The Everett Massacre: A history of the class struggle in the lumber industrySmith, Walker C.
History
The Everett Massacre: A history of the class struggle in the lumber industry
Smith, Walker C.
Industrial Workers of the World; Lumbering -- Washington (State); Lumbermen -- Washington (State)
"I am a young man without the experience that any man ought to have in
the prosecuting of a case like this, a case the size of which has never
been experienced in the State of Washington, and in many ways an
absolutely pioneer case in criminal trials the world over.
"So the State has been hampered in that at the outset a young man, a new
prosecuting attorney, has come into office and to him there has come a
case that no man could read up concerning, and a large piece of
battle--it is the State's contention, a battle between hundreds of men
on the boat and a large number of deputies on the dock, a battle
absolutely and surely initiated by firing from the boat, but still a
battle;--a case without parallel in the criminal history of this State
or of the United States.
"It happens that fortunately the State has had assistance in this case.
The State of Washington, thru its county commissioners, requested the
assistance in this case of Mr. Cooley, whom you have all grown to know,
a man who formerly for four years was prosecuting attorney of Snohomish
County, and who since that time has been associated as assistant counsel
in practically all the criminal prosecutions of Snohomish County that
have required assistance.
"And in addition to this the State has been fortunate in having, at the
request of the county commissioners, the assistance of Mr. Veitch, a
young man it is true, but one who thru years of service in the district
attorney's office in Los Angeles County had experience in criminal
trials, and especially because of his connection with what are known as
the conspiracy murder trials in Los Angeles County, and also in
assisting the federal prosecution at Indianapolis. It has been necessary
in this kind of a case for the State to have assistance.
"Now I told you my friends that I came here as prosecuting attorney of
Snohomish County. I am also a deputy prosecuting attorney of King County
under Mr. Lundin. After I was appointed I was very unpleasantly
surprised by one statement. A little phrase, 'without pay,' so that I
don't know whether really I am a deputy prosecuting attorney or not,
because I found that in public office a man always likes to see the
warrant come at the end of the month!
"You are a jury in this case from King County because the defendant and
the other defendants filed an affidavit to the effect that they didn't
expect that a jury selected in Snohomish County would give the defendant
a fair trial. The State is happy in your selection and knows that you
will follow the dictates of your conscience and is likewise confident
that you cannot help but believe that Jefferson Beard was killed by
someone shooting from the Verona, and that Thomas H. Tracy, alias George
Martin, incited, aided and encouraged in that shooting.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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