We are free, truly free, when we
don’t need to rent our arms to anybody
in order to be able to lift
a piece of bread to our mouths.
-Ricardo Flores Magón
Hellraisers Journal, Wednesday February 19, 1908
Our Mexican Comrades Await Their Fate in Los Angeles Jail
From the Appeal to Reason of February 15, 1908:
THE MEXICAN CASES.
—–
The case of Manuel Sarabia, our Mexican comrade, was heard at Los Angeles, January 18th, and resulted in a complete rout for the prosecution. The indictment found against these Mexican revolutionists by the grand jury in Arizona is admitted by the federal court to be void. Every effort is being made by Diaz and his American employes, aided by the United States government, to secure the extradition of these men for the purpose of murdering them. The defense is putting up a vigorous fight, and if sufficient funds are secured and at once we will win. The Appeal is just in receipt of a cheering letter from Harriman & Holsten, their attorneys, and also from comrade Sanftleben, which indicate victory. From Common Sense the Appeal clips the following:
It might be of interest to hear that Clarence Darrow, the powerful defender of the victims of the capitalist conspiracy of Idaho and Colorado who just underwent a successful operation in this city, takes a keen interest in the case. He has read up all matters pertaining to the case. Intense pain did not withhold him from being personally present at the abortive hearing of Manuel Sarabia on Saturday, January 18th, when the rotten bottom of the whole conspiracy fell through. And on the same day he and Pettibone got a pass from the United States marshal and visited Magon, Villarreal, Rivera and Sarabia in the Los Angeles county jail. Their unanimous opinion is that they hardly ever met finer specimens of manhood in every sense of the word. Clarence Darrow has expressed himself that as soon as he is well again he will do his share on behalf of our friends.
[Photograph added.]
From The Industrial Union Bulletin of February 15, 1908:
Crowds Greet Mexicans
It was a dreary day in the federal court. R. Flores Magon, Antonio I. Villareal and Librado Rivierra [Rivera], the three Mexicans charged with violation of the neutrality laws by an alleged conspiracy in St. Louis to organize an armed force in Douglas, Ariz., to invade Mexico, were brought from the county jail in the morning, but their cases were postponed until the afternoon.
Desolate as the day was, their compatriots and sympathizers were out in as large a force as ever. They thronged the court room, every age and condition of their life being represented. There were blind men and babes in arms, all intent upon the case. Silently they sat and stood through the minor affairs, only to find it necessary to return in the afternoon. The prisoners, with the exception of Villareal, who seemed nervous, listened unperturbed to the other cases.
It was expected that Judge Wellborn would deny or approve the order of the commissioner directing that they be removed to Mexico and Attorney Holstein, who with Job Harriman, representing the Mexicans, and Oscar Lawler, the United States district attorney, both were asked what was likely to be done.
“They will be dismissed, prophesied Mr. Holstein, “but either way they will be honored by their friends. If they go free they will be heroes. If they go to their execution in Mexico they will be martyrs.”
“They will not go free,” asserted Mr. Lawler, with equal positiveness.-Los Angeles Express, Jan. 27.
———-
[Photograph added.]
From the Los Angeles Herald of February 16, 1908:
SARABIA TO BE DEPORTED
—–ALLEGED CONSPIRATOR TO BE TRIED IN ARIZONA
—–
WILL LEAVE FOR TUCSON IN A FEW DAYS
—–
Attorneys Harriman and Holston Hope to
Test Case of Government Against
Others by This One
—–Although every effort to prevent his extradition was made by the attorneys for Manuel Sarabia, the alleged Mexican revolutionist, who, together with R. Flores Magon, Antonio Villareal and Librado Rivera, is said to have conspired in this country against the Porfirio Diaz government in Mexico, he was held for removal to the United States district court at Tucson, Arizona, by United States Commissioner William Van Dyke yesterday. Being unable to furnish bail, Sarabia, was taken to the county jail to await deportation.
Sarabia, together with the other Mexicans arrested, denies that he ever attempted to organize an armed force in the United States, although he does not deny that he was seeking to overthrow the Diaz government in Mexico.
He was arrested in Los Angeles several weeks ago on an indictment returned in Arizona by the federal grand jury in that territory, charging him with conspiracy. Both his attorneys, Job Harriman and A. R. Holston, did all in their power to prevent his being extradited to Arizona, since they maintain that once there it would be comparatively easy for him to be handed over to the Mexican government, where he would be arrested for some alleged political offense and executed.
Sarabia is charged with attending meetings of the junta where it was planned to secure arms for the revolutionists and overthrow the Diaz regime.
His attorneys did not contest his removal to Arizona when United States Commissioner Van Dyke announced his decision, but are planning to test the strength of the indictments against the other revolutionists by his trial.
Magon, Villareal and Rivera are still in jail in Los Angeles. It will be some days before Sarabia is sent to the Arizona authorities to be tried under the charge of conspiracy brought against him by the federal grand jury.
———-
SOURCES
Appeal to Reason
(Girard, Kansas)
-Feb 15, 1908
https://www.newspapers.com/image/67587188/
The Industrial Union Bulletin
(Chicago, Illinois)
-Feb 15, 1908, page 4
https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/industrialworker/iub/v1n51-feb-15-1908-iub.pdf
Los Angeles Herald
(Los Angeles, California)
-February 16, 1908
https://www.newspapers.com/image/64117138/
IMAGES
Manuel Sarabia, LA Herald, Jan 1, 1908
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85042462/1908-01-01/ed-1/seq-5/
MX Revs, Magon, Rivera, Villareal, El Paso Hld, Aug 30, 1907
https://www.newspapers.com/image/41363895/
See also:
“The Situation in Mexico” by Manuel Sarabia
From International Socialist Review of June 1914
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=olFIAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA722
Ricardo Flores Magón
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Flores_Mag%C3%B3n
Antonio Irineo Villarreal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Irineo_Villarreal
Librado Rivera
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librado_Rivera
Junta Organizadora del Partido Liberal Mexicano
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junta_Organizadora_del_Partido_Liberal_Mexicano