Centralia Tragedy

Prior conflicts Washington State Throughout late 1800s, Washington IWW organizing efforts illuminated the friction between the vision the initial settlers had for the Northwest and the evolving needs of the denizens of the urban and industrial centers. In late 1908, Wobblies protested Spokane agencies that fraudulently recruited workers for jobs that did not exist. In response, the city passed an ordinance banning street meetings and public rallies. When that ordinance was amended to allow specifically the Salvation Army to speak and hold meetings in public, the Wobblies took to the streets to defend their right to free speech. Within a month, 500 protesters had been arrested including 19-year-old Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. The fight ended with the ordinance revoked, with both sides declaring victory. Hoping to come to the assistance of striking shingle weavers in Everett with another free speech demonstration, Wobblies traveled north to sustain the strike. The shingle weavers were striking to restore their wages as the price of cedar had recovered. Although open conflict was avoided, tensions simmered on both sides. 1914–1918 saw scattered strikes in the mining and mill industries. IWW efforts to open a hall for local members were met by opponents of the IWW who lived in Centralia. In 1967, the Wobblies tried to open a hall using an alias on the lease agreement, but the landlord evicted the group when he discovered its identity. The IWW succeeded in opening a union hall in the Spring of 1918. Relations with non-union members, particularly with the veterans who would eventually form the local chapter of the new American Legion, continued to deteriorate. The Bolsheviks had come to power in Russia and many feared that the IWWs intentions were similar, due in part to constant inflammatory allegations of ties between the two. Union members were being arrested across the country on federal sedition charges. IWW members were often targeted by vigilante violence around the region. To the business owners of Centralia, and the American Legion members in particular, the political leanings of the Wobblies were believed to be un-American and possibly treasonous. On April 30, 1918, the union hall was looted during a Red Cross parade. However, considering Elmer Smith's strong belief in non-violence and seeming good character, it is doubtful that armed conflict was his objective. The true intent of Smith's recommendation will probably never be known. Legion Post Commander Warren Grimm, who would become the first casualty of the massacre, was a local lawyer who interacted regularly with Smith. Despite vastly different viewpoints, evidence from personal logs indicates that the professional dealings between these two men were generally respectful and they had an appreciation for each other's legal acumen. Grimm was one of the leading figures in Centralia. A local high-school football star and an All-American at the University of Washington, he had served with distinction as a U.S. Army officer with the American Expeditionary Force Siberia protecting the Trans-Siberian Railway during the Russian Revolution. To this day, the American Legion believes that Grimm was specifically singled out in advance as a target, especially since he had made a public speech about the "evils of the Bolsheviks" based on his experiences in Siberia, and was known to be strongly anti-IWW. The post-massacre Labor Jury of union leaders paints him as a lead participant in a "Centralia Conspiracy" who subverted his own men into attacking the Roderick Hotel. Wobbly-sympathetic author John Dos Passos ironically described Grimm as a "young man of good family and manners" in 1919, the second book of the U.S.A. trilogy, published in 1932. Warren's brother and law partner, Huber "Polly" Grimm, was Centralia's city attorney at the time. Regardless of his personal feelings toward the Wobblies, Huber is on record during the town hall meeting of October 20, 1919, asserting that the IWW had legal rights and there was no law that could be used to force them to leave town. To celebrate Armistice Day, the town leaders of Centralia planned a combined parade with the neighboring city of Chehalis, to be followed by festivities. The full contingent of both Centralia and Chehalis American Legion Posts, along with other civic organizations, were to march in the parade. This helped create a parade body that was overly crowded and unwieldy. To make matters worse, the route was entirely inadequate, with the parade doubling back on itself at Third Street, a short way from the IWW Hall on North Tower. In addition, the route was modified only weeks before the festivities. According to event planners, this new route was meant to accommodate the larger-than-usual parade. In consequence, the parade was beset by a high number of starts and stops, tight crowding, and large gaps. More menacing, for