The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #17834   Message #1031217
Posted By: Art Thieme
07-Oct-03 - 10:16 AM
Thread Name: Tune Req: Ludlow Massacre (Guthrie)New info
Subject: RE: Tune Req: Ludlow Massacre (Woody Guthrie)
Rick Lee recorded a nice version of this song some several years ago. I don't recall any other records with this song on them.

Paul Durst, the Wobbly arganizer (born:1868) I'd met and tape recorded in Chicago (1961) was present at the massacre. He told me that not only were the tents set afire, but that there were electrified wires put around the stikers somehow and--as he said---"if you touched it you burnt your hands". Being 20 years old at that time, I hadn't heard of 90% of the events Paul was telling me about and had no questions to ask him then. My schooling hadn't mentioned any of these events. My instincts were in the right direction though, or else I'd not've hauled my heavey 2-track Webcor machine on the Illinois Central Railroad to tape old Paul on that very cold December 8th. Paul and I had talked before this, but this was the one and only time I was able to tape record some of his music and talk.

Kat, thanks for pointing me to this thread.

Art Thieme