Page:The web (1919).djvu/493

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one hundred, or practically all of the active leaders of the I. W. W. movement, ninety-seven of whom were sentenced by Federal Judge Landis and are now serving sentences in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Cases are pending, as this is being written, against other leaders of the I. W. W. in Sacramento, Kansas City, Omaha and elsewhere.

In connection with the preparation of the evidence at Chicago, I take this occasion to commend most highly the efficient, untiring assistance of Special Agent George N. Murdock, of the Indianapolis office, who was assigned to Chicago and relieved me of the investigating detail work in December, 1917, and he continued to assist those in charge of the case throughout the trial. Mr. Murdock is still Special Agent of the Department of Justice, in active charge of the investigating work at Sacramento, Kansas City, Omaha and elsewhere.

The Bureau of Investigation and the American Protective League are very greatly indebted to the late Herman F. Schuettler, then General Superintendent of Police of Chicago, for his competency and very great assistance personally, also his entire Police Department, in helping make the American Protective League a success in Chicago. The same is true of John H. Alcock, former Acting General Superintendent of Police, Morgan Collins, First Deputy Superintendent of Police, and other officials of the Police Department.

I shall therefore not burden this memorandum except to call attention to the famous Rockford draft cases, which resulted in the conviction of about one hundred persons. (Rockford is the entry-point for Camp Grant Cantonment.)

After war had been declared and during the discussion in Congress of the Draft Act, the I. W. W. members and their sympathizers carried on an active campaign against the Act, and when the Act was passed, simply advised their members not to register. They were particularly active in the Chicago Division, as well as around Rockford. To insure carrying out their plans at Rockford, an all-day meeting and picnic was announced for June 5 at Blackhawk Park for the purpose of keeping their members and sympathizers together until after the close of the registration booths in order to prevent their registration.

On June 6, 1917, Wait Talcott, Chief of the American Protective League at Rockford, presented the facts to me and he was directed to request the local authorities in Rockford to take steps to apprehend all those who had not registered. Late in the afternoon three were apprehended and locked up in the county jail. This act enraged the leaders of the I. W. W. Meetings were held, demanding the release of the persons in custody. Upon adjourn-