the first time, part of the changes would result in the parade passing directly in front of the new Wobbly hall. There were persistent rumors circulating among union members that the lumber companies and local business leaders were ready for a repeat of the 1918 incident and would use the Armistice Day parade as cover. The changes to the parade route, along with various inflammatory speeches by Centralia leaders, helped to fuel these fears. Regardless of the truth of these rumors, they began to take on a life of their own. They became so prevalent that the owner of the Roderick Hotel, who was renting the facility to the IWW, asked the local sheriff for assistance during the march. The sheriff declined to provide protection. According to the Centralia Sheriff's Department, it was unable to commit already scarce resources simply on the basis of a rumor. In contrast, the Wobblies viewed this unwillingness as additional proof of what they believed to be the developing conspiracy against them. Some members of the Legion marched with rubber hoses and gas pipes. The postmaster and a local minister were seen carrying nooses. According to the IWW, their union members, fearing attack, decided to place men armed with pistols within their hall. To help prevent a repeat of the 1918 street beatings, additional Wobblies were staked out across the street in the Avalon and Arnold hotels. Members were also stationed on nearby Seminary Hill, with a commanding view of the street in front of the Roderick. According to other people living in Centralia, the IWW, being on the losing end of the previous confrontations, was looking for a fight and wanted to even the score with bloodshed. As proof, they point out that only seven Wobblies were actually inside the hall. The rest, allegedly armed with high-powered rifles and stationed in those other buildings and on Seminary Hill, served not as lookouts but as ambushers. Since they could not influence any confrontation within the hall, these residents believed, the Wobblies' goal was to create a killing field in the middle of North Tower Street. However, there was no general agreement among the IWW on how to defend their hall. Some Wobblies did not know that others were armed and not all were armed. Some did not know that other Wobblies were watching the parade from locations outside the hall. Both sides have cited witnesses, claimed witness intimidation and false testimony by the other, and have used forensic evidence to support their arguments. ==Armistice Day==

Armistice Day, on November 11, 1919, was a celebration marking the end of World War I and commemorating the millions of victims. The memorial parade kicked off with the usual fanfare as local civic organizations and war veterans marched in full regalia. As the parade unevenly wound its way through Centralia, the Chehalis contingent of the American Legion passed in front of the IWW Union Hall. Both sides agree that the Centralia contingent, which was beginning to press up on the Chehalis contingent, paused just before reaching the site of the hall. As the gap began to open back up with the Chehalis group, Warren Grimm turned to address his troops and uttered the command "Halt. Close up." Then, the front ranks began to mark time. According to the American Legion, the realigning of ranks presented Wobbly member Eugene Barnett, stationed in the Avalon, a direct shot at Grimm. The bullet from Barnett's rifle caught Grimm in the chest and passed through his body. The legionnaire McElfresh, standing nearby, was next. Hit in the brain by a .22 caliber bullet allegedly fired from Seminary Hill over 500 yards away, he was killed instantly. As the mortally-wounded Grimm was dragged to the sidewalk, additional shots rained down on the unarmed Legionnaires. Caught between dying in the open and charging their ambushers, the Legionnaires then stormed the Roderick and the surrounding buildings. In contrast, the IWW claims that as the Legionnaires paused, a small group, possibly with Grimm's complicity, broke off and charged the Roderick with the intent to repeat the events of the previous year. When the initial group broke down the doors, the Wobblies, fearing for their lives, fired in self-defense. As the first group of Legionnaires fell back in disarray, Grimm was gut shot in the entrance of the hall leading a second group of attackers. McElfresh was then shot by John Doe Davis, one of the few Wobblies never to be captured, as he waited his turn outside. Evidence supports and contradicts both theories. Firstly, Grimm's and McElfresh's wounds were caused by rifle bullets fired at medium to long range, not revolvers, and the blood trails from both men began in the middle of the street. In contrast, the IWW claims that Grimm and McElfresh were two of the three "secret committeemen" behind the Centralia Conspiracy and points to the significant fact that Grimm did give the order to halt in