| OCR Text |
Show CHIEFS OF 1. 1 W. GIVEM20 YEARS BIG BILL HAYWOOD AND FOURTEEN FOUR-TEEN OF HIS CHIEF AIDS FINED $20,000 EACH! Ten Year Stntences Imposed Upon 33 of Defendants, Five Yea -s on 31, and a Year and a Day on 12. Chicago. William D. Haywood, "uncrowned "un-crowned king" of the I. W. W., and 14 of his chief aids in the conspiracy to overturn the American war program were sentenced to 20 years in the federal fed-eral penitentiary at Leavenworth Kan., and fined $.20,000 by Federal Judge K. M. Landis on August 30. Ten-year sentences were imposed upon 33 of the organization's leaders, five years on 33, one year and one day on 12 and ten-day sentences on two. Cases against Benjamin Schraeger, editor of the Polish I. W. W. paper, and Pietro Nigra were continued. All sentences on the four counts in the indictment will run concurrently. Fines ranging from $20,000 on Haywood Hay-wood and his chief aids down to $5000 were imposed. Ninety days is granted in which to file a bill of exceptions and a stay of seven days in which to petition for bail. "It is the closing chapter in America's Ameri-ca's biggest criminal case," said Frank K. Nebeker, chief prosecutor. "We are confident a new trial will be granted," said George F. Vander-veer, Vander-veer, chief counsel for the defense. Before pronouncing sentence Judge Landis reviewed at some length the salient sa-lient points in the government's case, laying especial stress on the I. W. W. preamble declaring eternal war on the employing class and denouncing war with oilier nations; the meeting of the executive board after America had entered en-tered the war at which it was decided to expel members entering military service, and later the concerted plan, by strikes and rebellion, to block war measures. 'In times of peace you have a legal right to oppose, by free speech, preparations prepa-rations for war. But when war has been declared that right ceases forthwith," forth-with," was the court's closing remarks. Aside from a slight disturbance in the corridor, when -one of the prisoners prison-ers became hysterical while being led away there was no disorder. Scores of special police banked the corridors and court room. |
