Today -100: January 3, 1920: When do we eat?

Lots and lots of Palmer Raids™, in 33 cities, with at least 2,600 arrests. Today’s Palmer Raids™ focus on the Communist Party and the Communist Labor Party, which the Justice Department darkly informs us is associated with Lenin & Trotsky’s Third International. Justice also releases a letter which Palmer sent to Illinois State’s Attorney Maclay Hoyne asking him to hold off his own planned raids, which would scare reds into hiding before the Palmer Raids™. Apparently not very deep into hiding, since some of the Palmer Raids™ took place in Chicago, netting 100 or more alleged reds (yes, I’ve stopped putting reds in scare quotes; it was getting tiresome).

Speaking of bad timing, the government says it will get local cops to help locate foreigners for the Census.

200 convicts in the County Jail in Chicago are forced to witness the hanging of Rafflo Durrage in what is described as  an experiment in psychology. Sheriff Charles Peters explains that the crime wave is caused by “the modern coddling of criminals.” After the noose was put on Durrage’s neck but before he was hanged, a chorus of “When do we eat?” went up among the prisoners. Some prison official disconnected the phone to make sure there was no reprieve.

Headline of the Day -100: 

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