University of Washington Wesley Everest, IWW Martyr Author(s): Tom Copeland Reviewed work(s): Source: The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Vol. 77, No. 4 (Oct., 1986), pp. 122-129 Published by: University of Washington Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40490296 . Accessed: 17/11/2011 15:19 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of Washington is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. http://www.jstor.org 122 Wesley Everest, IWW Martyr TomCopeland Wesley Everest, 1890-1919. (Hand-tinted photo, 1. Books that mention the lynchingof Everest Special Collections Division, Universityof include: Ralph Chaplin, The Centralia Washington Libraries, neg. 5754) Conspiracy ([Seattle?], 1920), 63-64; Upton Sinclair, 100%: The Storyof a Patriot (Pasadena, Calif., 1920), 287; Walker C. A loggerand union organizerfor the In- Smith, Was It Murder? The Truthabout William D. dustrialWorkers of the World (IWW), Centralia (Seattle, 1922), 39-40; Haywood, Bill Hay wood' s Book: The WesleyEverest played a small but dra- Autobiographyof William D. Haywood (New matic role in the historyof the Pacific York,1929), 354-56; Louis Adamic, Dynamite: Northwestlabor movementin the The Story of Class Violence in America (New early and of this He died on Novem- York,1931), 302; CharlotteTodes, Labor part century. Lumber (New York,1931), 170; JohnDos ber 11, 1919, in Centralia,Washington, Passos, 1919 (New York,1932), 458-60; following a violent confrontationin JohnS. Gambs, The Decline of the l.W.W. which Wobblieskilled fourmembers of (New York,1932), 31; ArthurGarfield Hays, TriaJby Prejudice (New York,1933), 265-66; theAmerican Legion. A mobseized Ever- StewartH. Holbrook, HoJyOld Mackinaw est in retribution;seven of his comrades (New York,1938), 216; Eldridge Foster werelater convicted of the murder of one Dowell, A Historyof Criminal Syndicalism Legislation in the United States (Baltimore, legionnaire.The Centraliamassacre, as 1939), 43n.76; Vernon H. Jensen,Lumber and thistragedy is known,and its aftermath Labor (New York,1945), 139-40; Nard Jones, representthe high-water mark of the sup- EvergreenLand (New York,1947), 158; of domestic labor radicalism Richard Lillard, The Great Forest (New York, pression 1947), 298; Oscar Osburn Winther,The Great duringthe WorldWar I era. At least 45 Northwest(New York,1947), 337-38; Ralph books- novels,plays, and nonfiction- Chaplin, Wobbly(Chicago, 1948), 300; Archie and countlessarticles, pamphlets, and Binns, Sea in the Forest (New York,1953), 163; Lowell S. Hawley and Ralph Bushnell poemshave dealt in someway with Ever- Potts,Counsel for the Damned (New York, est's death.1 1953), 278; Elizabeth GurleyFlynn, Í Speak OCTOBER 1986 123 Unfortunately,most of these accounts are vious paragraphthat is accurateis that of the have-nots- migrants,loggers, im- inaccurate.In fact,in the seven books Everestparticipated in thedefense of the migrants,miners, women, and blacks.5 publishedsince 1980 thattreat the Cen- Wobblies'hall in Centralia,killed a war traliatragedy and Everest'sinvolvement veteran,and was hangedby a mob. The recorddoes not tell when Everest in it, virtuallyeverything said about joinedthe IWW, but by May 1913, he was Everestis false.This essay attempts to as- His great-grandparentssettled in New- semble forthe firsttime the best evi- berg,Oregon (not in Washington),on 640 denceabout his lifeand deathand to dis- acres in the WillametteValley, 40 miles MyOwn Piece: Autobiographyof "The Rebel provethe misinformationthat previous southof Portland. They had emigratedto Giri"(New York,1955), rev. ed. The Rebel accounts have Everest's Americafrom Kent, in 1835and Girl:An Autobiography(New York,1973), perpetuated. England, ArthurS. American the withtheir nine chil- 263-64; Link, Epoch storyis a case historyof how historical crossed plains (New York,1955), 242; MurrayMorgan, The mythsare createdand how theygrow drenin fourwagons pulled by ox teams. LastWilderness (New York, 1955), 151; overthe years.2 WesleyEverest's father, Joseph, inherited RobertK. Murray,Red Scare (Minneapolis, 40 acres of the land. He married 1955),183-84; Fred Thompson, comp., The family I.W.W.:Us FirstFifty Years (Chicago, 1955), The Centraliatragedy grew out of a cli- Dora Westfall,whose ancestorscame to 132-33;David Lavender,Land ofGiants (New mateof a weakeningeconomy, a rising Americafrom Germany in the 1700sand York,1958), 422; JosephG. Rayback,A of and miners over in the RevolutionaryWar and the Historyof American Labor (New