You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Friday December 11, 1914
Denver, Colorado - "The Kingdom of Farr" Is Revealed Before Industrial Commission
Hundreds of company gunthugs, such as these, were made Deputy Sheriffs
in the Kingdom of Farr
Testifying on Wednesday before the
Commission on Industrial Relations, Mr. Joseph H. Patterson made this statement regarding Huerfano County where he is the deputy clerk of the district court:
They call it the Kingdom of Farr. It has been declared by the majority of people down there to be not a part of Colorado; but they call it the Kingdom of Farr, through the influence of Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.; we don't recognize it as part of the United States.
Mr. Patterson submitted records from the Walsenburg district court demonstrating that deaths in and around the mines have been overwhelmingly decided by the coroner's juries so as to clear mine management of any negligence. A typical decision would be:
We find the fault of accident lays with deceased.
Patterson also testified on the hiring of deputy sheriffs by Sheriff Farr:
From the 3d day of September to the 3d day of October [1913]. l think in all they deputized something like 600: between 500 and 600.
The testimony of Sheriff Jefferson Farr followed that of Mr. Patterson. Farr admitted that he hired 326 men as deputy sheriffs, without any investigation of their qualifications, at the request of E. F. Matteson, a division superintendent of Rockefeller's Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. Chairman Walsh then queried:
So far as you know then, a red-handed murderer might have been among them and been given a commission?
To which Sheriff Farr replied:
So far as I know,
From The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette of December 10, 1914:
HIRED DEPUTIES
WITHOUT REGARD TO QUALIFICATION
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DENVER, Colo., Dec. 9.-Three hundred and twenty-six men, without investigation as to their qualifications, were hired by Sheriff Jefferson B. Farr, Huerfano county, as deputy sheriffs at the request of E. F. Matteson, division supt. of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co. These men were armed and he thought paid by the company. The sheriff made no effort to learn whether they were citizens of the state or how long they had been in the state. He hired them as they "asked for work." This was between January 1 and September 1, 1913. The strike was called September 23, 1913.
Such was the testimony of Sheriff Farr before the federal commission on industrial relations to-day.
"So far as you know then," asked Mr. Walsh, chairman of the commission, "a red-handed murderer might have been among them and been given a commission?"
"So far as I know," replied the sheriff.
He had been sheriff for fifteen years he said, and added that he was a bank director, owned some saloon interests and city property at Walsenburg and was interested in farming and stock raising. He said it would be useless to attempt to organize a posse to quell the miners, for no one would have responded. A thousand miners had marched through the streets, where he had but three deputies, he said, and it was common talk that they intended to kill him.
After the militia arrived it disarmed the witness and his men and took charge of the county with the consent of the witness.
John McQuarrie, former under sheriff of Huerfano county, and J. H. Patterson, deputy clerk of the district court at Walsenburg, preceded Farr on the stand. McQuarrie, at present a special agent of the Colorado Southern railroad, resigned after differences with Farr over the escape of a friend.
During his service under Farr, the office of the sheriff was dependent, politically and industrially upon the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, he said. Coroners' juries were selected in accident cases by the coroner in conference with mine superintendents. In damage cases, he said, the injured man never was consulted as to the jury selected. In mine killings, he did not remember a case where the victim was not blamed for carelessness. He said Sheriff Farr kept the district clear as mush as possible of union agitators. Sheriff Farr had asked him, the witness said, to "frame" John R. Lawson, when he was arrested in 1906 by slipping a revolver into his pocket and then charging him with carrying concealed weapons. Lawson was arrested by a city policeman afterward.
McQuarrie declared that he had traced the authorship of a letter introduced to-day by E. H. Weitzel, manager of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company as evidence of an attempt by a union man to betray the activities of the union in Colorado by revealing a list of union men and organizers at work in Colorado before the strike to a private detective.
When the Colorado Fuel and Iron company heard that John R. Lawson was informed that photographic copies of the letter containing the order were about to be posted in the mines, the planned publicity was abandoned by the company.
Mr. Patterson submitted a list from the records of the district court at Walsenburg showing that in ninety cases of death by accident none was charged to the management of the mine. In the records of twenty-three years, in all the damage suits for injuries no decision had been rendered against the company.
The election precincts of union mines, Patterson said, were changed so that the miners had to travel eighteen miles to vote.
"THEY CALL IT THE KINGDOM OF FARR"
The following is the testimony of Joseph H Patterson before Commission on Industrial Relations, given in Denver, Colorado, on December 9, 1914, during the afternoon session:
TESTlMONY OF MR. JOSEPH H. PATTERSON.
