Beal, Fred Erwin, 1896-1954

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State vs. Fred Erwin Beal, et al. N. C. 278, 154 S. E. 604 (1930).

In 1929, Fred Erwin Beal (1896-1954), a communist and National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) organizer, arrived at the Loray Mill in Gastonia, North Carolina. There, the young New Englander worked toward unionization of the mill workers. Many workers did join the NTWU as a result of Beal’s efforts. The company responded to the unionization by firing five union members in May 1929. After the firings, the union members voted to strike.

The initial strike on April 1, 1929 drew about 1,800 workers out to the picket lines. Over the month, the workers refused to return to the mill until their demands were met. The owners of the mill, a Rhode Island company, refused to negotiate. By the end of the month many demonstrators could no longer afford to continue without pay and left the picket lines.

A few hundred strikers remained on the picket lines, living in a tent village set up by the union because the company evicted them from their mill-owned homes. On June 7, 1929 Gastonia police chief, Orville F. Aderholt, other officers, and local men deputized for the purpose of ending the strike, broke a picket line comprised mainly of women and children. Aderholt and others then entered the tent village, shots were fired, and Aderholt was killed.

Sixteen people were arrested and charged with murder in the second degree: Fred Erwin Beal, K.O. Byers, W.M. McGinnis, Louis McLaughlin, George Carter, alias William Duke, Vera Busch, Joseph Harrison, J.C. Heafner, Robert Allen, Russell Knight, Clarence Miller, N.F. Gibson, Delmar Hampton, K.Y. Hendricks, Amy Schechter and Sophie Melvin.

The judge declared a mistrial on September 9 when one of the jurors became insane based, in part, on the extreme pressure placed upon the jurors. After a mistrial was declared, violence erupted. An anti-communist mob attacked union members and then kidnapped and flogged former strike leaders. The violence culminated on September 14, 1929 with the murder of strike participant Ella May Wiggins.

On the first day of the retrial, September 30, 1929, the state dropped its charges against 9 of the original 16 charged. Fred Beal, Clarence Miller, Joseph Harrison, George Carter, W. M. McGinnis, Louis McLaughlin, and K.Y. Hendricks were found guilty of second-degree murder. Beal and the three other Northern defendants were sentenced to 17-20 years; the locals received shorter sentences.

All seven defendants jumped bail. Five of the men, including Beal, fled to the Soviet Union. Beale remained in the Soviet Union from 1930 to 1933 and then returned to the United States. Beal’s autobiography, Proletarian Journey, was published in 1937. He was extradited to North Carolina and jailed in 1938. Governor Clyde R. Hoey, prosecutor for Beal’s trial, refused to grant Beal a pardon. Hoey’s successor did, however, grant Beal a pardon in 1942.

From the guide to the State of North Carolina vs. Fred Erwin Beal, and et al. Transcript: September 30, 1929 – October 16, 1929, (Harvard Law School Library, Harvard University)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn J. B. Matthews Papers, 1862-1986 and undated David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
referencedIn Gastonia gazette correspondence, 1929, 1939. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
referencedIn The Nation, records, 1879-1974 (inclusive), 1920-1955 (bulk). Houghton Library
creatorOf Inglis, Agnes, 1870-1952. Papers, 1909-1954. University of Michigan
referencedIn ILGWU. Local 155 records, 1933-1995 Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives
creatorOf State of North Carolina vs. Fred Erwin Beal, and et al. Transcript: September 30, 1929 – October 16, 1929 Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Local 155 (New York, N.Y.). ILGWU. Local 155 recordss, 1933-1995. Cornell University Library
creatorOf McCrary, Jim. Jim McCrary papers, 1924-1930. UC Berkeley Libraries
referencedIn Guide to the Social Democratic Federation of America Records, 1933-1956 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith A. B. Hord, Gov. witness person
associatedWith A. B. Weathers, Def. witness person
associatedWith A. C. Little, Gov. witness person
associatedWith A. C. Stroup, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Aderholt, O. F. person
associatedWith A. J. Roach, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Barnhill, M. V. person
associatedWith C. C. Craig, Gov. witness person
associatedWith C. D. Saylors, Def. witness person
associatedWith Chas. Dickinson, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Clyde McAbee, Def. witness person
associatedWith C. M. Ferguson, Gov. witness person
associatedWith C. M. Mulwee, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Dewey Martin, Def. witness person
associatedWith D. L. Keisler, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Dr. D. A. Barrison, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Dr. L. N., Glenn, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Dr. R. H. McConnell, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Ed. Kelley, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Eugene Orr, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Floyd Rathbone, Def. witness person
associatedWith Fred Beal, Def. witness person
associatedWith Geo. Moore, Gov. witness person
associatedWith George Carter, Def. witness person
associatedWith Gladys Wallace, Def. witness person
associatedWith Grace Duffy, Gov. witness person
associatedWith H. A. Strange, Def. witness person
associatedWith H. C. Jackson, Gov. witness person
associatedWith I. M. Allen, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Inglis, Agnes, 1870-1952. person
associatedWith International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. Local 155 (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith J. B. Cooper, Gov. witness person
associatedWith J. C. Sigmon, Gov. witness person
associatedWith J. E. Hodges, Gov. witness person
associatedWith J. M. Gilliam, Gov. witness person
associatedWith John Holly, Gov. witness person
associatedWith John Woodle, Def. witness person
associatedWith J. T. Hewitt, Def. witness person
associatedWith J. W. Beard, Def. witness person
associatedWith Katie Corley, Def. witness person
associatedWith K. Y. Hendricks, Def. witness person
associatedWith Marie Hunsucker, Def. witness person
associatedWith Matthews, J. B. (Joseph Brown), 1894-1966 person
associatedWith McCrary, Jim. person
associatedWith Miss Bertha Harrelson, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Miss Ethel Aderholt, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Miss Flora May Davis, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. A. C. Little, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Connie Neal, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Edith Saunders Miller, Def. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Geo. Gamble, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Geo. McMahan, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Irene Corley, Def. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Otto Mason, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Thos. A. Gilbert, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Thos. Jenkins, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Mrs. Walter Grigg, Gov. witness person
correspondedWith Nation (New York, N.Y. : 1865). corporateBody
associatedWith Norman Morrow, Gov witness person
associatedWith O. L. Glymph, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Otto Mason, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Paul Shepherd, Def. witness person
associatedWith Plummer Stewart, Def. witness person
associatedWith Rev. J. W. Whitley, Gov. witness person
associatedWith R. H. Howell, Def. witness person
associatedWith Robt. Crisp, Def. witness person
associatedWith Roscoe Douglas, Gov. witness person
associatedWith R. P. Washam, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Russell Knight, Def. witness person
associatedWith S. C. Davis, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Sheriff Isenhour, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Social Democratic Federation of America. corporateBody
associatedWith S. P. Helms, Gov. witness person
associatedWith S. W. Gardner, Gov. witness person
associatedWith S. W. McKnight, Def. witness person
associatedWith T. A. Gilbert, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Thos. H. Jenkins, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Tom Hannah, Gov. witness person
associatedWith Tom Phifer, Gov. witness person
associatedWith U. C. Neill, Gov. witness person
associatedWith V. W. Cole, Gov. witness person
associatedWith W. E. Ray, Def. witness person
associatedWith W. H. Leeper, Gov witness person
associatedWith Will Grady, Gov. witness person
associatedWith W. P. Upton, Gov. witness person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Communism
Labor unions
Trials (Murder)
Textile Workers' Strike, Gastonia, N.C., 1929
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1896

Death 1954-11-15

Americans

English

Information

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