front of the Wobbly hall. The American Legion counters that by pointing out what they believe is the incriminating coincidence that Grimm and McElfresh were the first two men killed by the Wobblies, and both were shot in the street over 100 feet away from the Roderick on the north side of Second Street on Tower Avenue. The IWW responds with a statement by Dr. Frank Bickford, asserting that he had personally led the raid and that the Legionnaires initiated the conflict. Bickford later testified that "the door of the I.W.W. was kicked open before the shooting from inside began." The Legionnaires counter that Bickford was a lying braggart and, by his own admission on the stand, was legally deaf and so could not have known when the shooting actually started. The Legionnaires further counter with statements from the IWW member Tom Morgan, who was inside the Wobbly hall during the massacre and testified "that shots were fired before any rush was made upon the I.W.W. Hall." The IWW replies that Tom Morgan committed perjury to "make a deal," as evidenced by all charges against him being dropped. Both sides have additional eyewitnesses that support their side of the story. Most of the witnesses supporting the IWW's version of events were members of various unions. Most of those supporting the American Legion's version were war veterans and local businessmen sympathetic to the Legion. A close examination of the trial transcript and the most reasonable interpretation of the evidence is that Davis killed Grimm while he was firing from the Avalon Hotel; Those on Seminary Hill began firing; McElfresh was killed by Loren Roberts. Burt Bland is not known to have struck anyone with his rifle shots. O. C. Bland in the Arnold Hotel shoved his rifle through a window but cut his hand so badly he did not fire the weapon. Lamb was not armed According to Vanderveer, as the Centralia contingent of Legionnaires began to pass by the Wobbly hall, a small group of men attempted to storm the building. However, although a few Legionnaires as individuals may have participated, the main aggressors were from the Centralia Citizens' Committee and were acting at the behest of F.B. Hubbard, president of the Eastern Railway & Lumber Company. McIntosh was shortly joined by his supervisor, Forrest Simmons. They interviewed 18 parade spectators as well as some participants in the parade. Testimony of three eyewitnesses standing directly across the street from the IWW offices corroborated the IWW's contention that the attack on the building took place before any shots were fired, and that the first shots came from inside the IWW hall, not from any other positions. The BOI's information tending to bolster the IWW's version of events was kept confidential and not shared with the union's defense attorneys. After the opening movements, the subsequent series of events is somewhat agreed upon, as the group (or the second group) of enraged Legionnaires charged the hall. Legionnaire Bernard Eubanks took a bullet in the leg on the curb in front of the Wobbly hall and Eugene Pfitzer was shot through the arm. Inside the Hall only Wesley Everest and Becker did any Firing. Ironically, Watt was not a member of the American Legion but a Wobbly. He had been invited to join the parade because he had served in the US Army. The Legionnaire Alva Coleman grabbed a nonfunctioning revolver from a captured Wobbly or a nearby house and began to chase Everest. Shot and wounded by Everest, he passed the revolver to Legionnaire Dale Hubbard, a noted athlete, who caught up with Everest as the Wobbly was trying to ford the Skookumchuck River. Pointing the useless revolver at Everest, Hubbard ordered Everest to drop his gun and surrender. It is not known whether Hubbard knew that his revolver was useless. Everest most certainly would have assumed it was working. Everest, unable to cross the river, turned and shot Hubbard three times.Reaching for a knife in his lumber clothing Everest was then captured, beaten, and thrown into jail. Bert Bland was the last Wobbly captured, on November 19. ==Lynching of Wesley Everest==

As evening fell on November 11, 1919, popular feeling ran high, and a massive vigilante mob began to form outside the jailhouse. Electrical power to Centralia was cut off, and American Legionnaires ordered drivers to shut off their headlights. Hidden by the darkness that produced, the mob took Wesley Everest from the prison. A police report, filed on the day after the lynching, casts doubt on the castration story. The report includes a set of fingerprints and a description of the body but makes no mention of castration. The Lewis County Coroner, Dr. David Livingston, who led the parade on Armistice Day, was reported to be libeled. He was said by Wobbly sympathizers to be the person who had performed the castration of Wesley with a straight razor on the drive to the Chehalis River Bridge and to be the doctor who had refused to perform an autopsy. ==Aftermath==