Chairman Walsh. Take the chair, please, Mr. Patterson. Mr. Ballard will examine.
Commissioner Ballard. What is your name?
Mr. Patterson. Joseph H. Patterson.
Commissioner Ballard. Give me your address also.
Mr. Patterson. Walsenburg, Colo.
Commissioner Ballard. Will you tell your experience as a mine official in the southern Colorado field.
Mr. Patterson. Why, I took charge of the Toltec mine, l think, in the fall of 1896. l came from Fremont County at that time, where l was in charge of the Fremont mine.
[...]
Commissioner Ballard. Before you came to this mine, how long had you been a miner?
Mr. Patterson. l was raised in the coal mines, you might say.
Commissioner Ballard. Where?
Mr. Patterson. In Scotland. Commissioner Ballard. How long have you been in this country?
[...]
Commissioner Ballard. When did you come to Colorado?
Mr. Patterson. l will have lived in Colorado 35 years to-morrow.
Commissioner Ballard. Thirty-five?
Mr. Patterson. Yes.
Commissioner Ballard. Well, what is the political condition generally in the coal mines? Have the officers in Huerfano County been men of high moral standing and of sufficient ability to discharge their duties impartially?
Mr. Patterson. In my opinion, they have not.
Commissioner Ballard. Why not?
Mr. Patterson. Because they have not been able to carry out the provisions of the law.
Commissioner Ballard. Well, tell us about the activities of the sheriffs office in controlling juries in criminal cases. Has that been the trouble?
Mr. Patterson. Yes, sir.
Commissioner Ballard. Would you mind telling us about it?
Mr. Patterson. The law provides that the coroner shall call his own juries, but my experience in Huerfano County has been the sheriffs office has been naming the juries.
Commissioner Ballard. Well, in criminal cases. In other than criminal cases the sheriff's office controlled the juries?
Mr. Patterson. Yes, sir; absolutely.
Commissioner Ballard. In what way did they control them? Why did they control them?
Mr. Patterson. Because he had quite a number of Mexican people down there that he could handle, and he had the naming of all the jurors. If there was a special venire called, he went out amongst his friends and seen that they were the people that represented the juries if he was interested in the case.
Commissioner Ballard. What was the motive of all this? Why did he do it?
Mr. Patterson. That is so they would be friends of his politically. That is the way l look at it.
Commissioner Ballard. Well, were there many actions for damages on record?
Mr. Patterson. l have here a list. Shall l just read it off?
Mr. Ballard. Yes.
Mr. Patterson. This is a list of actions for damages since the year 1891:
The first case, No. 452, tried October term, 1891, John Daut, plaintiff, v. The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., defendants. That was tried by jury October 12, 1891 Verdict for defendants.
Case 508, filed October term, 1891, action for damages; John J. Weston, plaintiff, v. The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., defendants; trial by jury, February 38, 1892. Verdict for defendants.
Case No. 559. filed October 4, 1892, action for damages; Margaret Renick. plaintiff, v. The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., defendants; later retired from the docket.
It might be well to state here that in the district court, where l am deputy clerk now, there has been no index kept until we took charge in February, 1913. So that it was pretty hard to get at these cases.
Case 802, filed October term, 1895, action for damages; Sarah Gideon, plaintiff, v. The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., defendants; settled by stipulation October 6, 1895.
Case No. 951, filed February 18, 1907, action for damages; Anna Springs, plaintiff v. The Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., defendants; retired from docket February 11, 1908.
Case 1283, filed October term, 1911, action for damages; Robert Templeman, plaintiff, v. George Fruth and James Authrey Coal Co.; set for hearing October 4, 1911; motion by defendants for cost bond sustained; motion of plaintiff to prosecute as a poor person denied; case was afterwards retired from the docket
These were all the cases of damage actions in Huerfano County against any company, as far as l can find, for the last 23 years.
Commissioner Ballard. In no case was damages awarded against the company?
Mr. Patterson. No, sir.
Commissioner Ballard. the democratic form of government maintained in that section?
Mr. Patterson. Well, to answer that question, there is no form of government in Huerfano County. They call it the Kingdom of Farr. It has been declared by the majority of people down there to be not a part of Colorado; but they call it the Kingdom of Farr, through the influence of Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.; we don't recognize it as part of the United States.
Chairman Walsh. They don't what?
Mr. Patterson. They don't recognize it as part of the United States.
Commissioner Ballard. Then the methods used to control politically do not meet the approval of the community?
