Before the place was levelled I took several great photos of the old Italian Hall. Charlie Maguire, a topical singer of folksongs, "entered" the place once back in the 80s through a boarded up window if I remember right. Found fascinating stuff stll just laying around there.

Mark Ross, a modern Wobbly from Butte, Montana, called me yesterday after seeing this and said he doubted the tale. Mark said pretty much, Ninety year old guys are coming out of the woodwork all the time to give their spin on things just to make waves before they kick the bucket.

Well, my brother interviews people who "say" they were abducted by aliens. Generally it seems a certain percentage of the folks REALLY had some kind a of a traumatic experience that they must tell someone---anyone---about before they die. Nobody they tried to tell before would take them seriously on any level at all.

Could be that, in this case of the Italian Hall, it'd be like goring a treasured and politically correct oxen to even entertain the notion that the newer take might be accurate.

I like the old story too---'cause I like the song (as done by Ramblin' Jack Elliott-- but the truth is as elusive as a greased pig or a greased football. Both are pork but they are swines of a different color.

Art Thieme