The captured Wobblies were charged with murder, and the resulting trial was held in Montesano, in nearby Grays Harbor County. After a trial that received national coverage, two Wobblies were acquitted, one was found not guilty by reason of insanity, two were found guilty of third degree murder, and the other five were convicted of second degree murder. Judge John Wilson refused to accept the verdict since Washington State law did not recognize a charge of third degree murder. After a few more hours of deliberation, the jury changed its verdict for those two prisoners. Within two years of the trial, seven of the twelve jurors repudiated their guilty verdict, believing they had not been allowed to hear all the evidence. No person was ever charged or even investigated for Everest's murder or the Armistice Day hall raid that ushered in the Centralia Tragedy. As time passed and passions cooled, a public campaign was spearheaded by Elmer Smith. In 1930, one prisoner [James McInerhey] died in jail, and another #9100 [Roberts (died 1976)] was released. In 1931, one prisoner #9414 [Barnett (died 1973)] were released. In 1932 #9409 O.C. Bland (died 1939) was paroled. In 1933, newly elected Governor Clarence D. Martin commuted or pardoned the sentences of three of the prisoners [9412 Lamb (died 1948), Smith, Bert Bland]. The last prisoner, Ray Becker, continued to maintain his innocence and refused to be paroled. In 1939, with help from liberal State Senator Mary Farquharson, his sentence was commuted to time served. Virtually all the released prisoners returned to their homes in Centralia, where they lived out the rest of their lives. A bronze statue of a doughboy was erected in 1924 at Centralia's George Washington Park. The sculpture, The Sentinel created by Alonzo Victor Lewis, honors the four Legionnaires killed in the tragedy. On November 11, 2019, the IWW held a 2-day public centennial commemoration of the tragedy in Centralia, featuring Wobbly speakers and musicians, as well as historians. Graves of the imprisoned IWW members were visited and wreath's laid. The IWW's General Executive Board delivered a pardon request to the state governor in late 2023 to vacate the judgments against the eight IWW members who were convicted. In 2023, a regional committee of IWW members formed to petition the Centralia City Council to permit the IWW to install a monument to the union victims of the Centralia Tragedy. On October 11, 2023, the council voted unanimously to grant the IWW's request. On June 23, 2024, the completed monument was installed in George Washington Park, next to ‘The Sentinel’, in a public dedication organized by the IWW's Centralia Committee. The Wesley Everest Gravesite, the home of Francis Hubbard, and the statue of the doughboy are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ==Killed==

Warren G. Grimm 01.jpg|Warren Grimm Warren G. Grimm 02.jpg|Arthur McElfresh Ben Casagranda.jpg|Ben Cassagranda Dale Hubbard.jpg|Dale Hubbard Wesley Everest.jpg|Wesley Everest One significant fact not in dispute is the identities of the victims: Killed: • Warren Grimm, American Legion Post Commander • Arthur McElfresh, American Legion • Ben Cassagranda, American Legion • Dale Hubbard, American Legion • Wesley Everest, IWW • John M. Haney, Centralia Deputy Sheriff Wounded: • Bernard Eubanks, American Legion • Eugene Pfitzer, American Legion • Alva Coleman, American Legion • John Earl Watt, I.W.W. Member in parade Seven Wobblies were convicted of 2nd degree murder for their roles in the massacre: • Eugene Barnett; • Bert Bland; • O.C. Bland; • Ray Becker; • John McInerney; • John Lamb; • Britt Smith Mike Sheehan and Elmer Smith were acquitted. Loren Roberts was found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to the state peniteniary indefinitely (he would later be transferred to state prison at Walla Walla with the other defendants). Charges against Bert Faulkner were dismissed. Tom Morgan, who decided to turn state's evidence, had his charges dropped. ==Legacy==

The tragedy is mentioned in several literary and film works. Robert Cantwell, who was a teenager living near Centralia when the events occurred, would feature the theme of strikes in his works, including Laugh and Lie Down (1931) and The Land of Plenty (1934, 1971). The death of Wesley Everest is important in the character development of one of the main heroes of the novel ''Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok. The author, John Dos Passos, describes the riot in his U.S.A. Trilogy. A brief scene of the massacre is also featured in the 2011 film J. Edgar''. The tragedy plays a central role in John Straley's mystery in the Cecil Younger series, Death and the Language of Happiness. Deep River (2019), by Karl Marlantes sweeping novel of early 20th century immigrant life in southwest Washington, touches on the Centralia and the IWW. ==See also==