Mr. Patterson. l think not, sir.
Commissioner Ballard. Well, would you state briefly your experience with the Baldwin-Felts people who came to the district previous to the strike?
Mr. Patterson. l think the first thing l remember about that Baldwin-Felts was along about the 1st of September. l think it was the 3d [3rd]. l noticed a great many people going back and forth to the sheriff's office, and l wondered what was taking place. And along about the middle of it l found out he was deputizing deputy sheriffs for the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co. and other corporations.
Commissioner Ballard. Did these men act in the capacity of peace officers, and were the citizens of Walsenburg treated with fairness and impartiality?
Mr. Patterson. They were not.
Commissioner Ballard. Did he give preference to the company people?
Mr. Patterson. Yes, sir.
Commissioner Ballard. Would you mind giving us some concrete examples?
Mr. Patterson. As far as deputy sheriffs are concerned?
Commissioner Ballard. The Baldwin-Felts people, or any of those.
Mr. Patterson. l would —l could not as far as the Baldwin-Felts are concerned, until after what they call the Seventh Street [Walsenburg] massacre.
On the afternoon of the 24th of October, l was sitting in my office, and l heard quite a great commotion in the courthouse. l ran out and l saw Mr. Farr going to open the door that goes into the large court room, the district court room. That looks west, toward Seventh Street, where this trouble took place. l asked one of the parties what was the trouble, and they told me there had been a killing on Seventh Street.
l went into the deputy prosecuting attorney's office, so l could see up the railroad track. About that time l could see some deputy sheriffs coming and running back and forth to the courthouse. When l went out then and locked my door, l think it was between 3 and 4. Perhaps a little after 4. l found out they were some;
Chairman Walsh. Try to pitch your voice a little higher.
Commissioner Ballard. Talk louder.
Chairman Walsh. l am afraid these gentlemen can not hear you back here. l can scarcely hear you.
Mr. Patterson. l found out that two, three, or four had been killed up on Seventh Street. The next morning—l usually went to Neelley & Caldwell's hardware store and waited for the post office to open. The next morning. l think it was about 10 minutes past 8, l seen four Baldwin-Felts men come out of the courthouse and come down the front part of the courthouse and went down to the corner bank and went across the street to Neelley & Caldwell's and turned in behind the building.
As soon as they were located there, three more came out of the courthouse door and made a start to where l was standing at the front door of Neelley & Caldwell's hardware store. l said, "What's going on here this morning?" But instead of coming across the sidewalk they took the street and came right over to the door. The first one came in, l learned was A. C. Felts. He asked if there was one of the proprietors of the store there, and Mr. Caldwell said, "l am." "Well," he says, "my name is A. C. Felts, of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Co. l am representing the sheriff's office this morning. l have come over here to search this place for a machine gun that was shipped in here last night by express."
Mr. Caldwell asked where is Mr. Farr. He says, "It doesn't make any difference where Mr. Farr is. l am representing his office. l am going to search your place." l says to Mr. Caldwell, "You ought to ask what authority he has to search your place." This was before any insurrection. He says, "l don't require any authority." Mr. Caldwell says, "You ought to have a search warrant or something like that before l will allow you through here." He says, "No, sir; l am going through; l am going to search for it."
So he went through the building and didn't find the machine gun. l think that was on a Saturday morning. On Sunday, about noon, there was supposed to be two cases of rifles shipped to the Caldwell & Neelley Co. at that time. When l went home for dinner, where l live, l can see the freight house at the depot from the front gate. And l noticed one of the deputy sheriffs go up there, and there was four or five or six of the Baldwin-Felts people went up there also, and it seems they had got into the express office somewhere, they got two cases of guns, two—took two cases of these rifles, put them in the wagon, came from the courthouse, and they were taken back to the jail.
Commissioner Ballard. What month was that?
Mr. Patterson. That was October 26.
Commissioner Ballard. 1913?
Mr. Patterson. Yes, sir. Now, l was supposed to bring the verdicts of the jury. l have a copy of each of them.
Chairman Walsh. Coroner's jury.
Mr. Patterson. The records that were kept there.
Chairman Walsh. Are those verdicts of coroner's juries?
Mr. Patterson. They are the verdicts of the inquiries that have been held in Huerfano County in the last 10 years. That is as l was told to bring them.
Chairman Walsh. How many of them are there?
Mr. Patterson. That is all l could find in the records, 90.
Chairman Walsh. What is the usual form of them? Give a typical form.
