel case about 7x9x8; no toilet. Can you picture the condition of this cell in twelve hours–the 29,000 miseries we suffered? Men fainted, vomited and groaned within this living hell. Many had to lie in the filth through weakness. One man was dragged out unconscious after hours of calling by his comrades for aid. We were packed like sardines. Next day 17 of us were taken out and placed in a filthy cell 7x6x6-1-6, with little light, closed ventilators on warm days and open on freezing days and nights, no blankets nor hammocks; lice and vermin galore. We were never allowed to consult the attorneys, friends or relatives, nor allowed food, tobacco, soap nor towels, our clothing becoming covered with vermin indescribable. It is a wonder that we ever got out alive. The so-called city physician, who undoubtedly takes his orders from the inhuman chief of police, said: “he was in danger of loosing his job if he even suggested different food, attention or medicine for us” DESPERATE prisoners. I consider Dr. Oshea an unprincipled individual to continue in the service of the city and not protest against such inhuman treatment. His medicine was salts, quinine, pills. Toothaches and broken heads got the same dose. Each cell contained running water and a filthy toilet. Only two seats in each cell, and those were always at a premium, the toilet and washstand. Some members always had the pleasure of sitting and sleeping on them each night and day. Those that were lucky to be able to stretch out on the cold steel floor placed their heads to the wall and feet to the center of the cell and slept in a circle. The feet piled up on top of each other, leaving the man on top with his head about two feet lower than his feet–still he considered himself lucky, for the man on the bottom of the pile of feet had such a load on him that he was continually fighting for the top.

The notorious hunger strike started Friday night, November 5, covering every department of the jail. Lawyer Crane, in the sweat box, refused to eat his rotten rations, blowing it from his mouth towards the jailer and throwing the plate outside. Lawyer Crane is a non-member of the I.W.W., but a free speech fighter. Mrs. Frenette in the ladies’ ward got word of the hunger strike and she refused to eat. We went on a hunger strike because we considered slow starvation on stale bread worse than no food at all. One prisoner refused to eat a meal if all were not fed.

Why should we be jailed and starved for demanding a constitutional right? Oh, well, I guess working men have no rights; we are living under Czar Sullivan of the Inland Empire. Drunks were shown the greatest of a courtesy when arrested many turned out same night of arrest to make room for us terrible I.W.W.’s. Drunks were given hammocks, good meals and few placed in cells; beside a they received the warm cells, but never placed h in hot box. We tried to attract and notify our friends on the outside of jail that we were starving by (building battleships) pounding on the steel cells with our shoes, which made a deafening noise similar to boilermakers riveting battleships. Crowds were attracted on the outside. Judge Mann’s court was disturbed–jailer Casey, along with the itch, got nervous prostration and took three days’ lay off. Sullivan got a new attack of slugging fever and all considered, we certainly made history, while Sullivan and Mann made rebels.

Tuesday, Nov. 9th, the jail was so full-1-4 to 17 in each cell–and conditions so bad that an investigation committee, fearing an epidemic breaking out, forced the so-called law and order gang to remove 80 of us to the bull pen at Franklin school house.

At 8 p.m., under heavy guard, about 50 sluggers, escorted us to a cold, fireless room in the condemned school, where we had the pleasure of walking the night long to keep from freezing. No toilet, blankets or water; a bucket was furnished to urinate in. Space will not allow me to continue in detail, so the balance of my story will be on the most important persecutions.

Our first night in the school was terrible–you can guess the rest. Men were known to smoke wood, paper and horse manure. Police threatened to freeze, beat and torture to death if men did not go on rock pile. Men threatened to burn down school if wood was not furnished; mouldings were burned, and so-called leaders cruelly tortured in sweatbox for 13 days. Doctor finally ordered them released, fearing death from tortures. We were told to that it didn’t make much difference if we did die, as it only cost 49c to cremate us.

We were always forewarned when an investigation committee would visit us, by extra precautions to rid the dark dungeons of filth and scatter the men around cells, so as to make to them look crowded. Sweat box would be emptied. Committee would always be rushed through and not allowed to consult prisoners for fear of us exposing the hellish conditions. When we finally broke the hunger strike after seven and one-half days of fasting, we got 8 oz. stale bread morning and evening. This allowance was cut down from time to time till we got only one and three-fifths ounces morning and evening. Place above mentioned amount on scales and note quantity we received last ten days.

Refusing to work on rock pile at Fort Wright we were locked in cells at night and had to urinate through bars of cells, not even a bucket furnished. Windows were raised; wind chilled us through in our weak state. Bread caused constipation and men were known to go two weeks without passage of bowels. Just think, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and Mrs. Frenett getting 90 and 100 days in these death traps. For what crime?

Did you ever see such determination for a principle? Reader, stop and think–ask yourself if there is not something to an organization when men and women will show such solidarity by sacrifice and dire tortures? What means these tortures? We all can surmise the results–suppress our press, gag our mouths, torture and persecute us in your filthy hell holes the results will be thousands in our ranks where there are hundreds now. Eventually we will say who will fill the jails we have constructed. Justice will and must prevail to the best interest of those who usefully toil. Why are you silent, Mr. Reader, including Pulpit?

CHAS. BROWN.,

(Another Leader.)

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/v1n43-jan-15-1910-IW.pdf