York,1959), militancy loggers fought 289; MaryW. Avery,History and Government workingconditions, a resistanceamong Warof 1812.After their marriage, Joseph ofthe State of Washington (Seattle, 1961), 219; employersto any changes in the eco- leftfarming and becamea schoolteacher JoyceKornbluh, Rebel Voices: An I.W.W. nomicorder, and a widelyheld fearthat and postmaster.3 Anthology(Ann Arbor, Mich., 1964), 256; HarveyO'Connor, Revolution in Seattle(New radicalism,foreign and domestic,threat- York,1964), 177-78; Philip Taft, Organized ened Americanvalues. As membersof Wesleywas born in 1890 on the family Laborin AmericanHistory (New York, 1964), the IWW attemptedto organizeworkers farm,the thirdoldest of the seven chil- 336-37;Patrick Renshaw, The Wobblies:The in local businessmen dren- all - who survived Storyof Syndicalism in theUnited States Centralia, prepared boys infancy. (NewYork, 1967), 210; Robert L. Tyler,Rebels to oppose them. When the American Josephdied in 1903 at the age of 46. In ofthe Woods: The I.W.W.in thePacific Legionannounced an ArmisticeDay pa- thesummer of 1904, Dora, while hitching Northwest(Eugene, Oreg., 1967), 161; Cecil rade that would march the IWW a horse to a one-seatbuggy, was killed Dryden,Dryden's History of Washington past (Portland,Oreg., 1968), 264; JosephRobert headquarters,the businessmenplanned when the horse became frightenedand Conlin,Bread and Roses Too (Westport, to attackthe hall and drivethe Wobblies threwher to theground. After the funeral Conn.,1969), 78; MelvynDubofsky, We Shall out of town.Some of the Wobbliesde- the childrenwere scattered,no two to- Be All: A Historyof the industrial Workers of the relatives. Everest theWorld (New York,1969), 455; Irving cided to defendthe place withguns and gether, among Werstein,Pie in theSky (New York, 1969), stationedthemselves inside, at a hotel stayedon the farmof his grandmother's 111-17;Barry Pritchard, Centralia, 1919: A across the street,and on a nearbyhill. sister near Portland,where he milked Play ([Seattle?],1975), rpt. Minnesota Review, 8 NormanH. The was setfor a showdown. cows and did farmchores. At 17,he grew Vol. (1977),109; Clark, stage tragic Washington(New York,1976), 125; Len De restless and went off to work in the Caux,The LivingSpirit of the Wobblies (New woods cuttingtrees. It was 1907. He was York,1978), 137; Thomas Churchill, Centralia and writers on 5 feet7 inches with darkred hair, Dead March(Willimantic, Conn., 1980); .Historians popular agree tall, A the build. HowardZinn, People'sHistory of thebasic detailsof Everest's life: he was blue eyes,and a medium During UnitedStates (New York,1980), 370; Virginia descendedfrom pioneers who settledthe subsequent years, he also worked in Gardner,"Friend and Lover":The Lifeof state of A noted sawmillsand helped build theNorthern Louise Bryant(New York,1982), 337-38; Peter Washington. sharp- The and Times he won medals forvalor while Pacific betweenVancouver and Carlson,Roughneck: Life of shooter, Railway Big Bill Haywood(New York, 1983), 300-301; servingin the United States Armyin Tacoma.4 JerryLembcke and WilliamTattam, One Franceduring World War I. Upon moving Unionin Wood(New York,1984), 15; Stewart His as a laborer Everestin Bird,Dan Georgakas,and DeborahShaffer, to Centralia,he helped defendthe IWW manyjobs put An Oral the in SolidarityForever: Historyof hall in 1919when marchers in an Armi- contactwith the Wobblies. Organized IWW(Chicago, 1985), 14; ChaimPotok, sticeDay paradeattacked it. In resisting 1905, the IWW was a militantlabor Davita'sHarp (New York,1985), 189-90, capture,he killeda formersoldier. That unionthat was justbeginning to makeits 199-200. nighthe was takenfrom his jail cell by a markin thewestern lumber industry. Be- 2. Two ofthe seven books are novels mob, castrated,and lynched.The mob tween 1907 and 1912,IWW strikesmet (Churchilland Potok),but they repeat the then firedmany bullets into his body, with heavy resistance.In almost every mythsabout Everest as historicalfacts. in a un- confrontation,local authoritiesused fire which was laterburied secret, 3. CharlesS. Everestto TomCopeland, markedgrave. hoses, beatings,or mass arrestsagainst Sept. 21, 1978.Information about Everest's the Wobblies.The IWW oftensuffered familyand earlylife comes from a younger of the historical the bruntof officialviolence because of brother,Charles, who correspondedwith the Such is the substance authorin thelate 1970s. recordabout Everest.Little else about its uncompromising,revolutionary rhet- himhas beenpublished. Sympathetic la- oric