The Daily Worker Newspaper, January 2, 1927, Page 9

ee By C. A. Moseley . They Were Only “Greasers” - N the early morning of December 7th, soon after ~ ~ RES eres: " midnight, a telephone call to the police station in Melrose Park reported that a woman was being as- saulted at two strings of box-cars, inhabited by Mex. fean laborers, in the Proviso yards of the OG, & N. W. The police do not know to this day who sent fm the call; they didn’t ask when they took it over the "phone. But here, to start with, was something explosive. A woman, presumably an American, was being ravished by a bunch of “greasers,” But she wasn’t; there was no woman in the case. Not knowing that the woman was non-existent, Policeman Stahl started for the scene on his motor- eycle. Sergeant Boni, and Officers Kolwitz, Win- ters, and Malecky went too. According to the testi- mony of three af these mien, all who were able to testify at all, only dim night-lights burned in the wo of the 30 box-cars which were the quarters of the unmarried.men. No cries were heard from any Woman—not until the shooting started and the wo- men in the camp eried out in fear and alarm. Stahl and Kolwits were on one side of the string ef cars; the other three were on the other side. Most likely they shot at each other; it wouldn't be the first time that officers have done that in the dark. They saw no one about the cars. But 60 to 70 feet away from the cars, Stahl and perhaps Kolwitz met a drunken Mexican, Jose Sanchez. E agsow the shooting wag over, Stahl and Sanches were dead, one lying almost across the body of the other. And Kolowits called to the other officera, who had by that time come to his side of the cars, that he was badly wounded in the arm. - The bewildered officers were willing to assert, even under oath, that a volley of from 30 to 50 shots had come from the two cars. They got offie- ers from Chicago with tear bombs and raided the two cars. At the inquest, the three officers who were alive and not wounded, testified that no gun or weapon was found in either car. Where the “volley” had come from, they did not attempt to ex plain. That the officers had shot at each other was not suggested. Now we will say that Officer Stah! shet at Sanches first. What justification ha had for shooting at a drunken man, we do not know. Perhaps none. Bat he put four bullets into Sanchez from the front. One at least made a mortal wound, but not instantly fatal. Sanchez” still! had time, before he dropped, to pump four bullets into Stahl’s brain. We say that Stahl shot first, for he could not have fired after the first of the four shots panetrated his skull, The coroner’s physician made a careful examina- tion of both bodies. He sent out for a new hacksaw blade during the autopsy. Yet at the inquest, not a bullet was put in evidence, to show from what gun it might have come. Did they know in their ewn minds that Stahl and Sanchez killed each other? In fact, the inquest seemed to concern itself entirely with who killed Policaman Stahl. It was either as- sumed that he Killed Sanchez, or they didn’t care who killed a Mexican, UT the man who sat at the inquest as the “de fendant” in the case was another young Mexi- can, Agustin Moralez. He was picked up after the shooting by two officers at Oak Park, where he was riding toward Chicago on a streetcar. He had on him when arrested a revolver with no charges in it, not even blank cartridges. And he had two quart bottles full of moonshine, but they were full, not empty. They were still full when shown at the inquest. The officers testified that he was perfectly Some ef the 86 Mexicans, standing by thelr box-car homes, after being routed out by tear-bombs. sober when arrested—no smell of liquor on him. And they beat up Moralez unmercifully, laid open his acalp, pounded him with the butt and side of their revolvers, and mauled him with brass knuckles. They injured him internally. Then they took him to Melrose Park. There the officers of that burg added their blows for good measure. Moralez was unable to speak English. But they did not withhold their brutality till they had called an interpreter and found what he might have to say for himself. Ft E will accept Moralez’ story, for # rings true. He did not live in the string of cars, a proved fact. He says he was knocking at one of the cars to get in to make a call, when he heard the shoot- ing. Later he found the body of his friend, Sanchez, lying close to that of Stahl. Foolishly, perhaps, he took from the body the revolver and the moon- shine. Then he went to where his dead ¢riend had lived and notified Sanchez’ two brothers and uncle of the death. Then, fearing that he would be impli- cated, he, a stranger in a strange land, started for Chicago. And the moonshine was still in the bottle when he was arrested. Now Morales lies in the Cook