Industrial Army Faces Trial in Seattle
Members of Coxey's Army appear in federal court after seizing Northern Pacific rail property to reach the capital.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Members of the Industrial Army, captured for their connection to disturbances in Yakima, are in a fair way of remaining in their present quarters for some time to come, if yesterday’s proceedings in the United States district court before Judge Hanford are to be taken as a guide. The 146 men that make up the total number captured have been divided into four batches covering four separate cases. Yesterday, Deputy United States Marshal Quitter marched in a batch of fifty-one men. As court convened, one of the prisoners addressed the judge: 'Your honor, we are not being properly treated. We have had nothing to eat since 8:30 o'clock this morning. We are not tramps or bums, but workingmen accustomed to three meals a day.' Judge Hanford replied that the case required caution and that they could not expect treatment other than that accorded ordinary prisoners. The prosecution reviewed the movement of the Industrial Army from Seattle and Tacoma, their seizure of Northern Pacific property, and their interference with trains at Yakima. Witnesses identified several men among the prisoners as having been involved in the occupation of trains.
“We are not tramps or bums who have been used to only one or two meals a day, but are workingmen who have been accustomed to three meals a day.”
This event captures the 'Industrial Army' movement of 1894, a precursor to modern protest marches. The sight of federal troops guarding the armory and the mass trial of unemployed workers underscores the stark confrontation between the state and those demanding labor reform during a period of massive economic depression.
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