Mr. Patterson. Shall l read some of them?
Chairman Walsh. Yes; read the typical ones.
Mr. Patterson (reading): "An inquisition, holden at Pryor, in Huerfano County, State of Colorado, on the 15th day of January, 1908, before W. C. Hunt, J. P., acting coroner of said county, upon the body of D. L. Vigil, there lying dead, by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed; said jurors upon their oaths do say: D. L. Vigil came to his death by car running over him and by his own carelessness." It does not say where, or nothing about it. [And Mr. Patterson reads many more verdicts...] "We find the fault of accident lays with deceased." They all run about the same.
Chairman Walsh. ls there anyone among them where the verdict found the person or company to be at fault in the death of the deceased?
Mr. Patterson. Here is one that will give an idea of the entire 90. l believe. This is the death of David Ferguson [reading] : "An inquisition, holden at Rugby, in Huerfano County, State of Colorado, on the 22d day of November, 1905, before S. Julian Lammie, coroner of said county, upon the body of David Ferguson, there lying dead, by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed; said jurors upon their oaths do say: David Ferguson came to his death on the 21st day of November, 1905, by a fall of rock in the third north entry of the Rugby mine. Death was due to his own negligence." l believe that 85 out of the 90 will carry the language "his own negligence" or "his own carelessness."
There is only one verdict of the 90 that holds the management at fault. l can not find where it was filed with the district court l will read that. l have it here by itself, some place. This is on the death of Fete Melhjo: "That the deceased, Pete Melhjo, met his death in the Rocky Mountain No. 3 entry, first north, room 16, said mine, address McGuire, Colo., on March 13, 1907, at about 8.30 a. m., by a fall of rock due to the negligence of the management of said mine." That is the only verdict out of 90.
l find that in the 90 verdicts there are 109 deaths; 27 of them were English- speaking people and 82 foreign-speaking people.
[Patterson's testimony continues with the witness detailing his own personal experience living and working in the "Kingdom of Farr," and concludes with Patterson providing more information on the army of deputy sheriffs created by Sheriff Farr on behalf of the coal operators:]
Mr. Patterson. [...] I heard Mr. Welborn testify there were no deputy sheriffs employed by him before the strike was called. From the 3d day of September to the 3d day of November I went down and took a list off, and I found 258.
Chairman Walsh. On the 3d day of what?
Mr. Patterson. Deputy sheriffs.
Chairman Walsh. What are the dates, l asked.
Mr. Patterson. From the 3d day of September to the 3d day of October. l think in all they deputized something like 600: between 500 and 600.
Chairman Walsh. That is 1913?
Mr. Patterson. Yes.
Chairman Walsh. How many were deputized between September 3 and September 23?
Mr. Patterson. I took the list myself, and I am only talking of what I took myself to make it sure. I went to the clerk's office and took from the 3d day of September to the 3d day of October.
Chairman Walsh. Do you have any idea of the number deputized between September 3 and September 23?
Mr. Patterson. l think 250.
Chairman Walsh. ls there anything else?
Mr. Patterson. l have a great deal of stuff. l have a list from the 3d to the 3d.
Chairman Walsh. Leave that here, or if you will kindly take it with you and put the dates of the appointments on from the record. l want just the date of appointment; you have the name of the deputy. You will be excused, Mr. Patterson.
[emphasis and paragraph breaks added]
WE NEVER FORGET
Kris Kokich
Andy Auvinen
Cisto Croci
SOURCES
The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette
(Fort Wayne, Indiana)
-Dec 10, 1914
http://www.newspapers.com/...
Industrial relations: final report and testimony, Vol 7
United States. Commission on Industrial Relations
D.C. Gov. Print. Office, 1916
(see below and use page numbers for search of this document)
http://books.google.com/...
6750-Wed Dec 9, 1914, 10 AM
Denver, Colorado
6750-Weitzel
6767-McDonald
6776-Afternoon Session, 2 PM
6776-McDonald
6780-McQuarrie
6783-Patterson, J
6790-Farr
6803-Adjourned, 4:30 PM
See also
Hellraisers Journal: Walsenburg, Colorado-Mine Guards and Deputies Kill Three More Strikers by JayRaye [This is the event that Patterson is describing above.]
http://www.dailykos.com/...
IMAGE
Company Gunthugs, Colorado, 1914
https://archive.org/...
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Which Side Are You On-Dropkick Murphys
The bosses ride big fine horses
While we walk in the mud.
Their banner is a dollar sign
While ours is striped with blood.
-Florence Reese
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