EVERETT — Thursday marks the 110th anniversary of the Everett Massacre, a waterfront gun battle between union members, an elected sheriff and deputized citizens that killed at least seven people and wounded more than 50.
It was the deadliest labor confrontation in the history of the Pacific Northwest, a day that became known as “Bloody Sunday” in the working-class city known for its strong union roots.
The conflict had its origins months before “Bloody Sunday,” as in May 1916, a shingle weavers union went on strike demanding eight-hour workdays, higher pay and better working conditions, per previous reporting by The Daily Herald. Members of the International Workers of the World, a labor organization, came to Everett to support the union’s cause. The “Wobblies,” as they were called, started speaking on Everett’s streets but met resistance from local business leaders and law enforcement.
On Nov. 5, 1916, a ship with about 260 passengers, mostly Wobblies, landed in Everett, aiming to demonstrate on the corner of Hewitt and Wetmore Avenues. Deputized men armed with guns and rifles were waiting for them, after hearing that a group of armed anarchists was coming to burn the city, according to the Everett Public Library. Somebody fired a shot, and then “minutes of chaotic shooting” followed, according to the library.
Five members of the labor group — Felix Baran, Hugo Gerlot, Gustav Johnson, John Looney and Abraham Rabinowitz — are known to have died in the fighting. It’s possible that as many as six other Wobblies also died in the fighting; they went missing but their bodies were never recovered. (Some suspect they were killed and their bodies were secretly removed from the water).
Two deputies, Jefferson Beard and Charles Curtiss, also died.
Seventy-four Wobblies were charged in the death of Beard. Only one of those cases went to trial, however, and the man was acquitted; defense attorneys argued that the Wobblies were acting in self defense and that Beard may have died from friendly fire.
To this day, it’s unclear who fired the first shot.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
