IWW Espionage Trial Begins (1918)

Mon Apr 01, 1918

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On this day in 1918, the IWW Espionage Trial began, with more than one hundred Wobblies standing trial after the Department of Justice engaged in mass raids and arrests of IWW members in 1917 for violating the Espionage Act.

Using the newly passed Espionage Act of 1917 as a justification, on September 5th, 1917, the Department of Justice raided forty-eight Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) meeting halls, arresting 165 IWW members for “conspiring to hinder the draft, encourage desertion, and intimidate others in connection with labor disputes.”

Of the 165 arrested, only 101 actually stood trial. The trial, which began on this day in 1918, was unusual in the way that the prosecution did not try to demonstrate the guilt of individuals, but rather to indict the IWW as an entire organization. During the trial, prosecutors read inflammatory passages from seized documents; accordingly, the defense testified about the plight of the working man and the evils of capitalism.

All defendants were found guilty on all charges brought by the prosecution, and many IWW members served several years in prison. Among those convicted was “Big Bill” Haywood, a prominent leader of the IWW, however he skipped bail before his sentencing and fled to the Soviet Union, where he would spend the rest of his life.