county jail, waiting the action of the coroner’s jury at an adjourned inquest. He is held as the probable murderer of Stahl. But who killed Sanchez? Why bother with that? He was only a Mexican. They are willing to grant that Stahl killed Sanchez; Stahl is dead and cannot answer for it. But ‘Satithez\tdo0, ‘being. . E , Moraler is expected to bear Sanchez’ guilt, if guilt it be to shoot probably in self-defense, and ig accused ef the murder of Stali. b Ad this fsn’t all of the tragedy. Perhaps not even the worst part of it. There is this. Of- ficer Stahl was a popular young man. He left a widow and two little children. Rage arose in the minds of the police at the death of one of their number, The townspeople took their cue from the police. They too raged. Altho they found no guns im the two box-cars, they marched the 36 men who Were in the cars from there te the police station. A mob of policemen, now numbering fifty, went with them. As the Mexicans were marched along, blows were rained upon them. Some had their scalps cut, some had teeth knocked out, some were beaten on face and body. They were thrown into jai] with Moralez, The Mexican consul was assured that day that all, except Moralez, would be immediately released. In- stead, they were run through police court that night, with no lawyer, no interpreter, and no witnesses, A fine of $50 and cost was slapped on each of them. With one or two exceptions they have all paid these very questionable fines. They wera not paupers They had, in fact, most of them, worked from three to five years for the Northwestern, The merchaats spoke ‘well of them. pe this smoothly running system of snap fads- ment and rank injustice, a woman launched her ” self. She is Mary Belle Spencer, a lawyer, attorney for the Mexican consulate. She speaks Spanish and has the confidence of Spanish speaking people. It was she who secured the adjournment of the coron- er’s inquest. It was she who took a physician from the John B. Murphy Hospital to Melrose Park, got him into the jail by a ruse, and then thwarted aa enraged turnkey by having Moralez stripped and examined. She went to the chief justice of the Criminal Court, after Moralez was transferred to the county jail, and got the judge to issue orders for another immediate medical examination of the man. Mrs. Spencer will secure warrants for the arrest of the two Oak Park officers, Larsen and Lindblad, who first beat Moralez. She purposes to get war rants for the arrest of the Melrose Park officers, whe further beat Moralez and assaulted some of the other 36. This is the tragedy—not entirely that two mep are killed and another badly wounded, not entircly that .. te’ thing happened because of a fake telephonelem ovr ox Message, but that, however it may have happened, it was the occasion of police brutality, national prejudice, a violent attack on a minority group, the bulldozing of a class who were poor and helpless, and the beclouding of the real legal question as to who killed two men by a wild prejudice against the whole Mexican colony. Without stopping to con- sider that no woman had been found or had appear- ed, one still heard people in Melrose Park make such remarks as: “Just think of it! One woman with 36 Mexicans! Isn’t that awful!” He’ much farther may not the tragedy run? Years hence, when perhaps many of these Mex- icans have returned to their native land, and some- one asks them in limpid Spanish: “Que clase de pais es Los Estados Unidos?” the most vivid recol- lection to come to their minds will be a scene on One dark night in December when they were driven from their humble homes and were marched be« tween lines of policemen, while a rain of blows and curses fell upon them, all because they had unfortu- nately been asleep in the homes America had given them—a string of box-cars—near where a popular young policeman, who himself packed two guns, was killed. I am for Revolutiox TI am for revolution; revolution so profound That nowhere will the profiteer or plunderbund be found, But State and Church and Press and School will all be owned and manned By Labor,—Union Labor—the lord of every land. f am for revolution; revolution now and here, . All the land for all the people; what is there in that to fear? The tools for those who use them, the homes for them that builds And all the banks for all the folks by whom their vaults are filled, I am for revolution; though it come with fearsome feet; If the people will not save themselves until they cannot eat, Until their first-born perish, as when Pharaoh would not hear, Then welcome woe itself if so the morning draweth near. I am for revolution, say what will the canting folks Whose peace itself is violence, their law a lying hoax; We will no harm to anyone, we will the good of all, But we want the revolution, whosoever stand or fall. Robert Whitaker.